Marketing is essential to SME start-ups

Small businesses are the backbone of the UK economy but with 1,100 failing every day in the UK* the statistics are stacked against SME owners. According to research carried out by integrated marketing agency, KISS Communications, ineffective marketing and inadequate planning was the overwhelming reason for failure. The research questioned over 100 professionals from a variety of sectors in the UK. It found a staggering 96% of business professionals felt there was an overwhelming concern that start-ups greatly increased their risk of failure with unprofessional marketing and a poorly thought out proposition. Just a small minority (4%) felt this wasn’t a reason for failure. In response to the pressures on new start-ups and early stage SMEs, KISS Communications recently introduced LaunchPad, a simple but effective marketing toolkit to help new businesses take off effectively and grow successfully. According to Simon Fryer, Managing Director at KISS Communications, newly formed companies often lack direction and support when it comes to marketing. He explains, “All too often, start-ups think they can achieve their business objectives by marketing their new business on the cheap. It’s a recipe for disaster! New companies need a clear marketing strategy and a well thought-out approach for achieving their business objectives.” He continued, “We developed LaunchPad to help support early stage companies; effectively taking the hassle out of marketing to enable a start-up to concentrate on their core business. Available from March 2011 and open to a limited number of companies, LaunchPad encompasses marketing strategy, branding, including web site development and stationery, and PR; all the elements necessary for a company to succeed.” Voted as one of the top three marketing agencies in the East of England by Business Weekly, KISS Communications works with a mixture of blue chip companies, successful SMEs and interesting start-ups, including Anglian Water, Bosch, Booking.com, Johnson Matthey, SISK and Plasti-kote, One Nucleus, Cambridge Past Present & Future, Balancing Blooms, and Geomerics. The company provides advertising, design, branding, digital, exhibitions and public relations services. If your business would like to talk to Simon Fryer about how KISS Communications could help you in 2011 please contact him directly on simon@kisscom.co.uk *source: Figures from the Office of National Statistics