Social media and how businesses can benefit from the latest phenomenon in communication will be the main topic up for debate at a seminar presented by Troncossi Public Relations at the Bermuda Chamber of Commerce boardroom next week.

The event, which is part of the Chamber's ongoing information sessions, will be delivered by Troncossi's managing director Elizabeth Tee, who will look at some of the new social media outlets and language that is buzzing around the online world of communications.

Ms Tee will demonstrate how social media can help a company's bottom line — for example, companies that use the popular social-media site Facebook and its fan page module to market themselves to customers can increase sales, word-of-mouth marketing and customer loyalty significantly among a subset of their customers, according to new research released by Rice University's Jones Graduate School of Business.

"In our discussions with clients, we're finding that companies are just not sure if they should tweet, have a Facebook page or blog," she said.

"The biggest question is how can a company keep up with social media and still get business done. I look forward to discussing the ins and outs of this new media phenomenon next week and welcome anyone who's interested in learning more to attend." The Facebook study, based on surveys of more than 1,700 respondents over a three-month period, found that, compared with typical customers of Dessert Gallery, a popular Houston-based café chain, once the organisation created a Facebook presence, the company's Facebook fans made 36 percent more visits to its stores each month and spent 45 percent more of their eating-out dollars there, among other revealing statistics.

The seminar will take place on Wednesday March 3 between 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. at the Bermuda Chamber of Commerce, 1 Point Pleasant Road, Hamilton.

Anyone interested in attending the can contact Stacey Madeiros-Cooke via e-mail at smadeiros-cooke@bcc.bm or fax on 292-5779. Entry is free for Chamber members and costs $10 for non-members.