Hajra Naz
Verizon Business partnered with Morning Consult to release the sixth annual State of Small Business survey on May 20. In March, researchers surveyed 600 small and midsize business leaders across the U.S., spanning industries such as restaurants, construction, and retail, all running companies with 500 or fewer employees.
Content Creation Is a Priority for Small Businesses
The survey revealed that small businesses recognize the importance of content creation. Only 19% reported not producing any content, and just 8% had no plans to start. Over 60% have either started creating their content or increased their content budgets in the past year.
When it comes to platforms, Facebook remains dominant, with 82% of businesses active there, followed by Instagram at 71% usage. Notably, YouTube usage surpassed LinkedIn, securing third place, while TikTok rounds out the top five with 58% usage, showing a slight increase from the previous year.
Read More: A Simple 2-Hour Per Week Video Content Strategy for Small Businesses
The Uncertain Future of TikTok and Its Impact
Given the continuous danger of a possible U.S. ban, it is unclear if TikTok will be able to retain or increase its small business user base. A congressional ban on the platform has been postponed by the Trump administration on multiple occasions.
Two academics from Columbia Business School recently conducted a study on the effects of TikTok’s brief January outage and discovered that as bigger advertisers changed their spending plans, Facebook and Instagram advertising expenses increased by 10%. Small businesses found it challenging to compete with this spike, and the report cautioned that small marketers would be disproportionately harmed by a complete TikTok ban.
TikTok changed its message to highlight its benefits for small business owners, an audience that supports current political agendas, in reaction to these difficulties. TikTok is highlighting its continued support for small businesses by offering a $1 million giveaway in ad credits as part of Small Business Month in May.
Read More: TikTok started many trends. Will its influence last?
Content Creation Mostly Handled In-House
Most small businesses handle content creation internally. Only about one-third have a formal content team, while another 38% assign full-time staff to content responsibilities. A mere 4% outsource content creation completely, with the remainder distributing the workload among existing employees juggling multiple roles.
Why Content Marketing Pays Off
According to Forbes Advisor data, content marketing is both affordable and effective for small businesses:
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Generates 3x more leads than traditional advertising
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Costs 62% less on average
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Delivers a return of $2.77 for every dollar spent
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Produces conversion rates six times higher than businesses not using content marketing
These figures clearly show why investing in content drives sales growth and customer acquisition.
Read More: The 10 Best Video Search Engines You Need to Know
The Content Creation Challenge
Despite these benefits, many small businesses struggle to produce enough content consistently. More than half of respondents cite maintaining sufficient content volume as a major challenge, while 54% say keeping content current with social media trends is difficult.
This gap between the effort required and the results gained is a key stumbling block. While almost every small business is creating content and the potential rewards are significant, it takes consistent effort, fresh ideas, and dedicated time to keep the momentum going. For some, the easier route is simply buying ads instead of producing content.
New Insights: The Role of Emerging Technologies
There is new potential for small businesses to expedite content development as AI-powered content solutions become more widely available. These solutions might relieve the strain on overworked teams by
- Managing publication schedules
- Generating ideas
- Optimizing content for interaction.
But there are dangers associated with depending too much on automatic content. To stand out in crowded social feeds, businesses should be authentic and maintain real ties with their audiences.
Summary
In conclusion, small businesses are creating content more than ever before, yet it might be difficult to produce regular, high-quality material. Although platforms like TikTok present great potential, businesses must remain flexible and knowledgeable due to regulatory uncertainties and the quick changes in social media trends.
Those who innovate and make smart investments will lead the way in content marketing, which is still a potent growth engine.
