When engaging with clients through social media, contractors must communicate rather than broadcast, one expert has suggested.

Michael Stelzner, founder and executive editor of the Social Media Examiner, said most businesses have not yet worked out that social media is an interactive platform, which is why so many companies have "tried and failed" to capitalise on sites such as Twitter.

"Those that understand it's about human relationships are the businesses that thrive," he explained.

Meanwhile, over half of FTSE 100 companies have failed to use the social media opportunity to its full extent, according to research by corporate communications consultancy Radley Yeldar.

This might be a problem such companies should tackle, after it was revealed that social media has become the single biggest activity online in the UK, overtaking the entertainment category, reports competitive intelligence service Experiean Hitwise.