At least 48% of Hong Kong firms have successfully harnessed the power of social media, blogs, microblogs and forums to win new customers, according to a recent survey by Regus.

• Globally, the proportion of businesses successfully recruiting new customers through social networks such as Facebook has risen by 7%
• 52% of businesses globally and 55% in Hong Kong use websites such as Twitter and Weibo to engage, connect with and inform existing customers
• In Hong Kong, 61% of firms encourage their employees to join social networks such as Linkedin, Xing and Video, compared to 53% globally
• Two-fifths (39%) of companies globally and over two-fifths in Hong Kong (43%) devote up to 20% of their marketing budget to business social networking activity

Social networking has fully evolved from a nice-to-have to a necessity as the majority of businesses in Hong Kong (78%), and internationally (74%) agree that without social media activity, marketing strategies cannot hope to be successful. Nevertheless, firms in Hong Kong (64%) and global firms (61%) are also emphasising the need for a balance of marketing media, confirming their belief that without a combination of traditional and digital techniques marketing campaigns will not work.

Hans Leijten, Regus' Regional Vice President, East Asia comments, "As businesses emerge from the downturn they are increasingly reconsidering pre-recession working practices and opting for more flexible, competitive strategies. From supply chain management to leaner working practices, to cloud computing, to increased use of video communications and mobile working, no area of business is being overlooked. The rapid development of social media as a core business tool is clearly part of this transformation as more and more companies are leveraging this channel to increase the loyalty of existing customers, and as a successful acquisition tool for new business."

The global Regus survey findings are based on the responses of over 17,000 businesses across 80 countries and over 200 in Hong Kong.