Social media 'will become increasingly important for firms in 2010'

12:00 7th January 2010

Companies in the UK will begin to put increased emphasis on social media platforms as part of their digital marketing strategy this year, it has been reported.

A recent survey by CareerBuilder.com showed that 37 per cent of employers plan to increase their social media presence in order to build a better online presence for their brand, while one in 12 plans to appoint a new member of staff to focus on social media development.

Richard Doherty, spokesperson for Solutions at Jobpartners, said he also expects sites such as Facebook and Twitter to become more important when it comes to recruiting new talent in the workplace.

He predicted that corporate recruiters will use social networks to "provide company information and set up interest groups to source candidates".

This could be good news for those looking to increase their online advertising presence, as it may mean more opportunities to promote products to relevant audiences on sites like Facebook.

However, as Samir Balwani recently advised in an article for Search Engine Land, firms need to set goals and plan carefully to avoid mistakes in social media marketing campaigns.

He pointed out that even minor errors are likely to be spotted by visitors, which could damage a firm's reputation.