Although 49 per cent of SMEs (Small and Medium Enterprises) include mobile in their marketing mix, according to a report from Pitney Bowes, only eight per cent have a mobile-optimised website.

SMEs spend an average £28,810 on marketing each year, with print ads still topping the list. Online marketing makes two appearances in the top five most popular methods – email (37 per cent) and Facebook (26 per cent) – but having a mobile site came 15th out of 22 marketing activities.

The situation is showing signs of improvement – the research found one in ten SMEs are planning to invest in a mobile website this year – mobile marketing still isnt the priority it should be.

“Mobile can no longer be considered new and businesses, regardless of size, cannot afford to ignore it,” said Ryan Higginson, VP digital channel Europe at Pitney Bowes. “There is a perceived barrier that mobile marketing is expensive, difficult and therefore reserved for large corporates or savvy marketing agencies. That’s simply not the case and smaller businesses are missing a huge trick in believing this. There are digital marketing tools that are low-cost, quick to implement and easy to use. Combine that with their natural agility and passion and there’s a marketing force to be reckoned with.”