Social media 'can increase business profile'

14:00 25th May 2010

Business owners have been advised that using social media sites can aid them in increasing the profile of their company.

According to business leadership specialist Markman OTW, Twitter in particular can be a "helpful mechanism" for company bosses.

Mark Batchelor, managing director of the firm, stated that the micro-blogging site can be a useful tool for businesses to connect with their customers, as well as others who could potentially aid them in their quest to increase profitability and growth.

He said: "If you start promoting yourself and having online conversations, you can engage with people you wouldn't normally come across, exchange ideas and you may even find that people start helping you."

Mr Batchelor recommended company bosses who decide to try out Twitter for their business use a desktop client such as TweetDeck, because the program allows users to spot interesting conversations more quickly.

He added that it also makes it more simple to take part in several discussions at the same time.

However, he warned businesses using social media sites to be wary of what they post, as if they are not careful it could come back to haunt them.

Mr Batchelor was speaking after the recent Twitter Usage In America: 2010 report stated that awareness of the site has grown to 87 per cent this year, compared to just five per cent in 2008.