Regional publisher Newsquest has continued its move into digital marketing services with the launch of a new B2B brand aimed at small businesses.

The new LOCALiQ brand will provide a full range of marketing and advertising solutions including print and digital advertising campaigns, seo services and website build.

The digital marketing platform will utilise the audience reach of Newsquest’s 165 local news brands to provide bespoke marketing campaigns for clients and manage them from start to finish across a range of different media and platforms.

It will also provide a website build service for small businesses.

Chief executive Henry Faure Walker said:  “SMEs in the UK spend circa £7 billion on digital marketing in the UK, but it can be a complex landscape and they increasingly want good advice and data to help them get the best response from the many solutions available.

“The acquisition of Reach Local enabled us to introduce a best in class marketing tech platform into our local markets.  Combining this with the expertise of our local consultants is providing an extremely compelling offer and our digital marketing business is now growing at pace.

“We believe we are very well placed to become a major player in this space, complementing and underpinning our strong local publishing business.”

The web builder service is also being promoted in a number of number of Newsquest titles across the country.

In a piece on the Bournemouth Echo’s website, the newspaper’s advertising director Tracy Hayden, who also holds the same role with the Dorset Echo, said: “Nine out of 10 adults use the internet in the UK and most of them will have purchased something or contacted a company in the last 12 months.

“By not having a website or one that is fit for purpose, you are missing out on a share of the market.

“We know that 30 per cent of consumers won’t consider a business who does not have a website and 39 per cent of people will stop engaging with a website if the images don’t load or take too long to load.

“As a trusted media brand that has been in business over 100 years, we have the expertise and tools to support local business in marketing their products and brands online.”