SME Services

For the small to medium enterprise (SME) Quocom tends to provide a more comprehensive service from planning right through to implementation. This is because smaller companies tend not to have many marketing functions already in place.

The awkward middle

Companies that want to grow typically face a dilemma over marketing investment. On the one hand, it seems like a lot of money and effort for uncertain benefits. On the other, there is no getting away from the fact that nearly all large companies invest in marketing, so you can't expect to grow larger without it.


It is a real problem, because there is a polarisation in role and management of marketing between large and small companies. Breaking out of the personal, sales-based, approaches of a small company and moving towards the point of enjoying the economies of scale enjoyed by large companies is difficult.

Marketing issues of small company versus large company

Companies have to traverse 'the awkward middle' and many don't make it. A common problem occurs when small companies who have experienced some growth then burden themselves with an in-house sales and marketing bureaucracy more suited to a company many times their size. Or, conversely, a small company with a great product loses the opportunity to grow by not fully utilising marketing. Quocom can help with all these issues with practical strategies that make best use of both internal and external resources.

Developing a cost effective filter

A good approach to giving a small company better marketing is by developing a filter process. This increases the reach to potential customers, at minimum cost, and progressively qualifies them until it becomes cost justified to provide them with a full sales service.

5-stage filter from create awareness to close sale

Focus on a business priority

In developing a strategy, such as the above filter process, it is best to focus it on a specific business priority. Mostly, these split into either sales growth or margin growth.


The business priority should determine the balance of investment in the different elements of marketing. These elements can be broadly broken down into three areas:

Brand management
- competing for sales in the market
Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
- maximising customer value
Market intelligence
- understanding the market and customers

Market intelligence is the key element whatever the business priority. A better understanding allows a business to better test alternative strategies and counteract competitive moves - although it is often a 'Cinderella' area for smaller companies as they often don't how to benefit from it.

Brand management should be the focus if the business priority is sales growth, and CRM the priority for margin growth.

Business priority: sales or margin means mkt. priority brand or CRM

Although the relationship between business priorities and marketing elements are fairly commonsense, they are actually backed up by academic studies [link to example].

Brand communication strategy

Quocom pulls together all the above issues within its brand development process.


The strategy process takes all the understanding of customers, the market and learning from past activities and works through to a fully costed and accountable programme.

Customer Profiles, Brand Taxonomy, Creative Platform, Contact Strategy & Budget Optimisation

Case studies

A successful high-street restaurant chain wanted to reposition their brand for a broader, longer-term, appeal. Quocom worked with the company to develop the framework of what would become an award-winning brand concept. We also undertook the launch programme which encompassed social media, radio, outdoor advertising and PR. Hear radio ad.

Quocom developed the sales strategy for an outbound call centre selling mobile phone contracts. It's USP was a real-time optimisation tool which ensured customers got the best deal available in UK across all providers. See example

An audit of a direct retailer's marketing activity revealed some mailings that were probably a waste of money. A statistically valid test was conducted that proved these mailings were not even paying for themselves. The money saved in the first year paid for the test and all the other tasks untaken by Quocom.

A common sales technique for consultancies is to quickly feedback a clear overall understanding of the client's issues, and then how their services can help address those issues. Quocom developed a tool that enabled a marketing consultancy to graphically present key information about communication spend and results in a simple and engaging way to their clients and prospects.

Digital technologies now make it possible for nearly any office-based work to be done from home at greatly reduces costs. Quocom implemented and tested the technology for a home-based call centre and also managed the development of its brand.

Quocom managed a test to evaluate the effect of a social media programme as part of a new product launch. The aim was to stimulate a cascade of conversations that would stimulate visits to the ecommerce site. WOM was found to deliver higher sales, and payback its costs, in comparison to a control group. Understanding how the conversations cascaded was found through telephone research and the effectiveness measured from actual purchases.

 

 

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