Most consumers 'believe businesses should have a social presence'

25th September 2008

A new poll has indicated that the majority of consumers think that corporations should have a presence on social media websites.

The survey of more than 1,000 US consumers by Cone revealed that 93 per cent of respondents believe this should be the case, with 85 per cent calling for these firms to interact with customers via social networking sites.

More than four in ten of those polled said they thought social media should be used by organisations to help solve customer problems and seek feedback on their products and services.

"The news here is that Americans are eager to deepen their brand relationships through social media," said Mike Hollywood, director of new media for Cone.

"It isn't an intrusion into their lives, but rather a welcome channel for discussion."

Last month, comScore released research findings indicating that the number of Europeans accessing social media sites has increased by 35 per cent in the past year.