Small companies have been urged to take advantage of social media networks such as Twitter.

Individuals who have set up a recruitment company may want to take advantage of social media networks such Twitter to engage with customers and share ideas, it has been stated.

There is a wide range of social platforms, including Facebook and business peer-to-peer site LinkedIn, that can help recruiters not only make themselves known to a wider audience, but also make valuable contacts.

According to Mark Batchelor, managing director of business leadership specialist Markman OTW, such tools should be incorporated into small companies' marketing strategies.

"If you start promoting yourself and having online conversations, you can engage with people you wouldn't normally come across, exchange ideas and you may even find that people start helping you," he explained.

He went on to state that small companies that exploit micro-blogging site Twitter will find that it "is a really helpful mechanism for increasing your business profile and connecting your business with other people".

Half of active Twitter users follow companies, brands or products on social networks, according to a recent report from the Edison Research/Arbitron Internet and Multimedia Series.