Companies looking to increase their online return of investment (ROI) could be well advised to consider a marketing campaign via a social media networking website, a new study suggests.

According to research by Fox Interactive Media, more than 70 per cent of US internet users aged between 15 and 34 regularly visit social media websites such as MySpace.

As part of the analysis, Marketing Evolution revealed that the 'momentum effect', in which users build brand awareness, had accounted for more than 70 per cent of marketing ROI for brands such as Adidas and Electronic Arts.

MySpace chief executive Chris DeWolfe said: "Smart marketers know how to tap into the passion and energy of individuals who care about their products to vastly multiply the impact of their campaigns."

The study also revealed that 40 per cent of social website users had visited a website to learn more about a particular brand or product.

Earlier this month, Cameron Olthuis wrote on Search Engine Land, that harnessing websites such as YouTube and MySpace can help a variety of businesses, particularly small enterprises, drive user traffic.