The days when brace-faced, acne-covered teens were the only ones navigating social-networking waters are gone. Today, it’s rare to find organizations that don’t have a presence on sites like Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn and Twitter.
Like everyone else, small businesses seem to have caught the social networking bug. And because smaller firms thrive on intimate relationships with their customers, these sites can be an invaluable tool for growth.
So how are smaller firms using social networks? According to a recent study by AMI-Partners, the most prevalent uses include responding to customer questions, networking and reference/education purposes.
Check out the full breakdown in the chart below:
On the other end of the spectrum, most companies’ employees have an online presence of their own — and their online opinions may be damaging your reputation. If your firm hasn’t adopted a formal online posting policy yet, it made be a good idea to get together with HR and talk about putting one together in the near future.
