Social media marketing 'can help companies build audience'

15:00 18th February 2010

Companies can use social media marketing to help them to build an audience on the internet, it has been stated.

Ivan Croxford, general manager of BT Business, said in an article for online business resource Fresh Business Thinking that it was important for digital marketing professionals to use social media marketing in their campaigns.

He said: "Social networking sites are in one sense platforms for sending messages, including email, to people who want to have a relationship with you. But be careful to not abuse this relationship by spamming your fans."

Showing a lack of respect for the online community will mean the company in turn loses respect, he added.

Mr Croxford explained that email marketing could be used in partnership with social media in order to benefit both the consumer and the business in an appealing and effective manner.

Using social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter could help a company to understand exactly what customers expect from them, he continued.

A survey by recruitment outsourcing specialist Manpower recently found that more than half of businesses could see no use from social media.

Less than a quarter of UK employers have a formal policy on the use of social media, results showed.

Businesses who have a social media policy said it helped to avoid losses of productivity.