Only a few years ago, companies were scratching their heads in efforts to optimise their rankings in search listings. And rightly so, Google’s dominance was reason enough for investing in SEO.

With the rise of social networks there has been a shift in the way which people access and consume information. More and more reliance is placed on the recommendations of online communities. In March this year, Facebook even overtook Google as the most visited website in the US.

For businesses, there seems to no longer be any question of whether or not to engage with social media.

“Unless you literally run your business with your ears plugged and your eyes covered, you are aware of the importance of social media and its impact on both brand and bottom line”, digital analyst Brian Solis wrote in his blog recently.

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