It’s not rocket science to realise that the face of advertising and driving new business has changed seismically . For some time now FD has been responding by moving from print to online. But this week I took a major step forward and have contracted an “in house” geek to look after our SEO and social media. Gamble? Definitely. Investment? Certainly.

This is the new landscape that will be the difference between the “haves” and “have nots” – those on top of their online game and those lagging sorely behind. SMEs need to be aware that social media and SEO isn’t as simple as it seems from the headline grabbers. It involves grunt work and investment, but proper research and planning will pay dividends.

The problem for many SMEs is that a lot of so-called SEO and social media experts, especially the one-man bands, are not up to scratch and the average punter is unable to sort the wheat from the chaff. My advice is to run with a larger established outfit that can prove their worth and get to grips with what they are doing for you  during a 6 to 12 month period. After that you will hopefully be in a position to look at cheaper alternatives who you can work more closely with on a more local basis. Nothing beats face to face and nobody understands your business and your market like you do. A meeting is worth a thousand emails and phone calls.