2015 could prove to be a crucial year for small businesses

With the General Election looming many are talking about what policies will make the difference for small business owners this year and whether the winning party will be able to build on the foundations of the growth of the last 18 months. We take a look at what small businesses need to do to continue to succeed and what the other trends might be for small businesses over the next 12 months.

FSB’s 2015 General Election manifesto

A recent post by the FSB’s John Allan, national Chairman spoke of the rise of the small business in 2014 – whose numbers broke 5 million for the first time. 2014 also saw an exponential rise in the number of small businesses innovating, growing and taking on their first employee – helping to tackle the unemployment rates. Coupled with this small firms saw there productivity grow and Mr Allan commented that small businesses were finally beginning to get the recognition that they deserved.

In order for firms to continue this upward trend the FSB argues that changes need to be made, and as such it has produced a manifesto that outlines what they believe needs to be the focus post-election. Mr Allan continues that the party that wins the election will need to look at ways to support and nurture all business not just big or small – it will need to help sustain growth ensuring responsible business practices, whether that be via using apprenticeship schemes, enhancing supply chain activities or ensuring a better flow of payments between businesses. He warned that whilst the future looked good the uncertainty in the Eurozone could still have an effect on the year ahead and that the FSB’s General Election manifesto contents that include reforms to access to finance, unfair business rates and the still growing skills gap would offer a more sustainable route for small business.

Alternative funding routes

Others have spotted the issue of access to finance and the route by which small businesses can source additional funding as a key trend for 2015 too. With the development of crowd funding sites such as Kickstarter, Crowdcube, Buzzbnk and Seedrs the route to funding has diversified – no longer is the bank the only option. These platforms also enable a globalisation of funding and experts are also pointing towards an increasing appetite for risk once more – good news for the innovative entrepreneur.  

Growth of the tech scene

James Caan, the well known angel investor, entrepreneur and equity head points towards our growing tech industry as sector to watch in the coming year. Silicon Valley is, of course, the giant of the sector but East London has been building a reputation as the go to area in the UK for tech services - providing a great platform for US companies to cross over to the UK, as well as for startups to work within a community. Caan suggests that the next 12 months will see the UK learn even more from their US counterparts and that signals the possibility of greater growth. However the tech industry isn’t solely in the capital and along with areas such as Manchester and Bristol parts of Kent has also been hailed a tech hot spot with Canterbury, Folkestone and Ramsgate highlighted as tech centres for the county. A mixture of great links to both London and the continent and lower business costs means that Kent could be well positioned to further take advantage of the growing tech industry in 2015.

Social media continues to diversify

Linked to the growth in the tech sector many are also urging small businesses to continue to take full advantage of social media. Caan points to the development of advertising on Facebook and Twitter and that images are becoming an increasingly important way to attract clients – meaning that 2015 could well be the year for Instagram. Small businesses have historically used social media extensively and Caan urges small firms to continue this trend. The opportunities that a strong social media plan can have on your business are huge and will only continue to grow in 2015.

2015 is going to be an interesting year across all business, but especially for small businesses – as ever the key is for small business and entrepreneurs to grab opportunities and run with them. The General Election and the winning party have the chance to make some real differences to the way that small businesses work in the UK, and with small businesses and entrepreneurs making up an growing percentage of the UK economy the parties would do well to listen to the sector, their votes could be the deciding factors.

5 reasons to consider event sponsorship as part of your marketing plans

As marketing budgets begin to increase once more many organisations will begin reviewing their spend in terms of both finance and the channels that they use. Whilst the march of social media and online marketing continues apace many marketers are starting to look at some alternative means in order to get their brand out there and recognised. With the growing noise across many channels, an alternative strategy may be the way to be seen and heard by more of your audience. So, along with a return to the more traditional areas of print marketing, the arena of event sponsorship should also be considered as a great way to build your audience and grow exposure. 

Choosing the right event and what you sponsor is absolutely key to your sponsorship success. Consider should the event align itself with your business? Is it attracting the right audience for you? Could it open a new market for you? These are all questions that you need to be pretty sure of the answers before going ahead. One thing is for sure though many business directors agree that exhibitions offer a great way to meet new clients,  so surely extending that to sponsoring makes sense? And do you know what? Sponsorship needn’t cost the earth - it’s not always about sponsoring the whole event, or the event guide - there are generally lots of other smaller opportunities for business to get involved with. Take a look at five reasons why your company should look at event sponsorship.

1. Build credibility with a targeted  audience

Events like B2B exhibitions and conferences are a great way to get to meet your clients, develop relationships with new ones and build authority within your sector. Alongside taking a stand having your company branding elsewhere at the event will help to build recognition of your product or service. Sponsorship will enable you to stand out from the crowd to an audience that has been created for you. What does this mean? Well, a carefully managed exhibition or conference will have heaps of delegates that are ideally placed to be receptive to your product or service - thats’ the job of the event organiser. For them to make the event successful they need to have the right delegates meeting the right exhibitors … and sponsors! Be sure to do your homework and find out exactly who the target market is.

2. Remember the people that aren’t actually there

Now this may sound bizarre but when you are speaking with delegates, contacts or other exhibitors always remember that they most probably have a book full of other people with similar interests or who are in a similar sector, so, remember the people that aren’t at the exhibition and make an excellent impression on those that are. This still holds true for sponsorship - sponsor the event bag or some promotional items and the chances are they will be seen by far more than just the person who attend - gaining you and your business further exposure. 

3. Increase your media exposure

As part of the organisers role the event will undoubtably be well advertised both on and offline - as a sponsor you gain access to this. For businesses that look at becoming a headline or major sponsor the opportunities to spread your reach can be huge. Advertising tends to come as standard on all the events marketing including web sites, email marketing, advertising, but be clever and you can get more involved - creating social media campaigns or other content that align you to the event and build your exposure.  

4. Big or small 

Whatever the size of your business, there is likely to be a sponsorship  opportunity for you. Larger firms may be interested in becoming a headline sponsor - like Caxtons for the Kent B2B’s this year. Not only does it give them great coverage across the county - which is their main target market - it also goes to show that they are genuinely interested in the local area and businesses within it. 

David Gurton, Director at Caxtons comments. "As a professional firm, Caxtons looks for ways to magnify and enhance our corporate message, and we found a particularly valuable one in our partnership with Kent Invicta Chamber.

As headline sponsor for the Chamber’s B2B events, we have achieved face-to-face countywide exposure that has helped us to capitalise on our existing marketing and PR activities.  It has meant we can meet clients in an informal business environment, and can introduce them to knowledgeable members of our team. 

The wide ranging promotion of the exhibitions including emails, advertisements, press releases, blogs, workshops and speaker slots prior to, and at events has increased our brand exposure to both the business community and customers across the county, which has extended our business reach."

However, if you don’t have the resources for headline sponsorship what can you do? One of the best ideas is to pick up the phone and call the event to see what the other options are - there are usually opportunities to sponsor event bags, perhaps the coffee cups (what a great way to get your brand noticed as people stand, chat and network!) or, even get involved with a workshop or sponsor a networking session. 

5. Make more contacts

For some events, becoming a significant sponsor can also open up the events contacts lists for your business. If you have chosen well this list could be one of the premium benefits to your firm - offering you access to a list of delegates that potentially are interested in you.

Making sponsorship opportunities work is a two fold deal - firstly, you need to ensure that the event you are looking at is in the right sector and that the organisers are targeting your potential clients. Then it’s down to you - negotiate well and you could come out with a package that’s worth far more than the money you pay for it. 

Interested in finding out more about sponsorship of our events? Call Carole on 01732 758530.