New research reveals the marketing frustrations blocking Suffolk business growth

A lack of time, strategic blind spots and ever-decreasing micro-budgets are three of the real-world marketing challenges faced by small and medium-sized businesses in Suffolk.

With 58% of SMEs spending less than £250 per month on marketing and 65% citing time as their biggest barrier to growth, a new industry report co-written by Capel St Mary based PR and copywriting agency Gatekeeper Communications is raising awareness of how under resourced marketing teams and business owners can rethink their strategies to help them achieve more.

The report, titled “The SME marketing playbook: Smart strategies for UK SMEs to thrive”, is a collaborative guide designed to help businesses make the most of their marketing budgets.

Produced by Gatekeeper Communications alongside a collaborative team of experienced marketing professionals, the report combines original data, expert commentary and ready-to-use advice. a foreword by Claire Ferreira, founder of Mums in Marketing and a respected mentor who has supported thousands of entrepreneurs and business leaders, it has been written to help SMEs overcome their biggest frustrations and barriers to growth.

The key findings from the report have been revealed.

• 65% of in-house marketing is done by business owners themselves
• 58% of UK SMEs spend less than £250 per month on marketing — just £3,000 annually
• 65% of businesses say time restrictions are their biggest marketing challenge
• 49% of SMEs lack a formal marketing strategy
• One in five SMEs admit they "have no idea what's working"
• Over a quarter of SMEs (27%) say changing social media algorithms prevents marketing progress

Report co-author Amy Dawson, owner of Gatekeeper Communications, says,

“Our research has clearly articulated the problems that many Suffolk businesses are facing. When I speak directly with local business owners, they often say that they aren’t sure if marketing actually works, or they find it a hassle because it’s a time and financial investment that they do not have. As a small business owner myself, I completely get it – and that’s why we wanted to create a practical handbook that taps into the exact frustrations and challenges that they face on a daily basis.”

She adds,

“The purpose of the report is to give readers actionable, easy-to-understand advice that local businesses can follow, whether they want to know how to set specific KPIs, how to make the most of paid advertising or how to deal with the ever-changing social media algorithms. It’s about giving local businesses the support they need so they can make informed decisions which will result in better business growth.”

The SME marketing playbook: Smart strategies for UK SMEs to thrive outlines several key themes, including

• The reality of micro-budgets and underinvestment
• Time pressures and skill shortages within in-house teams
• The rise of freelance marketing as a flexible alternative to traditional hires
• How firms can track ROI and build strategies rooted in business goals
• Why changing algorithms and technology are stalling SME marketing growth

The guide also includes industry-standard pricing for marketing services, helping demystify costs for SMEs navigating marketing spend for the first time.

Amy says,

“As collaborators, we are all small businesses ourselves. We genuinely understand the pressures that firms are facing in terms of time and budget because we face them too. We know the impact that great marketing can have. Because, when it’s taken seriously, it turns marketing from a ‘necessary cost’ into a strategic advantage.

“Suffolk is packed full of small businesses, and I consider myself incredibly lucky to work with many of them. I want to uplift other businesses like me so they can have the tools and the knowledge they need to thrive. If they can use the advice within this report to help grow their business and connect with new customers, then that would have a huge impact on the prosperity of the County.”

She concludes,

“The overall purpose of the report is to uplift local businesses so they know exactly what they need to do to improve their own marketing activity and know who they can turn to if they need to seek help. But most importantly of all, we wanted to answer the two questions that every business asks, which are “how much should I spend on my marketing?” and “how will I know if my marketing is working?”

With this report, we’re thrilled that we can finally give that answer.”

Download your free copy straight to your inbox

To receive a free copy of The SME marketing playbook: Smart strategies for UK SMEs to thrive straight to your inbox, please visit smemarketingreport.com

The report has been written in collaboration by

Amy Dawson (Gatekeeper Communications)

Liz Malone-Johnstone (Bureau 43),

Alex Stone (award-winning marketer and fractional CMO)

Annique Tate (Tate Digital Consulting),

Helen Feeley (Indie Marketing)

Janine Owen (JO&Co)

Kate Hammond (Sunbeam Marketing)

Rachel Williams (Google Ad specialist)

Rosie Denham (Project Communications)

Sarah Temprell (Keep it Simple Marketing Solutions)

Tania Prior (Prior Marketing & Co). 

Ends

Editors notes

48 businesses were questioned through an anonymous survey hosted on LinkedIn (data collected 07.03.2025 – 21.03.2025)