Why your firm should be using social networking

Social networking sites offer free advertising, a direct method of communication with customers and a way to increase the hits on your company's website

In the last decade the internet has become ubiquitous with business. It is now unheard of for any small company that wants to taken seriously to not have a professional looking website. All indications are that this is the way that social networking is going - that in ten years it will be as common for SMEs to have a presence on social networking sites as well as their own internet site.

Social networking is a way for small companies to raise their profile, directly communicate with clients and potential clients, create natural weblinks back to their site and engage in free marketing.

The most common social networking sites are Facebook, Bebo and Twitter. Social networking is a relatively new phenomenon and can be defined as the grouping of individuals into specific groups, like a community.

According to a recent O2 survey, an estimated 700,000 small businesses are using the social networking site Twitter with 6,000 more joining every day. The poll of 500 small firms found that 17% are already using Twitter, with 25% of these SMEs signing up to the social networking site in the last month.

Nearly a third of those surveyed said they had saved up to £1,000 since signing up and 16% claimed that they had been able to save up to £5,000.

Read more: http://www.newbusiness.co.uk/articles/internet-advice/why-your-firm-should-be-using-social-networking

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