Firms have to keep up the pressure to get the most from social media.

Courier delivery firms with a social media presence on sites like Facebook have to maintain a consistent message, it has been claimed.

According to Tom Ollerton, senior marketing manager at Skive, businesses need to make sure they reward their Facebook fans to keep them happy.

There is a "strong disconnect", he said, between people who like a firm's page and those who actually go out and buy their products or services.

"Go to where people are in the first place and then engage them," Mr Ollerton added.

"Offline is the biggest driver of online. Facebook is a huge reflection of what has happened offline."

The importance of social media as an advertising tool was highlighted by a recent study from Pew Research that showed 60 per cent of young adults visit a social networking site such as Facebook every day.

For email the figure is still slightly higher, at 62 per cent.

Posted by Rob Elliott

Article Added: 05/10/2010 16:40:03