Less than one in ten small businesses (6 per cent) are using social media to understand and engage with their customers, according to research among 1,200 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) from business software provider Sage UK.

‘With social networking dominating the time people spend online a few negative comments on these sites can really damage a brand,’ argues Matthew Forrest, head of commercial marketing for the small business division at Sage UK. ‘No business can simply afford to ignore this channel or their customers’ feedback any more.’

The release of the research was timed to coincide with Social Media Week, which aims to ‘advance understanding of social media’s role in society’.

See also: A quarter of entrepreneurs don’t use social media for their small business