Third of small businesses using Facebook

Small businesses are catching on to the importance of social media and the internet when it comes to marketing their brand and product.

In fact, recent research from BaseKit revealed that 36 per cent of the UK's small businesses state that they are now using Facebook to drum up new customers. This is more than the percentage claiming to be using local directories such as the Yellow Pages to build business and significantly more than those making use of print of online advertising, which can be prohibitively expensive for smaller firms.

Simon Best, founder of website builder BaseKit, commented: "Small businesses are shifting their marketing to lower-cost media like Facebook and Twitter and away from legacy media like the directories.

"They tell us that one-to-one marketing is their most efficient and most successful way of generating new business – the fact that Facebook has become the number one source of new business within just a few years of its creation is remarkable."

Unfortunately, not everyone is on board and around 60 per cent of small companies in the UK are yet to get their businesses online. It appears that many people are uncertain of the benefits that the internet could offer, especially when it comes to appealing to new geographical areas and demographics.

Meanwhile, of those that are online, 11 per cent state that their websites use out of date technology, while a further 11 per cent describe their company's online presence as either 'poor' or 'embarrassing'.

Maintaining a well-constructed website with plenty of fresh and relevant content can significantly increase the number of potential customers that view your company and products each day. Once you factor in a social media campaign, the potential number of customers you can reach through the internet will increase significantly. As more and more consumers become tech savvy, it is bordering on vital that businesses make the most of their online presence.