AI Issue 6 2017

42 Acquisition International - June 2017 KC Communications are a marketing communications based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire. They work with a range of businesses across a variety of sectors including professional services, manufacturing, hospitality, education, not for profit and many more. Included in our 2017 Business Elite, we interviewed founder Katrina Cliffe to discover more about the firm’s successful work in the field. hile most of KC Communications clients do not have an in-house marketing resource, they also work with a wide range of larger organisations who appoint them to look after specific areas of marketing such as PR. Katrina Cliffe begins by revealing the firm’s range of clients and what makes the firm stand out in the marvellous work they do. “Most our client base are SME’s, some of them are start-ups, while some are established business. With a common goal for growth, they rely upon us to not only develop their marketing strategies but to implement them too. We therefore undertake a wide variety of tasks including PR, social media, event management, graphic design, web development and much more. “What sets us apart from our competitors is that desire to understand our client’s businesses from the inside out. Many of the KC Communications team have worked in client side environments so understand the challenges they face. We regularly go above and beyond to ensure our clients receive the best possible outcome from their projects.” On being included in the 2017 Business Elite awards, Katrina was initially shocked but goes on to explain how pleased she was to receive this accolade that recognised the firm’s efforts. “To be honest it was quite a shock and I did query it a few times. However, after putting so much effort into ensuring the business was successful, especially one which originally set out to be a sole trader, it is great to see that our hard work and passion for both our industry and supporting other businesses is being recognised. “Personally, being recognised for this award means a lot. I started the business after a lengthy career in marketing and with no contacts in the local area. I have worked extremely hard to make the business the success that it is - and while that alone is a great reward - it is great to have that hard work noticed by others. For the business, it will only seek to raise our credentials and profile further and that can’t be a bad thing.” Company: KC Communications Name: Katrina Cliffe Email: [email protected] Web: www.kccomms.co.uk Address: Independence House Holly Bank Road Huddersfield, HD3 3LX UK Knowing the Client Inside Out W 1706AI41 KC Communications specialise in the full marketing mix, but with a focus on marketing, PR and social media. Katrina is keen to tell us more about the firm’s work in this vein, including their fantastic reputation in Yorkshire “We have a good reputation both in Huddersfield and across Yorkshire and in less than three years we now work with a wide variety of clients across a range of sectors. Most of our work comes through referrals within our existing client base, which means we don’t have to work too hard at chasing new business. We’re often sought out to support local business events through sharing our knowledge and expertise, especially for those looking to start their own businesses. “Over the past year, we have been shortlisted for several industry awards including two with the Chartered Institute of Marketing and with a northern industry publication, Prolific North.” Following on from this, Katrina offers her reflections on how fluctuating markets due to several factors including Brexit, are impacting a business such as KC Communications. “To be honest, we saw our strongest month after the EU referendum and this hasn’t cooled off. British businesses are resilient and those who want to succeed will do so. The one’s that will not only get through Brexit, but will thrive in the process are the ones who don’t stop investing in their business for fear of the unknown. “Often marketing budgets are the first to get hit in times of uncertainty and we are very lucky to have clients who appreciate the importance of marketing on the success of their business. We know that to stay ahead of our competition we need to ensure we employ staff of the highest standard, continue to develop them and invest in our own marketing strategy. We’re seeing a return on investment from that already and I have no doubt that this will continue.” Finally, Katrina offers her concluding thoughts on the industry opportunities and challenges in store, plus the firm’s own ambitions as they move into an exciting future.