According to the results of a recent study developed by the University of Massachusetts, more than seven out of ten of the companies (71%) that make up the Inc.500 (ranking of the 500 fastest growing companies in sales) and They use or operate through social networks like Facebook.

The experience of these companies in the media and social networks is being positive according to the opinion of 85% of these companies that ‘consider their efforts and strategies are giving good results’.

The level of satisfaction with the use of social media by these companies has increased notably during 2010 by up to 36 percentage points, compared to 54% of those who just a year ago expressed satisfaction with the results achieved through this type of media.

The use of Twitter has also experienced a significant increase. During 2009, 52% of these companies already made use of the popular microblogging service. Percentage that during the past year 2010 was increased up to 59% of the cases.

Other media such as the blog, are still considered essential tools for communication of companies that has also experienced an increase over the last year. In this sense, 50% of the Inc.500 companies now have a corporate blog aimed at informing their customers and potential consumers.

The study also throws other revealing data on the success and use of different resources and tools in social media. In this sense, 93% of companies say that their strategies based on online videos have reached the expected impact and success compared to 87% of companies that said so during 2009.

Regarding the use of different social media, Facebook ranks first in terms of relevance and familiarization level for 87% of Inc.500 companies, followed by Twitter for 71% and blogs for 61%.

There is no doubt that tools and social media are becoming increasingly important for companies. In fact, 83% of these companies use at least some of these channels as a means of communication, to which add 56% of those who consider that social media are an important pillar in their marketing and business strategies .

The high information activity generated from this type of media has also generated new obligations for these companies. In this sense, 70% of them claim to follow up and monitor more about what is said or commented on their brands through this type of media.

The study also shows how, in addition, social networks are being used to communicate with suppliers, partners and strategic partners.