Small businesses across the UK have placed marketing, and social media experts at the top of their hiring wish list, according to a recent survey from Everline, the digital lender for small businesses.

The survey of 500 small business owners saw marketing professionals take the number one spot or the role that small business owners would most like to hire into their current business, with 16% of respondents saying that this would be their preference.

Web developers took second place with 12% of votes and social media experts came in third with 7%. Traditional roles such as secretary, sales director and accountant made it onto the wish-list of just one in five respondents (18%), and an overwhelming 46% of respondents said that they wouldn’t like to hire any role at the moment.

Russell Gould, Managing Director at Everline, commented: “It’s good to see that small businesses recognise that marketing and digital expertise can give their business a boost and a competitive advantage. In the digital age, small business simply can’t afford not to invest in this space.”

“The fact that so many small business owners aren’t making hires could suggest some nervousness over adding to their permanent headcount, so it’s worth considering temporary or freelance support. Accessing flexible finance quickly can help businesses to invest in this type of business expertise and ensure that they don’t lose out on the opportunity that the online revolution presents,” he added.