As consumers spend increasing amounts of time on social networking sites, internet marketing teams are turning to social media as a means of advertising.

New research carried out by Michael A Stelzner, a leading authority on marketing white papers, shows that 88 per cent of marketers are taking advantage of social media to boost the success of their campaigns.

However, the study, which is sponsored by the Social Media Success Summit 2009, also reveals that marketing via social networks is a relatively new trend.

Indeed, of those using social media to market their businesses, some 72 per cent have been doing so for a few months or less.

When quizzed about the benefits of social media marketing, 81 per cent of those questioned said it allows them to generate brand exposure.

Other advantages included the ability to increase website traffic and the opportunity to build new business partnerships.

Meanwhile, research carried out recently by O2 revealed that 17 per cent of small businesses across the UK are using Twitter to market themselves.

News brought to you by ClickThrough – a best practice Internet Marketing Agency.