The survey asked SMB owners about their current and planned marketing tactics. It might be surprising for entrepreneurs to learn that only 26 percent of their rankings currently use email marketing, and only 10 percent plan to begin using it next year.

Still, use of email marketing campaigns greatly exceeds use of traditional marketing campaigns. Only 14 percent of SMB owners reportedly use postcard or catalog marketing, and just 11 percent market through television and radio.

Many SMB owners said finances would prevent increased marketing. This may be why low-cost social media showed the greatest likelihood of growth for next year, with 14 percent of respondents planning to increase their use of Facebook and Twitter.

Another reason social media could be growing is because it offers unparalleled access to potential consumers; Clara Shih, author of The Facebook Era, told the New York Times that Facebook’s large – and rapidly growing – user base makes it “increasingly where [small business'] audience is for a lot of products and services.”

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