Last October, Exo interviewed SMB manufacturers in Quebec. The study demonstrated that the use of social media in Quebec is always bringing up the rear and that Facebook was the favorite network used by the sample population.
First of all, the figures are impressive: 55% of companies from the study affirm that they are not present on any social network. 10% state that they are present but not active (well, it’s a start!) and a slim 35 % of companies are both present and active.
The most popular social network for SMB manufacturers: Facebook (80%)! As the first social network, the most imposing and with the best reputation (in general, if we ask people to think about social networks, Facebook comes to mind first). Plus, nothing’s easier than creating a page on Facebook.
For me, the second most popular network, LinkedIn (45.7%), deserves more attention from manufacturers. There is more and more literature demonstrating that LinkedIn is the most advantageous network in a B2B context.
Why so far behind?
The most probable explanation, in my opinion, is that the acceptance of new products is slower in Quebec than in the rest of Canada and the United States. Not that we’re less intelligent than our Anglophone neighbors (of course not!), but the French/English language barrier is enough to delay the acceptance o new products or methods. The second reason: the more conservative attitude of people from “La belle province.” According to Professor Geert Hofstede, who measures different cultures through 5 dimensions:
- Power Distance (PDI)
- Individualism versus collectivism (IDV)
- Masculinity versus femininity (MAS)
- Uncertainty avoidance (UAI)
- Long-term versus short-term orientation (LTO)
- Indulgence versus Restraint (IVR)
we see that the province of Quebec has a UAI score of 60 (vs. 48 for Canada and 46 for the US). Overall, the higher the score, the lower the risk tolerance level.
The Methodology
This study took place between October 11 and 22, 2012. 100 SMB manufacturers from Quebec were interviewed over the phone. Their names were obtained from a list purchased from Info Canada and were selected by code NAICS (31-32-33).
Exo Marketing would like to thank Ténor Marketing, our partner in administering the questionnaire.
