Time to get over social media marketing fear?

Brands have been advised to "get over" their fear of social media marketing by one sector commentator, who claims that such networks are useful search tools.

Liana Evans, in a blog post for Search Engine Watch, says that there are a number of benefits for businesses adopting a social media marketing strategy.

This includes her assertion that internet users are increasingly using social media websites to search for things, particularly if they are looking for up-to-the-minute information and a search engine does not come back with the most relevant results.

In line with this, she adds that people can be more inclined to believe the recommendations or opinions of their friends - such as those posted in a Twitter update - than a search engine which they do not have a relationship with.

Furthermore, she adds that searching and being found is not limited to search engines.

"Businesses that are so focused on the search engine rankings driving their traffic are forgetting about how people live their lives and how they're changing their search habits as technology makes things more convenient," Ms Evans explains.

Overall, the key between social media and search is "being found", she notes.

Recent research by Fresh Business Thinking revealed that 45 per cent of small and medium-sized enterprises use social media marketing.

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