Study: 70 percent of local-business owners market on Facebook

It’s a 20 percent increase from last year, but some are questioning this figure as being too high. (One marketing pro said, ‘I absolutely do not believe this.’) What do you think? [UPDATED]

MerchantCircle, an online network of local business owners in the U.S., recently conducted a survey and found that 70 percent of these business owners use Facebook to market. The trend is rising, as this represents a 20 percent increase from 2010.

(To reach this conclusion, the study asked respondents: Are you promoting your business with the following websites/services?)

“Facebook has now surpassed Google (66 percent) as the most widely used marketing method among local merchants, and is almost tied with Google search (40 percent) as one of their top three most effective marketing methods, with 37 percent rating Facebook as one of their most effective tools,” according to MerchantCircle.

The quarterly Merchant Confidence Index survey, conducted from Jan. 22 to Feb. 3, also found that 40 percent of local merchants are using Twitter.

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