A recent study conducted by Pew Research revealed that more people were searching for information on local businesses on mobile, internet-connected devices, highlighting the importance of search engine marketing.

The survey revealed 47 percent of adults received information about local news on their smartphone or tablet computers. Pew broke down the responses into a total of 16 topics and found 31 percent of respondents looked for a local restaurant or other businesses on their mobile devices, while 16 percent said they used the tools to receive discounts or coupons.

And while drawing people to a business with search engine optimization-based content continues to gain popularity, the study found that not many consumers were going to social media sites to search for places to spend their money.

"Interestingly, though, online social networks have yet to become a main source for most areas of local information," Pew stated in its release. "Only very small percentages named social networks as the places they turn to most for any of the 16 topics areas."

There are other signs that social media platforms are not being leveraged by businesses. A recent study by Sales Dot Two and Frost & Sullivan revealed that as many as 40 percent of sales leaders weren't creating a presence on websites like Twitter or Facebook.

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