Social media is changing the way that small and medium businesses (SMB) communicate with their customers, according to a new survey.

A study of smaller companies by communications provider Mitel reveals that 82% are utilising social media as a business strategy, most commonly using Twitter (45%) and LinkedIn (62%).

The findings suggest that the benefits of social media are becoming increasingly apparent to SMBs. More than half the businesses agreed that using social media is boosting the brand awareness.

“The world is changing and we are increasingly seeing the lines blur between personal and business communications,” said Andy Elliot, marketing director at Mitel. “People need the flexibility to merge their communications tools from business to personal and vice versa.”