Social media ''must respond to its audience''

Social media needs to be used in a way that is sympathetic to its target audience, an expert believes.

Contractors working under IT umbrella companies are likely to have seen a rise in requests for assistance with social media, as one expert highlights its prominence as a business marketing tool.

Mike Seddon, founder of KKSmarts.com, pointed out that not every website considered to be social media will have the same impact when it comes to promoting a company.

He continued: "There are certain types of business who work well on certain different platforms. So take Facebook, say 18 months ago it was [good] if you had sort of a young person's type product."

Mr Seddon urged businesses to consider the demographic of their product before pursuing a certain market, as the user base of sites is changing all the time.

Facebook, for example, now has a faster growth rate among those in their 30s and 40s than younger generations, the expert noted, meaning that firms will have to adapt their material.