Social networking sites might be catching the public's imagination but Indian companies still feel face-to-face meeting will be the most effective way to lure customers in the next two to three years, says a survey.
A study by global workspace provider Regus, conducted among over 600 senior business managers, has found that a majority of companies (62%) in India believe face-to-face networking will be the most effective way to find new customers over the next two to three years.
Besides, an increasing number of Indian companies (61%) also predicts social media as an effective business tool, compared to 47% in previous three years.
"Face-to-face networking remains the top new business technique, despite a 10% fall over the previous period ... The rise and rise of business social media networks mean that today they are as essential a tool to finding new customers as face-to-face interaction," Regus Global Director (Product and Business Development) Andre Sharpe noted.
However, the increasing importance of professional social networking sites such as BranchOut, Viadeo and Xing stands out in the research, also witnessed by increasing user volumes, with LinkedIn having reached more than 135 million members.
Interestingly, small businesses (65%) believe that face-to-face networking will be key to recruiting customers over the next three years, compared to only 57 of large businesses.
Besides, 59% of respondents also declare online advertising to be one of the top channels to find new customers in the next three years, up from 49% in the previous three years.
Attending trade exhibitions (46%) and public speaking at key events (34%) are also regarded as significant tools for future customer recruitment, the survey noted.
