Email marketing and other online marketing channels – including custom websites and paid and organic search – will be used more by small businesses in the next year. The latest research suggests it's because smaller firms will have more time and money to dedicate to marketing activity.

Personalised product specialist Vistaprint surveyed 300 enterprises of ranging sizes over the course of a week, finding that email marketing is the method small firms have most commonly used or would be "likely to try" moving forward.

A lot of companies also have social media avenues like Twitter and Facebook on their marketing radar, though they say time is their biggest barrier to exploring them.

"Small businesses are adapting to market changes and are considering trying other methods, including online initiatives," confirmed Vistaprint's Trynka Shineman. "Not only are online options like email marketing, local search and unique websites cost-efficient, especially in a recession, but the internet is where potential small business customers are moving."

The travel sector was recently singled out for its increased focus on social media marketing, with a large proportion of companies admitting they plan to increase their spending on both it and search engine optimisation.