Year in Review: Top Small Business Trends of 2016

Author

Ivy Lamb (MANTA)

Release Date

Wednesday, December 28, 2016

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Looking back on 2016, it may feel as if the presidential election dominated the news. But small business owners had a lot more on their minds than just politics.

Some of Manta’s most popular stories in 2016 concerned the latest digital marketing trends—including the viral mobile game Pokémon Go—and regulatory changes such as the new federal overtime rule. Here, we recap most-read news stories of the year.

New Federal Overtime Rule

In May, the Obama administration announced an update to the Fair Labor Standards Act to raise the annual salary floor for overtime-exempt, salaried employees from $23,660 to $47,476. The Department of Labor estimated the new rule would affect 211,000 small businesses and their 1.8 million employees. A Manta poll showed a majority of small business owners were confused by overtime regulations in general and were largely unaware of the impending change. All businesses had until Dec. 1 to comply with the new rule, until a federal judge blocked it in November.

Small Businesses Lack Formal Sexual Harassment Policies

Several events in 2016 reignited the debate over workplace sexual harassment, most notably the sexual harassment lawsuit former Fox News host Gretchen Carlson filed against the network’s founder and CEO Roger Ailes. But despite high-profile cautionary examples, a Manta poll showed that 67% of small employers have no formal anti-harassment rules or training in place. Many said sexual harassment training seemed unnecessary given how few people they employed.

Google’s Mobile-First Design Changes

The search engine giant made some big changes to its products in 2016, largely to make customers’ mobile experience as easy and seamless as possible. Google started privileging mobile-friendly websites in its search results, and worked to make AdWords, Analytics and Google Maps more mobile-friendly as well. Manta showed how these changes can actually help small, local businesses compete in search results.

Pokémon Go Helps Businesses Catch Local Customers

In July, the augmented reality game Pokemon Go went viral, with millions of users signing up within the first week. The game is played on users’ smartphones, and it allows them to explore their cities while trying to capture Pokemon characters. Some small business owners jumped on the trend and used in-game lures to drive foot traffic to their location. While the game’s popularity has simmered down, it’s a great example of how small businesses can capitalize on digital trends.

Small Business Owners Struggle to Make Time for Marketing

Out of all the challenges small business owners face, marketing may be the greatest. A Manta poll found that more than 60% of small business owners said they set aside time for marketing, but don’t follow through. In the same poll, social media marketing and website maintenance ranked as the most difficult and time-consuming marketing tasks. But, as Manta marketing manager Heather Harmon observed, "You can have the best product in the world, but if nobody can find you, you’re not going to sell anything."

Presidential Politics

Small business owners consistently favored Donald Trump in the election, particularly in important swing states such as Ohio, North Carolina and Michigan. But some remained undecided or preferred Hillary Clinton. A September poll on Manta found that the small business vote mirrored the nation’s demographic divides, with larger numbers of minority small business owners favoring Clinton. On the issues, regulation appeared to be a major concern: Small business owners were especially interested in Manta’s article comparing the presidential candidates’ tax plans.

Looking back on 2016, it may feel as if the presidential election dominated the news. But small business owners had a lot more on their minds than just politics.

Some of Manta’s most popular stories in 2016 concerned the latest digital marketing trends—including the viral mobile game Pokémon Go—and regulatory changes such as the new federal overtime rule. Here, we recap most-read news stories of the year.

New Federal Overtime Rule

In May, the Obama administration announced an update to the Fair Labor Standards Act to raise the annual salary floor for overtime-exempt, salaried employees from $23,660 to $47,476. The Department of Labor estimated the new rule would affect 211,000 small businesses and their 1.8 million employees. A Manta poll showed a majority of small business owners were confused by overtime regulations in general and were largely unaware of the impending change. All businesses had until Dec. 1 to comply with the new rule, until a federal judge blocked it in November.

Small Businesses Lack Formal Sexual Harassment Policies

Several events in 2016 reignited the debate over workplace sexual harassment, most notably the sexual harassment lawsuit former Fox News host Gretchen Carlson filed against the network’s founder and CEO Roger Ailes. But despite high-profile cautionary examples, a Manta poll showed that 67% of small employers have no formal anti-harassment rules or training in place. Many said sexual harassment training seemed unnecessary given how few people they employed.

Google’s Mobile-First Design Changes

The search engine giant made some big changes to its products in 2016, largely to make customers’ mobile experience as easy and seamless as possible. Google started privileging mobile-friendly websites in its search results, and worked to make AdWords, Analytics and Google Maps more mobile-friendly as well. Manta showed how these changes can actually help small, local businesses compete in search results.

Pokémon Go Helps Businesses Catch Local Customers

In July, the augmented reality game Pokemon Go went viral, with millions of users signing up within the first week. The game is played on users’ smartphones, and it allows them to explore their cities while trying to capture Pokemon characters. Some small business owners jumped on the trend and used in-game lures to drive foot traffic to their location. While the game’s popularity has simmered down, it’s a great example of how small businesses can capitalize on digital trends.

Small Business Owners Struggle to Make Time for Marketing

Out of all the challenges small business owners face, marketing may be the greatest. A Manta poll found that more than 60% of small business owners said they set aside time for marketing, but don’t follow through. In the same poll, social media marketing and website maintenance ranked as the most difficult and time-consuming marketing tasks. But, as Manta marketing manager Heather Harmon observed, "You can have the best product in the world, but if nobody can find you, you’re not going to sell anything."

Presidential Politics

Small business owners consistently favored Donald Trump in the election, particularly in important swing states such as Ohio, North Carolina and Michigan. But some remained undecided or preferred Hillary Clinton. A September poll on Manta found that the small business vote mirrored the nation’s demographic divides, with larger numbers of minority small business owners favoring Clinton. On the issues, regulation appeared to be a major concern: Small business owners were especially interested in Manta’s article comparing the presidential candidates’ tax plans.

Source: MANTA

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