This is according to a new report from Marketing Sherpa, which found that 81 per cent of professionals questioned believe that adopting so-called 'social sharing' extends the reach of marketing content to new customers.

 

In addition, 78 per cent agreed that it would increase brand awareness, while 53 per cent stated that such a move increases their return on investment from email marketing initiatives.

 

However, the technique is less successful from a lead generation perspective, as 57 per cent commented that it does not enable them to create more qualified leads.

 

"Social sharing is a rapidly emerging email tactic," Marketing Sherpa noted, adding that educational and informative content - rather than that geared solely towards sales - is ideal for sharing on social sites such as Twitter and Facebook.

 

However, the news source noted that as social media is still a relatively new medium, there are still "misconceptions" about its value.

 

Earlier this week, comScore statistics showed that display ad impressions on social sites accounted for more than a quarter of the total used across the internet in the UK during August.