Firms plan more social media marketing

The research, which was conducted by Econsultancy and digital marketing agency bigmouthmedia, also claims that 13 per cent of companies will be maintaining their 2010 social media budgets at the same level as the previous year.

A statement from the organisations behind the survey indicates that the findings are part of the most comprehensive study on how firms are using websites such as Twitter and Facebook for online advertising and PR.

Phil Gripton, managing director of bigmouthmedia UK, says that "an increasing number of companies are embracing social media".

However, he also suggests that many companies "are struggling to effectively manage their engagement" with the medium and are not making the most of social media's potential as a marketing tool.

Last month, an eMarketer report dubbed Social Commerce on Facebook, Twitter and Retail Sites revealed that more than half of companies in the Internet Retailer Top 500 Guide have a presence on Facebook.

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