Another new study shows good things for businesses using social media.

Regus, a global provider of meeting rooms and workplace solutions, conducted a survey of managers and business owners of 80 countries. They found that 43% of American companies are successfully using new media to bring in new business. That’s up 8% from last year.

Social networking has fully evolved from a nice-to-have to a necessity as the majority of businesses in the U.S. (69%), and internationally (74%) agree that social media activity is playing a bigger role in their marketing strategy.

The study also found that:

• 50% of US businesses use sites like Twitter to engage and connect with existing customers.
• 55% of US businesses encourage employees to join social networks such as LinkedIn and Xing.
• 38% of US businesses devote as much as twenty percent of their marketing budget to social media.
• There’s been a 7% increase across the globe in businesses finding new customers through new media channels like Facebook.

Their findings also reinforce advice we’ve already given you, namely “Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.”

U.S. (64%) and global firms (61%) are also emphasizing the need for a balance of marketing media, confirming their belief that without a combination of traditional and digital techniques, marketing campaigns will not work.

Ready to use social media to acquire some new customers of your own? Give us a call.