Aussie SMEs are seeking digital and social media support during COVID-19 crisis

Aussie small businesses are making a shift online, and roping in freelancers to help make it happen, according to freelancing platform Fiverr.

The Fiverr Small Business Needs Index has mapped the fastest-growing search terms by small businesses globally over the past six months.

In Australia, ‘YouTube video editing’ tops the list, with searches increasing by a massive 175%.

‘Help with Instagram posts’ comes in second place, with a 95% increase in searches.

That’s followed by a strangely specific demand for ‘Squarespace web design’. Searches for this service has increased by 46%.

The trends reflect the increasing importance of having an online presence during the COVID-19 pandemic. With more people working, learning and shopping from home, many businesses have had to jump headfirst into digital.

“It has always been necessary for small business owners to stay on top of the latest trends to connect with their customers,” Peggy de Lange, vice president of international expansion at Fiverr, said in a statement on the findings.

“Many Australian small business owners are adapting their online presence to set themselves up for success in the months and years to come.”

The top two searches in Australia reflect the need for a social media presence, something that is also shown in the global findings from the report.

The top 10 fastest-growing searches, globally, include ‘YouTube editing’, ‘Facebook promotion’ and ‘social media design’.

But, globally, additional digital needs are perhaps a little more sophisticated than we’re seeing in Australia.

For example, searches for ‘app development’ have increased 133%, searches for ‘front-end web developers’ are up 205%, and searches for ‘Shopify promotion’ have increased by 247%.

The global shift towards e-commerce is also reflected here. The fastest-growing search term among small businesses all over the world is ‘dropshipping’, which has increased by 319%.

Elsewhere, trends largely mirror the demand for social and digital tools seen in Australia.

In Spain, the fastest-growing search term is ‘Amazon listing’; in the Netherlands, it’s ‘Facebook video ad’; and in Israel, it’s ‘eBay dropshipping’.

In Mexico, the top growing search term is simply ‘TikTok’, while in the US it’s ‘trademarks’.

The UK, however, is something of an anomaly. The top-growing search term is one for ‘fashion designers’, followed by ‘clothing design’ — with increases of 135% and 116%, respectively.

That’s followed by searches for ‘Etsy’ which have increased by 109%. Make of that what you will.

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