Small businesses have seen a dramatic rise in their use of social networks for business purposes over the past year, research finds.

Small businesses have seen a dramatic rise in their use of social networks for business purposes over the past year, research finds.

According to a survey of 1300 small businesses by recruitment firm PeoplePerHour.com, 91 percent of respondents used social networks for business purposes last year – up from the 60 percent recorded in the previous year’s survey.

Companies use the medium to recruit new staff, find work and market themselves.

The findings back up a recent Deloitte report commissioned by Facebook which claimed that the social networking website benefits the UK economy to the tune of more than £2 billion a year.

According to Facebook’s COO Sheryl Sandberg the report ‘shows that Facebook is about a lot more than sharing pictures or keeping up with friends. Increasingly, social media means growth and jobs. Social media is proving particularly valuable for small and medium-sized businesses, which form the backbone of the European economy.’

PeoplePerHour.com founder Xenios Thrasyvoulou adds, ‘There’s a perception that Facebook is almost exclusively used for personal relationships, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. As our survey findings demonstrate, Facebook is an increasingly crucial technology for businesses as well.’

See also: SMEs tune in to social media