Eighty percent of YPO companies surveyed plan to invest more resources in social networking funding and staff, according to the Senior Executive Social Networking Survey released today by public relations firm Margolis & Company and the Young Presidents’ Organization. The survey, validated by TNS, is based on 100 global interviews of CEOs and senior executives about their viewpoints and investment plans for social networking in a business to business context.

Other key highlights of the survey include:

• 82 percent of participating leaders believe an article in a prominent newspaper or magazine is preferable to a post in a prominent blog
• 66 percent of respondents say social networking plays an important role in deepening business relationships with colleagues, clients and potential clients
• 51 percent of participating leaders expect social networking will play at least a 50 percent greater role in the next two years in deepening their business relationships and access to information

“Most executives believe social media will achieve significant growth in business communication in the next two years,” said Simon Preston, YPO-WPO International Chairman 2009-2010 and a member of YPO Pennine and YPO Greater Europe Chapters. “Social networking levels the playing field for entrepreneurs and growing small and medium sized companies. The resistance some executives expressed about social networking derives more from old habits than philosophical rejection.”

“This is a time of transition, and the differences between old and new are striking,” said Dan Margolis, President of Margolis & Company. “Most senior executives recognize we’re in the middle of a paradigm shift. This is the Wild West with new benefits continually weighed against possible risks. What we see is that YPO companies are proving agile and aggressive in using social media to create new relationships and growth for businesses and brands."