Two-thirds of small business use social media to engage with clients and stakeholders, according to a new survey.

The study by PeoplePerHour.com, a site for freelancers, has shown that 60% of small businesses are using social media to promote their offering. The most popular and effective is the use of Facebook (55%) followed by Linkedln (25%) and Twitter (19%), with companies using these to receive more instant feedback from customers to their news announcements and product launches.

Of the 1,300 respondents to the survey, 70% agreed that Twitter had benefits for business, with increased brand awareness and networking chosen as the two main benefits of the platform.

Xenios Thrasyvoulou, CEO of PeoplePerHour.com, said: “It’s easy to see why social media has proved so popular for small businesses in a recession: they’re free to use and have virtually limitless reach.”