A new survey has revealed that most British small businesses are now using social media, Fresh Business Thinking reports, but opened up the debate on the need for dot.com websites.
Online freelance employment agency, PeoplePerHour.com, found that 91 per cent of 1,300 companies were using social media “for business purposes”, a figure that represents a 60 per cent increase on last year.
This demonstrates that businesses have finally realised the value of Facebook marketing, LinkedIn for recruitment opportunities and Twitter for customer engagement. Facebook topped the poll of most popular site.
PeoplePerHour’s founder and CEO, Xenios Thrasyvoulou emphasised that Facebook is far more than “just a social network” and that it has now become crucial for businesses and the wider economy. A recent study by Deloitte found that Facebook indirectly contributes £2 billion annually to the UK.
However the news has left some commentators left wondering whether social media could replace traditional websites all together, a point mulled over by Computer World UK. According to a study, the site says, nine per cent of small businesses “plan to eliminate their traditional website due to social media”.
The feasibility of Facebook as a stand alone online presence has mixed reactions. Some believe that small businesses don’t need a dot com website, that Facebook – free, easy and quick – is sufficient.
Whereas others, including Ability Commerce CEO, Diane Buzzeo, highlight that consumers do not receive a “true ecommerce experience”. Additionally, a profile is at the mercy of the Facebook platform and can be changed with little notice.
Facebook itself, apparently, believes that integration is the way forward – finding ways to use the business website alongside the Facebook profile, or finding someone who can – “for maximum reach and exposure”.
