Business owners love Social Media – According to Hamilton Spec
Business owners say social media a good tool for new ideas,
sell products
OTTAWA Canadian businesses are turning to social media and they want to be more than just “friends.”
A new report by Bank of Montreal based on a survey of 427 firms indicates one in three of them are using the relatively new
technology to help their businesses.
Three-quarters of those companies using social media said making connections in the virtual world was very helpful in the real world, as well.
“When it comes to sharing ideas, promoting company brand as well as products, social media has proven to be a method of choice for Canadian business owners,” said Cathy Pin, BMO’s vice-president of commercial banking.
One of the advantages of social media, is that it allows for relatively easy and quick two-way electronic communications involving large numbers of people.
Facebook and Twitter are among the best-known examples of social media sites, but there are many other sites and various forms, including podcasting, video sharing and social bookmarking.
The report states that about 30 per cent of firms on social media use it to gather ideas and suggestions from other people, 30 per cent to promote brand recognition and to buff up the firm’s reputation and 20 per cent to sell products.
Businesses have also been known to use social media for background checks on prospective employees.
BMO economist Douglas Porter said it’s not unusual for businesses to jump on the bandwagon of a new technology and put it to use.
Canadians ordered $15b in goods and services online last year: StatsCan
OTTAWA Canadians ordered $15.1-billion worth of goods and services on the Internet last year, up from $12.8 billion in 2007. Statistics Canada attributes the increase to a rise in the number of online shoppers and a higher volume of orders. The agency says about 39 per cent of Canadians aged 16 and older used the Internet to place more than 95 million orders in 2009 — up from 32 per cent and the 70 million orders in 2007, when the survey was last conducted.
The Canadian Press
