Social media sites, such as Facebook and LinkedIn, are used by more than half of UK companies – which may occupy serviced offices in Edinburgh – that are members of the Forum of Private Business (FPB).
In a recent ballot, the FPB found a quarter of companies asked doubted the use of the websites, with a fifth branding them as 'not useful' and six per cent describing them as 'useless'.
FPB spokesman Phil McCabe said: "It's clear that, while a lot of our members are certainly trying out social media for their businesses, many remain unconvinced of its benefits."
Using sites such as Twitter enables companies to generate valuable feedback in a cost-free manner, with the real-time nature of the sites making them ideal for smaller firms adopting a more relaxed attitude – compared to big corporations - when it comes to public relations, he stated.
Last month, Andrew Girdwood, head of strategy for Bigmouthmedia, claimed a lack of understanding of online platforms can result in firms failing to realise the potential advantages social media can offer them.
