Marketing, Digital, Website Grant Funding
Marketing, Digital, Website Grant Funding
There are various grant funding options available for UK SMEs (Small and Medium-sized Enterprises) to help with marketing projects. Here are some of the latest ones including information on Website Grant Funding.
- Digital Growth Programme: This is a scheme funded by the European Regional Development Fund, which offers grants of up to £16,000 to SMEs in the East Midlands region of the UK. The grants can be used to fund a range of digital marketing activities, including website development, social media marketing, and SEO.
- Innovate UK: Innovate UK is a government-backed agency that provides funding to support innovation in UK businesses. They offer several funding opportunities for SMEs, including the Smart Grants scheme, which provides grants of up to £2 million to support research and development projects.
- The Prince’s Trust Enterprise Programme: The Prince’s Trust Enterprise Programme provides funding and support to young entrepreneurs aged 18-30 in the UK. They offer grants of up to £5,000 to help start and grow businesses, including marketing projects.
- Creative England: Creative England is an organisation that supports the creative industries in the UK. They offer several funding programmes for SMEs in the creative sector, including the Business Investment Fund, which provides grants of up to £50,000 to support business growth, including marketing projects.
- GrowthAccelerator: GrowthAccelerator is a scheme that provides coaching and support to help businesses achieve their growth potential. They offer funding of up to £2,000 per company to help with business development, including marketing projects.
It’s important to note that eligibility criteria and application processes vary for each scheme, so it’s recommended to research each one thoroughly before applying
The eligibility and access to these schemes varies on a scheme by scheme and geographic basis
We have compiled information that we believe will hopefully help those looking for help towards Marketing, Digital and Website activities.
Grant funding for Cambridgeshire SME’s to help with marketing and website projects
Here are some grant funding options available for SMEs in Cambridgeshire, UK to help with marketing and website projects:
- Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Combined Authority: This authority offers grants of up to £5,000 to SMEs in the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough area for website development, marketing and other projects. The grants are available through their Innovate & Cultivate Fund, which aims to support local businesses to grow and innovate.
- Eastern Agri-Tech Growth Initiative: This initiative offers grant funding of between £10,000 and £150,000 to SMEs in the agri-tech sector. The funding can be used for a range of activities, including website development and marketing, as well as product development, research and development, and equipment purchases.
- Innovate UK: Innovate UK offers various funding opportunities for SMEs across the UK, including grants for research and development projects, such as developing new products, processes or services. The grants can be used to support marketing activities as well.
- New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership: This partnership offers various funding programmes for SMEs in Norfolk and Suffolk, including the Small Grant Scheme. This scheme provides grants of up to £25,000 to support business growth, including marketing and website projects.
- Digital Enterprise Cambridgeshire: This organisation offers advice and support to SMEs in the Cambridgeshire area to help them take advantage of digital technologies. They also offer grants of up to £2,000 to help businesses improve their digital capabilities, including website development and digital marketing.
It’s important to note that eligibility criteria and application processes vary for each scheme, so it’s recommended to research each one thoroughly before applying.
Growth Works
Growth Works is a funding programme aimed at supporting the growth and development of SMEs (Small and Medium-sized Enterprises) in the West of England region. The programme is funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and is managed by the West of England Combined Authority (WECA).
The Growth Works programme provides grants to eligible SMEs to help them invest in projects that will support their growth and development. The grants are available for a range of activities, including:
- Developing new products or services
- Investing in new equipment or machinery
- Improving business processes
- Developing digital capabilities
- Marketing and promotional activities
The programme offers grants of between £10,000 and £80,000 to eligible SMEs. The grant amount awarded depends on the size and scope of the project being proposed and the level of match-funding provided by the SME.
To be eligible for the Growth Works programme, SMEs must meet the following criteria:
- Be based in the West of England region (Bristol, Bath & North East Somerset, South Gloucestershire, or North Somerset)
- Employ fewer than 250 staff
- Have an annual turnover of less than €50 million or a balance sheet total of less than €43 million
- Have been trading for at least 12 months
- Have the capacity to deliver the proposed project
The application process for the Growth Works programme involves completing an online application form and providing supporting documentation, including a business plan and financial forecasts. Applications are assessed on a competitive basis, with successful applicants being notified within six weeks of submitting their application.
Overall, the Growth Works funding programme is a valuable resource for SMEs in the West of England region looking to invest in projects that will support their growth and development.
Business Development Coaching Examples Of Eligible Work Packages
Business Development Coaching from BGS is designed to support you to develop your business.
Below are listed some of the common themes that have been used as part of business development coaching
(note its not an exhaustive list)
- Strategic Planning: looking at your organisation’s process of defining its strategy, or direction, and making decisions on allocating its resources to pursue this strategy
- Business Modelling: evaluating how your organisation makes (or intends to make) money, and how the various organisational activities are interrelated
- Change Management: opportunities for the company to act differently in order to improve its business performance
- Channel Marketing: considering the customer segments and identifying which have the most potential for commercial exploitation
- Contract Bidding Process: if completing tenders is a core activity for gaining new business, what is your success rate and would an improvement to the process be beneficial
- Customer Service: How do you manage your customers and ensure that they receive the level of customer service that they would deem appropriate
- Exit Planning: you may be developing and growing your business in order to maximise its value prior to selling, there are other factors to consider when exit planning
- Growing Customers: selling more to your existing customers is a great way to grow your business (complimentary to gaining new customers) so what techniques and approaches can you implement to grow customers
- Key Performance Indicators (KPI-s): which KPI’s do you need to identify and measure that would significantly improve the performance of your business and the service provided to the customer
- Management Structure: Does your company have the most appropriate management structure in place to ensure that operations are performed effectively
- Marketing Strategy: do you have a marketing strategy, if yes does it have the fundamental goal of increasing sales and achieving a sustainable competitive advantage
- Marketing Strategy Implementation: do you have a step by step plan in place to ensure your marketing action plan is effectively implemented in a measurable way
- Recruitment Planning: do you have the right skills and expertise within your organisation to grow, if not do you need to recruit additional skills
- Sales Management: how do you manage your sales pipeline and ensure that you achieve an optimum sales conversion ratio
- Value Proposition: A value proposition is a promise of value to be delivered and acknowledged and a belief from the customer that value will be delivered and experienced, can yours be improved
For more information on Business Development Coaching, Leadership and Development Training, Design Coaching and MAS funding click here
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BGS Leadership and Management Non Eligible Activities
BGS Leadership and Management activities that are specifically not eligible:
1. Coaching and Mentoring)
2. Mandatory provision i.e. programmes leading to qualifications that are specifically required for the business and/or the individual to operate.
Examples include the Chartered Insurance Institute Level 4 qualification for Financial Advisers, and the LMC (Leadership and Management in Care Services) Level 4 for Health and Social Care (NB: The LMC Level 5 is eligible for support).
3. Technical provision: These are examples of provision that cannot be supported:
- Health and safety
- Alcohol licensing
- Product specific training ( e.g. to use a specific piece of machinery or software)
- Job specific skills e.g. cookery skills for restaurateurs; photography for photographers; marketing for marketing executives; NLP for NLP practitioners/coaches
- Technical qualifications (typically those at NVQ (National Vocational Qualification) Level 3 equivalent or below, unless these are specified as management qualifications).
4. IT training, including Search Engine Management (SEM) and Search Engine Optimisation (SEO); as well as IT programmes such as Word, Excel, Sage. Funding cannot be used to support the purchase of IT hardware, software or website development.
5. Travel and accommodation and related/similar costs e.g. subsistence, membership fees, capital equipment, postage costs, and anything that is “consultancy” with no training.
6. Accreditation, e.g. support for assessment costs relating to IiP (Investors in People) or ISO. L&M funding can support provision that helps the business achieve its growth objectives (particularly IiP, where the link to eligible training is clear). Where examination costs are an integral part of a training programme, they can be supported.
7. Tactical marketing Google Ads, SEO , Linked- in training
8. Training design and management costs
9. Deadweight ,Reimbursing Training that has begun already, Training that would have been paid for otherwise by the client . Training agreed prior to joining BGS
For more information on Leadership and Management funding or other funding options suitable for manufacturers click here
Want to pick up the phone and speak to us about your Website project?
Call us on: 01733 361729 mail: solutions@bdolphin.co.uk
BGS Leadership and Management Match Funding
The maximum grant per eligible senior manager is £2,000
- A “senior manager” must have strategic responsibility for the direction of the business and is restricted to the upper tier of the organisational structure e.g. senior management team or on the Board of Directors
- National Guidelines on suitable funding levels are:
- Companies of 1-4 FTE’s = 2 senior managers
- Companies of 5-9 FTE’s = 3 senior managers
- Companies of 10-19 FTE’s = 4 senior managers
- Companies of 20+ FTE’s = 5 senior managers or 10% of total staff – within a cap of £10,000 per company.
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- L&M applications can NOT be stand alone and can only be offered to participants of coaching interventions
- Clients Can apply for match funding once Invoice paid and Growth Plan Completed.
- Companies will have 60 days from the Coaching Grant Offer Letter date to submit any L&M applications
- Companies will then have 180 days from the date of any L&M Grant Offer Letter to submit their claim
- Please note that whilst these guidelines are in place BGS reserve the right to assess the eligibility and suitability of each application on its own merits and award funding at a level aligned to the application. This process will be managed by the Business Growth Manager and leadership and management Specialist.
- In every instance where the coach is to deliver the training solution BGS require a Coach as Trainer Approval Form ( training proposal ). This needs to be signed by the Coach /training provider and sent to The L and M Specialist . If a bespoke solution is to be delivered by a training provider who is not a BGS Expert/Coach BGS still require a training proposal.
- The Client must have a leadership and management grant offer letter before being invoiced for or commencing training
- BGS cannot match fund , coaching , mentoring or consultancy , IT or software training
BGS Leadership and Management generic Offering Themes
1. Developing an effective personal leadership and management style
Training Could Include
Leadership style; developing the vision; strategic focus; role of the director; ability to inspire; commercial skills (e.g. financial); influencing; motivation; communication of goals/strategy; goal setting; defining success; understanding and seeing the organisation as a whole; reflecting and improving; setting an example; decision making; strategic planning tools; identifying risk; assertiveness and personal effectiveness; presenting the impact; the leader as coach; self-assessment/awareness; time management for leaders.2. Leading and managing high performance: Building a high performance team; motivation; recognition and reward; team dynamics, behaviours and skills; team building; discipline and grievance handling; delegation; planning and organising; talent management; time management; communication; coaching skills; empowering teams; roles and responsibilities; giving effective feedback; performance management; recruitment and selection; adaptability and flexibility; succession planning; staff development/promotion.
3. Planning and developing an effective organisation/Operational improvement: quality assurance; resourcing for growth; evaluating and improving; controls – admin, financial, standards; supply chain management; financial management; managing cash for growth; forecasting financial needs; managing risk; budgeting; management accounts; contingency planning
4. Creating a joint enterprise culture: Communicating change; change management; managing conflict; culture and diversity; impact of change; collaboration – partners, staff, suppliers; negotiating; listening; influencing others; providing feedback; establishing rapport; building relationships; working as a team;
5. Sustaining growth and continuous improvement: Planning and implementation; communication; resourcing; identifying skills needs; improving effectiveness – quality, costs, delivery; managing risk; managing complexity; problem solving; adaptability and flexibility; identifying skills needs for the future.
6. Embedding a culture of innovation: Encouraging ideas and creativity; empowerment; understanding culture; building trust; providing guidance; embedding innovation; adding value to the organisation; collaboration and open innovation; sources of innovation; innovation tools and techniques.
7. New market entry: Identifying and responding to need; project management; customer focus; negotiating; professional presentations; collaboration – key partners, staff, suppliers. Digital marketing strategy , brand management ,
(Information correct as of October). For more information on Leadership and Management funding click here
Design Coaching Product Design Work Package Example
Design Coaching Objective: Design and development of new product to support growth plan
(Within the proposal need to explain why this is of strategic importance to the growth of the business)
Work package 1 – 50% of coaching time
Develop and agree the product design support needed to achieve participant knowledge transfer. Agree product design audit process to review any current product design ideas, agree new design requirements and how this aligns with their corporate branding guidelines. Coach to support the client with creative input, brainstorming session to generate ideas and agree stage gates and milestones for inclusion in the product design brief.
Deliverable: Product design review/plan and product brief/specification signed off by participant
Work package 2 – 50% of coaching time
Coach to work with client to agree and develop process for selecting and appointing product design agency (if external) or identify how to select the most appropriate internal supplier. This could include full review of product design requirements including tooling, materials, packaging, merchandising etc. This will include agreeing the product design specification criteria, critical versus desirable skills and attributes plus interview and selection process, obtaining samples and references as appropriate. Ensuring the participant client is supported with progressing the product design idea and/or implementation of the product design process is firmly embedded in the business
Deliverable: Progression and implementation of product design plan signed off by participant
Design Coaching Objective: Development and design/re-design of a new customer journey to support growth plan
(Explain in proposal why this is strategic important to the growth of the business)
Work package 1 – 50% of coaching time
Develop and agree the support needed to achieve participant knowledge transfer in developing a new service offering. Agree service design review process via support and project management of mystery shopper, feedback survey questionnaires/interviews and focus group activity etc. Support participant in agreeing alignment with internal managers, including creative input to generate ideas in developing new customer journey and development of brief to external supplier if appropriate.
Deliverable: Completion of service review and design brief/specification signed off by participant
Work package 2 – 50% of coaching time
Coach to work with client to agree and develop process for selecting and appointing creative design agency (if external) or identify how to select the most appropriate internal skilled resource to produce new customer service designs i.e. whether online or offline. Including agreeing the specification criteria, critical versus desirable skills and attributes plus interview and selection process, obtaining references etc. Supporting participant with the implementation of the service design process and buy in across the business to ensure service is firmly embedded in the business
Deliverable: Implementation plan signed off by participant
For more information on Design Coaching Grant Funding from the Business Growth Service click here
What Is A Manufacturer considered as from some funding perspectives
From a funding perspective there a three ways of being classified as a manufacturer
- You have a Standard Industry Classification (SIC) of 10XXX to 33XXX
- You are a company that designs and sells a physical product, even if you outsource the actual production
- You are a company that changes the state of a physical item in order to add value
What is a manufacturer eligibility
- To be eligible for most funded support your business must have the characteristic of looking to improve and grow; there are set figures for meeting the relevant growth criteria.
- plus fit the following criteria
- Registered in the UK and based in England
- Have up to 249 employees
- Have turnover of up to £40 million
- Meet the EU definition of Small Medium Enterprise (SME)
Overview of potential funding available to mmanufacturer’s
- From MAS matched funding at 50% up to a £3000 maximum limit
- When used for consultancy support this is based on a maximum of £300 per day (so essentially where a consultant charges £600 per day you could get a 10 day consultancy project match funded )
- Typically one MAS project every 2 years though in some cases it may be possible to get repeat projects
For many manufacturing companies they think of marketing as a cost that should be avoided. Therefore many wait for funding schemes to become available, and use the ability to get some grant funding to act as the stimulus to complete their marketing activities. I would suggest that manufacturing companies who have a great product or great service offering , but poor marketing should invest in the marketing process irrespective of funding options.
Funding for manufacturers is a movable feast and whilst some schemes are national there may be additional local funding available
Website Grant Funding – Don’t Delay
The decision to delay a project in the hope of securing grant funding for an SME (Small and Medium-sized Enterprise) depends on several factors. While grant funding can provide financial support and other benefits, it’s essential to consider the potential risks and implications of delaying the project. Here are some factors to consider when making this decision:
- Project Importance: Assess the significance of the project for your SME’s growth, competitiveness, or strategic objectives. If the project is critical for your business’s success, delaying it solely for grant funding may not be advisable.
- Grant Availability: Research and evaluate the availability, requirements, and likelihood of securing the grant funding you are targeting. Consider the competition for grants and the success rate of applicants. If the grant funding is highly competitive or uncertain, delaying the project solely for this purpose may not be a prudent decision.
- Funding Gap: Evaluate the financial implications of delaying the project. If delaying the project creates a significant funding gap that could jeopardise ongoing operations or hinder business growth, it may not be wise to rely solely on grant funding.
- Timeframe: Consider the potential time it may take to secure the grant funding. Grant applications often involve a lengthy process, including preparation, submission, review, and approval. Delays may occur due to the evaluation period or the availability of funds. Assess if the delay aligns with your SME’s overall timeline and objectives.
- Opportunity Cost: Analyse the opportunity cost of delaying the project. If delaying the project results in missed business opportunities, market share loss, or inability to meet customer demands, the potential benefits of grant funding may be outweighed.
- Alternative Financing Options: Explore alternative financing options, such as loans, investments, or self-funding, to bridge the funding gap if the project is time-sensitive and delaying it is not feasible.
It is important to approach the decision with a clear understanding of your SME’s specific circumstances, the grant landscape, and the potential consequences of delaying the project. A careful evaluation of these factors will help you make an informed decision that aligns with your business goals and financial situation. Consulting with financial advisors or experts familiar with grant funding can also provide valuable insights.
