Small and medium businesses in the UAE must start looking more seriously and sustainably at social media for boosting their sales, said an expert.

Zed Ayesh, managing director of Dubai-based Flagship Consultancy, a leading management and marketing consultancy, added that less than five per cent of small and medium businesses in the UAE are utilizing social media regularly as a marketing tool

He was speaking at the recently held 13th Tecom SME Builder workshop in Dubai.

“Marketing through social media allows small and medium businesses to communicate, educate and share information directly with their current and prospective customers,” Ayesh said.

He added that it is time for SMEs to start building communities on the web which would help them boost their profit and efficiencies in the long run.

Social media collaboration tools like review sites, video sharing sites, blogs, wikis and more allow users to collaborate and potentially serve as an endorser for small businesses. Social media works as a marketing tool because people are more likely to trust peers rather than companies, he noted.

Ayesh added: “Social media can be used to build business contacts with those who are more likely to buy a service or a product, but in the UAE the potential has not been tapped.”

“Engaging customers through social media holds the key to retain them and prevent churn in an organisation regardless of its size. However, any SME should make sure it doesn’t cut the conversation half way because social media is like chatting with someone so it is important to keep the conversation going and end it in a mutually satisfying way,” Ayesh said.

The event was organised by Dubai Knowledge Village (DKV), the region's premier destination for human resources management and a member of Tecom Investments’ Education Cluster.

“Flagship Consultancy is pleased to support Tecom SME Builder. In this one-day workshop, we have been able to  guide owners of small and medium enterprises to enhance their marketing skills by highlighting latest international techniques as well as tailoring global practices for the local market that is becoming very competitive and results driven,” Ayesh concluded. – TradeArabia News Service