Because of the efforts Google has made to help local businesses gain visibility in their search results, marketing experts claim it has never been easier for small businesses to leverage the internet to bring customer through their doors. However, a majority of local small businesses may not realize the true potential of online marketing.

In recent research conducted by ironmonreyDirect, 10,000 trades people were asked to take part in a study examining the marketing habits of trades people.

It was found that not only was digital marketing used by only a minority of small businesses, but few looked at online marketing as an effective way to bring in new business.

Out of the businesses surveyed 28% had a website, while only 7% used search engine optimization or pay per click methods to gain prospects.

The study also found Facebook was used by 16% of businesses, but only 11% of those believed it contributed to bringing in new business.

Wayne Lysaght-Mason, managing director at IronmongeryDirect, said, “Not enough is being done to help the small businesses that form the backbone of our economy to understand how best to use these tools. This education is urgently needed to help bridge the gap between these companies and their more digitally aware challengers.”

His opinion is echoed by Tavis Bucklin who in a recent interview about his upcoming book The Next Practical Step – Online Marketing for your Offline Business said, “The number of small businesses who are taking advantage of online marketing is minimal. Eventually all local businesses will have to have a strong online presence in order to stay competitive. In the mean time, the ones who are taking advantage of online marketing now are growing rapidly while those left behind may have a long road ahead.”

It appears online marketing education for small businesses may be more important than most business owners realize. For some business owners, finding the time to learn new marketing strategies may be a challenge. For others, a fear of not having enough in their marketing budget to allocate to online marketing could be keeping them from getting started.

During the interview, Tavis Bucklin addressed these problems by saying, “I wrote the book specifically for educating the average local business owner. Small business owners do not have a lot of extra time, so a quick read they can get for the price of a couple of lattés leaves no excuses. It’s important for business owners to be able to make educate marketing decisions”.

To find out more about The Next Practical Step – Online Marketing for your Offline Business visit http://nextpracticalstep.com