The SME Marketing Report 2025
Explore SME marketing hurdles in 2025 and transform your business strategies effectively.
Insightful, Reliable, Essential, Transformative
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Understanding SME Marketing Challenges 2025
However, smaller businesses are often left struggling to understand how they can navigate the growing complexities of business ownership and growth opportunities available to them. While this report cannot help businesses understand how to cope with the growing complexities of other departments, we can help businesses identify and overcome their key marketing challenges.
Too often, marketing is seen as a “hassle”. It may be something that they’ve tried before but haven’t felt it was the best use of funds, or it could be that they’ve struggled to identify what specific skills they need their employees to have to make the most of their strategy.
With more than 5.6 million private sector businesses in the UK, the impact of small and medium businesses on the economy is undeniable.
Written by a collaborative team of marketing experts, this report identifies the common challenges faced by small and medium-sized businesses in the UK. It will give practical solutions and for how you can overcome those challenges.
Industry benchmarks suggest that small businesses should allocate 5-10% of their annual revenue to marketing.
Source: (Aedus, 2024)
B2B marketing teams make up about 5% of the total headcount with only 3 of the top 10 B2B marketing titles being specialised roles.
ClearBit, 2023
In 2023, advice on marketing was more likely to be sought by micro (10%) than by small and medium-sized businesses (7% and 6%)
Source: 2023 Longitudinal Small Business Survey
Our survey says: 58% of businesses are spending less than £250 per month on marketing initiatives – a mere £3,000 per year.
Our survey says: 65% of marketing activities undertaken by in-house teams are being managed by the business owners themselves.
Our survey says: 46% of respondents stating they “do not have a formal marketing strategy that they use”, and a further 6% saying they were “unsure” if they had one or not.
Ready to upgrade your marketing?
Understanding SME Marketing Challenges 2025
However, smaller businesses are often left struggling to understand how they can navigate the growing complexities of business ownership and growth opportunities available to them. While this report cannot help businesses understand how to cope with the growing complexities of other departments, we can help businesses identify and overcome their key marketing challenges.
Too often, marketing is seen as a “hassle”. It may be something that they’ve tried before but haven’t felt it was the best use of funds, or it could be that they’ve struggled to identify what specific skills they need their employees to have to make the most of their strategy.
With more than 5.6 million private sector businesses in the UK, the impact of small and medium businesses on the economy is undeniable.
Written by a collaborative team of marketing experts, this report identifies the common challenges faced by small and medium-sized businesses in the UK. It will give practical solutions and for how you can overcome those challenges.
Industry benchmarks suggest that small businesses should allocate 5-10% of their annual revenue to marketing.
Aedus, 2024
B2B marketing teams make up about 5% of the total headcount with only 3 of the top 10 B2B marketing titles being specialised roles.
ClearBit, 2023
In 2023, advice on marketing was more likely to be sought by micro (10%) than by small and medium-sized businesses.
2023 Longitudinal Small Business Survey
Our survey says: 58% of businesses are spending less than £250 per month on marketing initiatives – a mere £3,000 per year.
Our survey says: 65% of marketing activities undertaken by in-house teams are being managed by the business owners themselves.
Our survey says: 46% of respondents stating they “do not have a formal marketing strategy that they use”, and a further 6% saying they were “unsure” if they had one or not.
Ready to upgrade your marketing?
Report Authors
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Amy Dawson
Gatekeeper Communications
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Helen Feeley
Alex Stone
Annique Tate
Gatekeeper Communications
Gatekeeper Communications
Gatekeeper Communications
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Janine Owen
Gatekeeper Communications
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Kate Hammond
Gatekeeper Communications
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Liz Malone-Johnstone
Gatekeeper Communications
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Rachel Williams
Gatekeeper Communications
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Rosie Denham
Gatekeeper Communications
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Sarah Temprell
Gatekeeper Communications
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Tanie Prior
Gatekeeper Communications
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Ready to upgrade your marketing?
Ready to upgrade your marketing?
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