Indian businesses cash-in on social media: global survey

Fifty-two per cent of Indian businesses report bagging new business through social networks.

According to a new global survey commissioned by global workspace solutions provider Regus,  also reveals that 27 per cent of businesses worldwide have set aside separate budgets devoted to social networking activities.

The survey had asked business leaders whether they had won any customers using social networking and if they believed the channel was effective enough to be awarded a separate portion of their marketing budget.

The survey foun1d that globally social networks are used to stay in touch with business contacts and to join special interest groups, by 58 per cent and 54 per cent of the respondents respectively. 

The results also found 34 per cent of people believe social networking will never become a significant method of connecting with customers; 51 per cent firms organise, connect to or manage customer groups via social networks; 54 per cent of firms use social networks to find out useful business information; and 22 per cent for employment.

In India, 32 per cent of businesses have set aside a proportion of marketing budget specifically devoted to social networking activities. 13 per cent more respondents used social networking to keep in touch with contacts and 71 per cent declared that the usefulness of social networks was the possibility to manage and connect to customer groups.