Social media helps build rapport with customers, small businesses told

Date: 18th November 2011

Small business owners could look at their management of social media following the advice of one expert.

Tim Gibbon, director at communications consultancy Elemental, said that, if used correctly, social networks can help businesses on "quite a few different levels".

He says firms can develop a stronger rapport with customers in addition to creating, enhancing and supporting their promotional activity at the same time.

His comments come after small businesses were told in October by Edward Saatchi - co-founder of National Field - that email is a dying form of communication, with companies generally turning to social media platforms.

Mr Gibbon added that the benefits to social networking include the platform it creates to reach a variety of stakeholders and customers directly.

"And this is where the opportunity lies for businesses, in that they do not need to use traditional marketing and media channels to engage and interact with audiences directly," he explained.

Posted by Thomas Fletcher