Social media is now the top sales generator for one in four UK small businesses

A quarter (28%) of small businesses in the UK are now generating more sales from social media than from any other channel, including e-commerce and bricks-and-mortar stores, according to research from BT*

Despite social media being widely adopted as a sales tool, 21% of entrepreneurs express concerns about lacking the digital skills to maximise its benefits for their businesses.

To assist small enterprises in the UK in leveraging the advantages of social media, BT has collaborated with business influencer and YouTube star, Patricia Bright. They aim to provide expert guidance on digital marketing and tailor strategies for impactful social media usage.

BT’s efforts align with their support for over a million entrepreneurs through the Skills for Tomorrow program. The program offers free digital skills training, courses, resources, and mentoring to small businesses in the UK.

A study by BT investigated social media strategies used by over 500 small businesses in the UK and found that Meta-owned platforms, particularly Facebook (30%), Instagram (18%), Twitter (10%), and TikTok (9%), were crucial for revenue generation.

Interestingly, social media is gaining popularity compared to other marketing tools for sales generation. A quarter (25%) of businesses use organic/non-paid social media, and 22% use paid social media posts, which are more widely utilized than traditional tactics like direct email marketing (18%), SEO (15%), partnerships (11%), and leafletting (11%).

However, not all entrepreneurs feel confident about using social media effectively. Some feel overwhelmed by constant changes to rules, algorithms, and consumer habits. Among them, 21% feel “behind the times,” 16% feel “stressed,” and others feel “anxious” and “confused.”

These feelings stem from the complexities of paid social performance, advertising rules, and utilising customer data. The varying guidelines and algorithms across platforms, such as Facebook Marketplace, TikTok, and Instagram shops, further compound the challenge, leaving many business owners feeling uncertain.

More than half (58%) of small business owners express a desire for digital skills training, with 60% wishing they had received such support during their school years. They seek assistance in areas such as targeting the right audience online (24%), understanding social media and creating an online brand (21%), and grasping cyber security concepts (19%).

To address these needs, BT has teamed up with Patricia Bright, who has experienced the benefits of social media for business growth firsthand. Having grown her own YouTube channel and Instagram following organically, she now advocates that business owners make use of free online courses, like those offered by BT, to enhance their skills in content creation and customer attraction through social media.

Patricia Bright’s 5 Top Social Media Marketing Tips

1. Be yourself! Having an original and authentic tone of voice will help to naturally engage a wider audience and communicate your brand values.
2. Ensure your content can reach across all social platforms – don’t be afraid to edit your style so it’s appropriate for different audiences. Vary tone across Instagram, Facebook and TikTok.
3. Be receptive to community feedback – try to nurture relationships and better understand your target audience.
4. User-Generated Content is great – encourage your true fans or customers to make their own content that shares what you do. This also helps foster a greater sense of community.
5. Get organised. Schedule and put systems in place to ensure you’re posting regularly. Being consistent will help to ensure your following grows organically.

Patricia Bright, entrepreneur and influencer, said: “Digital marketing skills are now a ‘must-have’ for small business owners so that they can grow awareness and build stronger relationships with potential customers. Getting started with social media for your business might seem daunting at first but there’s now more support available to entrepreneurs than ever before. I learned first-hand that investing time to foster a strong social media following can put you in touch with new customers directly and showcase your services and products more clearly, building a powerful brand image and reputation.”

Chris Sims, MD of Small and Medium Enterprise at BT, said: “Some of today’s most successful businesses were built on social media. Over three quarters (76%) of today’s business owners rely on social media platforms or an online presence to drive sales. At a time when business owners face rising costs, social channels can offer small businesses a competitive advantage: helping them reach, and engage with, new audiences – and ultimately drive sales. As well as providing the digital foundation to help them grow, our role at BT is to help the nation’s small business owners keep.”

* Research conducted by Opinium of 2,000 UK Adults, including 500 people who run their own business or side hustle, between 30 December 2022 – 05 January 2023