Businesses need to be experts to have influence on social networking sites.

Firms such as a courier delivery company wanting to use social media to influence people need to do one important thing to succeed - be an expert in their field.

This is according to an article on Small Business Computing website, which claims being a "voice of expert advice" can allow a firm to plant itself in an online community.

"Find those online social communities on Facebook, Twitter, discussion forums and blogs and start answering questions and offering advice," the article says.

The advice chimes with research carried out by scientists at Northwestern University, Illinois, which tracked the most influential people tweeting on the social network Twitter.

Reported in the Daily Telegraph, the study found that some of the most popular tweeters were in fact less influential than people with lower profiles but who are expert in their field.

The Small Business Computing article also advises firms to develop a social media marketing strategy and to identify who their customers are.

Posted by Rob Elliott

Article Added: 06/10/2010 09:30:25