The study by TalkTalk Business was conducted to see how much SMEs embrace social media and gain from its business benefits.
Nearly half of the firms surveyed in Norwich view social media as the most important channel of business communication, whilst those in Edinburgh and Glasgow regard it as the least important, with only nine per cent respectively viewing it as integral.
A surprising 43 per cent of UK SMEs are not confident using social media, with the North East the most confident and South West the least comfortable.
Paul Lawton, managing director of TalkTalk Business, commented: “Social media can prove invaluable as a new business tool and so it’s worrying to see that so few SMEs are embracing it. Its business benefits range from being able to engage and understand the needs of customers and prospects through to gaining insights into target markets and perceptions of your organisation or brand.
“There’s certainly scope for more SMEs to be educated on how social media channels can be applied to business and be harnessed to benefit the bottom line.”
When it comes to internal communications just over 20 per cent of SMEs use social media to communicate with staff. SMEs in Norwich use social media the most for internal communications, whilst Birmingham firms use it the least.
