Indian cos increasingly using social media to leverage business

Bangalore: Indian companies are increasingly using social media as an effective business tool with 83 per cent firms in the country agreeing that without social media activity, marketing strategies cannot hope to be successful, according to a survey. The rising awareness among business internationally has seen social networking evolve from a nice-to-have to a necessity. [caption id=“attachment_21972” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“More and more firms are increasingly using social media to leverage their business. PTI”]  [/caption] Nevertheless, Indian (66 per cent) and global firms (61 per cent) are also emphasising the need for a balance of marketing media, confirming their belief that without a combination of traditional and digital techniques marketing campaigns would not work. According to a new global survey from leading office-space solutions provider, Regus, the last year has seen a rise in Indian companies using social networks, blogs, microblogs and forums to win new business. While 83 per cent of Indian firms feel they cannot do without social media activity, the global figure for the same finds 74 per cent of companies around the world in agreement with it. In 2010, Regus found that 52 per cent of Indian firms were successfully winning new customers through business social networking activity. A year later, the proportion has risen nine percentage points to 61 per cent. A year later, the proportion has risen by 9 percentage points to 61 per cent. The research also reveals that globally also more firms are using social media to connect and engage with existing customers than a year ago. “From supply chain management, to leaner working practices, to cloud computing, to increased use of video communications and mobile working, no area of business is being overlooked. Particularly in India, where Nielsen has reported that three out of four social media users visit a social networking site at least once a day, and a discussion forum once a week; more and more companies are leveraging this channel to increase the loyalty of existing customers, and as a successful acquisition tool,” Regus South Asia’s regional Vice-President, Madhusudan Thakur, said. PTI