They were told that social media websites such as Twitter and LinkedIn could help them 'listen, engage and participate' online.
But they were told that they needed to make a genuine effort to talk to their customers, and should not simply sign up to social networking sites simply because it is seen as a trendy thing to do.
Digital communications consultant Kathryn Corrick spoke about different ways of telling stories online, from blogs to viral marketing campaigns.
And she warned that social media was not a golden ticket to business success.
"It's quite tempting to use social media or digital media because you get to tick that box," she said. "But digital media might not be the best platform for your story."
Ms Corrick said people should not be put off by the jargon surrounding social media.
She said: "There's a lot of terminology - transmedia, deep-media, etc - but it's mostly about people and social interaction. It's not just about one person broadcasting."
She discussed the success of horror film The Blair Witch Project, which cost just $20,000 to make but grossed $248m after an internet marketing campaign.
By suggesting that the film was a documentary, and providing extra content online, the film-makers created a buzz about the film before it was released.
Ms Corrick said: "The film was as much about the story and games it created around itself to get distributed."
She gave examples of social media innovation including a blog version of Samuel Pepys's diary, and the use of Twitter by Radio 4 soap opera The Archers. Characters including Eddie Grundy have their own Twitter feeds so they can speak to fans - and fans can speak to them.
"I mentioned to Eddie that I'd be talking about him today," she said. "We'll see what happens."
Ms Corrick also discussed "augmented reality" technology that uses cameras on phones to create multimedia experiences.
She demonstrated "Virtual Graffiti", where users can "paint" walls with graffiti through their phone. The graffiti is only visual to other people using the same software if they hold their phone camera up to the wall.
The next speaker, Joanne Allday from marketing company Showing Off Academy, agreed that companies needed to think carefully about the way they used social media.
She said social media was just a part of the marketing mix, and said social media was only useful if companies had something meaningful to talk about."
"If your price is wrong, social media ain't going to help," she said.
If your product is wrong, social media isn't going to change that.
She added: "It's important. But it's not more important than the other fundamentals in marketing."
Social media, said Ms Allday, could help companies learn more about their customers.
But, she added, people new to social media sites needed to spend time building their networks - and therefore their credibility - before they can expect business leads.
"You need to be visible first," she said. "If nobody knows you exist, they're not going to give you money."

To see Kathryn Corrick's presentation, click here.