Member Article

Andrew Harvey welcomes the Government’s £30 million scheme to provide marketing advice to SMEs

As I stand down after completing a two-year term as chairman of the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) I am very heartened by the steady an persistent economic recovery recorded over the past year, and am particularly pleased to see the progress in the North East.

There is much evidence, collected over many years, to reinforce the belief that those businesses which continue their marketing programmes throughout a recession will be the first to record economic growth now that we are emerging from this latest very deep and prolonged market depression.

I was very pleased, therefore, that in the final months of my Chairmanship, the CIM have been working with the Department for Business (BIS) and are now an active partner in their Growth Voucher programme for SMEs.

As part of the overall £30m scheme to help small businesses, the Government will cover 50% of the total spend, up to £2000, with the small business expected to pay for the balance, of the cost of a range of business advice, including managing cashflow, developing skills, improving leadership and for sales and marketing advice.

The advice is available via an online marketplace, with marketing professionals able to register as preferred suppliers on the site. SMEs will only be able to spend their Marketing vouchers with advisors accredited by the Chartered Institute of Markting.

I would urge all SME businesses to follow up and find out how the scheme would best help them. It is worth me repeating that the company that understands its customers and knows how to engage with them will reach its full potential more quickly that one that does not.

Marketing is critical to a company’s customer base, sales figures and profit levels regardless of their size and industry. The Growth Vouchers scheme can allow thousands of small business to realise the power of marketing as a driver of growth.

The Scheme is available from now until April 2015.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Chartered Institute of Marketing .