Social media not being exploited

The majority of UK small and medium-sized businesses are failing to exploit new ways to increase productivity and engage with customers, new research from business software and service provider Sage UK has revealed.

The Sage UK Omnibus surveyed 2,000 SMEs in January and found that eight out of 10 companies are missing sales and customer engagement opportunities by not using Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn for any aspect of their operations.

The survey also revealed that 77 per cent of UK SMEs do not use any mobile tools other than email, despite the availability of hundreds of productivity enhancing ‘apps’.

“Social media and mobile apps may not be relevant for all businesses, but for most they can provide real value,” says Brendan Flattery, managing director of Sage’s Small Business Division. “These technologies can help raise a small business’ profile, allow them to interact with their customers on a more personal level, improve collaboration between employees and enhance productivity. By embracing these new tools, businesses will be able to gain competitive advantage.”

The research also highlighted small businesses using social networks chose Facebook (32 per cent) as their desired platform over LinkedIn (28 per cent) and Twitter (19 per cent).