Reaseheath College - Marketing Support for Cheshire and Warrington SME Growth Project

Background Reaseheath College is a major provider of further and higher education in the farming, growing, food and drink sectors, and supports farmers and related business owners in this key economic sector.

This project, which is part-funded by the ERDF, includes working with other delivery partners in Cheshire & Warrington to support new, small businesses to grow and thrive.

The provision may include master-classes, workshops, seminars, and one-to-one sessions with SMEs, but the College would welcome innovative suggestions to include the latest technologies and delivery channels.

Benefits The project is contractually obliged to achieve a minimum number of companies assisted; however the College requires that the project has maximum impact within the sector - adding many new jobs and adding value and expertise to the Cheshire & Warrington SME community.

Target audience Access to the project’s services is fully-funded, but small firms will need to meet certain terms and conditions to be eligible.

These include 1) being under 3½ years old or in a start-up phase 2) being based within the Cheshire & Warrington LEP (Council) boundaries; and 3) having fewer than 250 staff.

Please note that farming and growing as such are not eligible for support; nor is retail activity such as internet sales or farm shops.

However business-to-business (wholesale) selling, for example a new food processed by and SME to meet the needs of catering companies near Leeds, would be eligible.

Collaboration We are looking to work here with a collaborative, responsive and creative enterprise, where there are learning and growth dialogues at all stages.

Success Critical to the success of this project is the generation of an appropriate number of high-quality eligible business leads and potential outputs in a manner which enhances the reputation of the College and supports future long-term relationships.

Deliverables As part of the VFM evaluation, please describe and cost as standalone exercises how you would 1) run a short campaign to generate business leads including 700x A5 unstamped postcards; 2) design and dress an outdoor exhibition stand; and 3) prepare a project executive member and a beneficiary for a vblog interview.

Budget The budget over two years for this element of the project is £21,500 including applicable VAT.

Please note that this will be segmented, with no guarantee of all or any particular work.

Decisions on marketing tactics and campaigns will be made throughout the life of the project on a call-off basis.