Social media marketing championed

15:00 9th February 2009

Social media marketing has the potential to be more effective than any other online channel, one expert has suggested.

Jim Tobin, the head of US firm Ignite Social Media, has highlighted the benefit of generating interest in a brand through social networking websites.

Mr Tobin urged firms to tap into the new phenomenon, pointing to past research which has endorsed the marketing method.

He said: "There are tons of studies that say word-of-mouth is more effective than any other marketing, and this is essentially word-of-mouth online.

"People are talking about you and your brand and your issues. The only question is whether you want to have an influence on it."

Meanwhile, Martin Warner, chief executive officer and co-founder of the business networking platform Talkbiznow.com has picked out social media sites as a perfect "shop front" for firms selling online.

"This moves towards this culture on the internet where people want information quickly and they want to transact," he concluded.