Small-Medium-Sized enterprises (SMEs) make an important contribution to economic growth, employment and competitiveness of many regions. In the UK for example in 2023 there were 5.6 million SMEs (0 to 249 employees), accounting for 99.9% of the business population (5.6 million businesses). Indeed, in broader terms, SMEs make up three-fifths of the employment and around half of turnover in the UK private sector.

It is important therefore to understand how SME management can be improved and this study will focus on marketing which is considered critical to SMEs’ survival and growth, while aiding the firm’s (and ultimately the region’s) competitiveness.

Specifically, as marketing in firms continues to be significantly affected by developments in digital technology this represents one of the biggest challenges for SMEs, but research suggests that they do not generally deploy digital technology as effectively as they can. Set in this context, this study aims to examine the topic of digital marketing in SMEs to determine how they ‘do’ digital marketing, the challenges they face, the potential opportunities which could be afforded by improving their competencies and capabilities in this area and ultimately how they can become more competitive and achieve sustainable competitive advantage. At a more macro level the study will also examine how this can then assist the competitiveness of the region more widely and how it can contribute to both economic and social development.