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Research highlights how small businesses are investing in marketing and embracing AI to stay competitive

Fiverr Small Business Month Survey: Marketing Seen as Key Growth Driver, Yet 70% of Owners Spend Less Than Five Hours a Week on It

NEW YORK, May 08, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Marketing challenges from brand awareness to customer retention are the top concerns facing small businesses, yet 70% spend less than five hours weekly addressing these issues, according to a survey of nearly 6,000 small businesses across 25 countries by Fiverr International Ltd. (NYSE: FVRR), the global platform for freelance services.

The comprehensive report, done in acknowledgement of Small Business Month, reveals three critical digital marketing priorities, with building brand awareness (42%), creating engaging content (40%), and retaining customers (33%) cited as top concerns.

“Small business owners recognize that marketing is critical to their success, yet most simply don’t have the time or resources to give it the attention it needs,” said Rivi Bloch, GM of Catalog at Fiverr. “This survey underscores a growing reliance on freelancers and AI tools to bridge that gap, helping entrepreneurs stay visible and competitive even with limited hours to invest.”

To help overcome limited time and in-house resources, the survey found that nearly half (46%) of small business owners use freelance services for their primary business, while another 48% rely on them for side hustles. Freelancers are most often brought in to handle visual brand elements (45%) and strategic marketing services (28%), both of which remain critical in establishing businesses’ social, digital, and overall marketing footprint. This growing reliance points to a broader trend: small businesses are leveraging external talent to stay competitive in a fast-paced digital landscape without overextending their internal teams and capacities.

Other key highlights of the survey include:

• Despite current marketing challenges, small businesses plan to prioritize digital marketing investments through 2025, with half focusing on digital marketing and social media (49%), followed by branding (39%) and content creation (34%).

• While nearly two-thirds of small businesses rely on social media marketing (64%) as their primary promotion channel, only about one-third each leverage paid advertising (37%) or SEO and content marketing (35%).

• Small business owners are rushing to embrace AI, with 77% currently using generative AI for business needs, personal needs, or both. Only 17% said they were not planning to incorporate AI tools into their workplace within the next year.