(BPT) - Small businesses that adopt online marketing strategies see significant business benefits, ranging from improved campaign performance to higher return on investment (ROI), according to a recent study conducted by Forrester. However, small businesses are likely still favoring newspaper advertising and direct mail, which are time-intensive and costly.

Consumers, however, are now spending more time online than ever before: the average time spent online by U.S. residents is 32 hours per month. They spend a large portion of that online time connecting with friends and family as well as businesses.

There is no better time than now for business owners to take a fresh look at how best to take advantage of social channels to reach consumers in a relevant way. For example, 150 million people visit Facebook pages (home to brands and businesses) every day, where they share word-of-mouth recommendations. With social platforms, business owners can listen, respond, take part in real-time conversations with their customers, and see how these recommendations drive sales.