The results shown in Table 1 came from a survey focusing mainly on Facebook and Twitter, to the exclusion of other forms of social media. With some 62% of respondents suggesting that social media extended no influence on their purchasing decisions, the notion of using social media as a marketing tool might well be decried. Of course, survey results can be notoriously spurious, and it may well be that many of the adults polled did not wish to admit to having been influenced by social media in their purchasing behaviour. There is also the possibility that companies have yet to find a way to make their use of social media effective as a means of generating revenues. Because social media are still in their infancy as a marketing tool companies are still trying to find the best way to utilise them. In the longer run the use of social media as a mechanism for creating and maintaining brand loyalty may be more optimal than their short-term direct use to try to generate sales. Comments about a particular brand by the general public via social media can be used by a company to improve their product offerings. In turn, this may generate improved sales in the longer term.