{"id":98686,"date":"2026-08-06T17:16:12","date_gmt":"2026-08-06T17:16:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/98686\/"},"modified":"2026-08-06T17:16:12","modified_gmt":"2026-08-06T17:16:12","slug":"76-of-uk-small-business-owners-create-content-weekly","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/98686\/","title":{"rendered":"76% of UK small business owners create content weekly"},"content":{"rendered":"

More than three-quarters (76%) of UK small business owners and tradespeople now spend time every week creating or editing social media content for their business, according to new research from\u00a0specialist insurer Markel Direct<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

While the findings span businesses across multiple industries, they reflect a growing challenge for beauty professionals, salon owners, clinic\u00a0operators\u00a0and spa businesses, where platforms such as\u00a0Instagram<\/a>,\u00a0TikTok<\/a>\u00a0and Facebook have become essential marketing tools for attracting new clients,\u00a0showcasing\u00a0treatment\u00a0results\u00a0and building trust.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The survey of 501 UK small business owners and tradespeople found that more than half (54%) spend between one and three hours each week\u00a0creating content for social media<\/a>. Meanwhile, 11% spend up to a full working day every week managing their online presence.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nSocial media marketing adds pressure for business owners\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

The findings suggest many business owners are taking on the role of social media marketer without formal support or training.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Woman<\/p>\n

Almost seven in 10 respondents (69%) said they have never hired someone to create content on their behalf, while 65% have never received social media training.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Despite this, many still feel they need to\u00a0maintain\u00a0a consistent online presence.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The research found that:\u00a0<\/p>\n

For beauty businesses, where before-and-after images, treatment videos, client\u00a0testimonials\u00a0and educational content can all play a role in attracting bookings,\u00a0maintaining\u00a0a regular social media presence can become another task alongside delivering treatments and running the business.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nNegative comments and online criticism affect confidence\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

The research also highlighted the emotional impact of\u00a0maintaining\u00a0an online presence.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Nearly a\u00a0quarter (24%) of respondents said they had experienced negative comments online, while 25% had edited or deleted posts following criticism.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Fear of backlash is also preventing some business owners from posting altogether, with 38% saying they have held back from sharing content because of concerns about negative reactions.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Among entrepreneurs aged 18 to 24, more than half said fear of negative responses had stopped them posting on social media.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\nResearch highlights legal risks of sharing client content online\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

The study also explored how prepared businesses are for the legal responsibilities that come with posting online.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Just 39% said they have\u00a0insurance<\/a>\u00a0that covers legal action relating to issues such as copyright infringement or breaches of confidentiality connected to their social media activity.\u00a0<\/p>\n

By comparison, 47% said they do not have this type of protection, while 8% were unsure whether they were covered.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The research also found that:\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nBusinesses\u00a0urged\u00a0to understand consent and copyright rules\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

Commenting on the findings, Rob Rees, divisional director at Markel Direct, said,\u00a0“Social media has become one of the most powerful ways for small businesses to showcase their expertise and attract new customers, but many business owners don’t realise that the same rules around consent, copyright and confidentiality apply online as they do offline.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“Many entrepreneurs have effectively become marketers overnight, often without formal training or dedicated support. Taking a few simple steps, such as obtaining written permission before sharing client projects and understanding what insurance protections are available, can help reduce the risk of disputes further down the line.”\u00a0<\/p>\n

The research was commissioned by Markel Direct and surveyed 501 UK small business owners and tradespeople about how they use social media to market their businesses. The findings are intended to\u00a0represent\u00a0small businesses across multiple sectors and are not specific to the beauty industry.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"More than three-quarters (76%) of UK small business owners and tradespeople now spend time every week creating or…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":98687,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[4],"tags":[5,6],"class_list":["post-98686","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-uk","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@UnitedKingdom\/117049700313704609","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/98686","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=98686"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/98686\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/98687"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=98686"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=98686"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=98686"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}