The latest research from LinkedIn has found that the majority of SME businesses are moving into social media channels for growth opportunities.

According to a recent LinkedIn stud which surveyed 998 businesses, roughly 81% of SMBs are using social media, and of those using social media, 94% do so for marketing purposes.

It is interesting to note that companies that were experiencing extra strong growth (16% of the surveyed group), 91% said social media helped increase awareness of their brand, while 82% said it helped them generate new leads for their business. This growth in business correlates to three quarters of the stong growth companies increased their social media budget last year. This clearly demonstrates the importance of social media for SME companies and the ability to use social media across a number of networks to help grow your business.

LinkedIn partnered with market research firm TNS, which gathered information from 998 SMBs in the United States and Canada.