In these times of uncertainty businesses need to ensure they are well placed to respond and adapt to changes in the global economic market. As the last two years has demonstrated, the market is incredibly unpredictable and businesses must be well-equipped and dynamic in order to meet these challenges.

The recession has presented major challenges for UK business but at the same time it has provided new opportunities. Those small firms in particular who have continued to innovate during this time may find that they emerge stronger and more competitive than before the downturn.

To support the case for business innovation, and in recognition that financial constraints may be a barrier to innovation for some businesses, the Technology Strategy Board announced earlier this year an increase in funding for SME's participating in KTPs. The move means that SMEs will receive a cash payment that will reduce their financial contributions from 33% to 25%.

For more than 30 years KTP has helped businesses survive three economic recessions by helping them develop new capabilities and respond more quickly to market changes.

KTP operates as three-way partnership between a company, which has a specific and strategic project, a Knowledge Base (academic or research institution) that has skills relevant to the project and a high calibre Associate (recently qualified person) who works in the company on the project, whilst being supported by the Knowledge Base. Projects are part-funded by the Government and since April 2009 SMEs have been eligible for additional funding to help them take part.

One company to benefit from KTP is Brighton-based digital marketing agency, SiteVisibility, now the 17th largest search engine marketing agency in the UK.
small firms that have continued to innovate during this time will emerge stronger and more competitive than before the downturn

The company was motivated to undertake a KTP with the University of Brighton to investigate new ways to improve its business processes and internal communications. Specifically, SiteVisibility wanted to focus on developing new ways for staff to share their digital knowledge and expertise. They also wanted to improve their evaluation methods to better demonstrate more accurate return-on-investment (ROI) to clients.

As well as creating more scalable business processes, akin to those found in much larger organisations, the company also wanted to achieve ISO9001 to enhance credibility and better position SiteVisibility to work with larger companies.

In August 2008, Jason Woodford, SiteVisibility Sales & Marketing Director, met with KTP Advisers to discuss how KTP could help the company address these ongoing business issues. After a series of project meetings, the company decided to embark on a KTP and employed Shirin Maurer, a graduate in Business Management, as the KTP Associate who would be responsible for the implementation of the project.

A key aspect of Shirin's work was to extract improvements throughout the team by setting up new processes whereby staff could more easily share their digital marketing knowledge. This included the creation of an internal Wiki page which allowed staff to post innovative techniques and processes that all staff could share.

In addition, Shirin set up regular round table discussions for staff to share their search engine optimization (SEO) techniques and skills, a key service offering for the business. This led to the creation of a multitude of new ideas and recommendations that SiteVisibility could provide to its existing customers and offer to future prospects. A skills matrix was also created as result of ongoing staff liaison, which allowed senior staff to identify skills gaps that could then be plugged within the team and from recruitment.

The impact of these internal changes led to a vast improvement in both the base level and the sharing of advanced SEO knowledge throughout the company. This in turn significantly improved the consistency and quality of work which is critical for its UK and international business prospects. Importantly, the KTP has allowed the company to develop a more robust and auditable set of key performance indicators, which, for clients and investors is a crucial deciding factor when looking to invest in digital marketing.

Jason Woodford, SiteVisibility Sales & Marketing Director, said: "Since we started the KTP our business processes and overall team knowledge has vastly improved. We are now much better organized and the results of our work are more predictable which has improved our confidence and pro-activity when developing commercial proposals for our customers. It is no coincidence that we have also been enjoying significantly improved profitability, reduced business stress and increased customer satisfaction during 2009.

"Through KTP we have increased our capability and capacity to deliver in these areas without having to undertake a time consuming and expensive recruitment process. Our business has been streamlined and our knowledge has been vastly increased. In addition, our plans for ISO9001 accreditation during 2010 will make us more appealing to customers, not just in the UK but across the globe. The whole process has vastly improved our credibility and we are very pleased with the impact it is having on our business as a whole."

The KTP is now in its final year and the company is already reaping the rewards in terms of knowledge, expertise and customer relationships. It has also addressed the culture change necessary within the company to help spark innovation and dynamism on a daily basis.

KTP can help other fast-growing businesses across a wide range of sectors stand out as trendsetters through harnessing innovation and the commercial benefits it can bring.

For more information please visit www.ktponline.org.uk