Local advertisers from the small local cleaners to franchisees all have a similar challenge – getting their message in front of customers on many screens and places.

On average, a local business uses at least 9 different ad channels. That means working with multiple companies and salespeople. If traditional media sellers can help advertisers build cross-platform campaigns in a manner that saves time and money, they can significantly increase their ad revenue opportunities.

According to our Survey of Advertising and Marketing (SAM)™, while some businesses are purchasing their digital ads through the traditional channels like (TV, newspaper, cable, radio, direct mail, yellow pages) they trust, it is still a small amount. That means a lot of money is being left on the table. Social media ads are the main channel that businesses purchase through traditional channels. After social media, the top digital ads vary by seller.

What other digital ad products should traditional sellers offer? Our SAM survey indicates email marketing is the most popular digital channel. For social media, it is targeted social ads. Six out of ten advertisers are using targeted social ads. Since targeting capabilities are central to businesses’ spend on advertising, make sure your targeted offers are not just geographic based but behavioral. Sellers could benefit by illustrating how their ads can catch the right customers at certain points in the buying process.

Bottom line, traditional media sellers should not overlook the benefits of digital to complement and extend spend. However, don’t offer a digital product just because an advertiser asks for it or because your competitor offers it. Make sure the product is something you can execute very well.

For more tips and other digital ad products that traditional media players should sell to local advertisers, check out our newly released Selling to Small and Large Businesses report.

The SAM™ survey data as well as our local forecast data is available through BIA’s local advertising dashboard, BIA ADVantage and is offered in a searchable, downloadable format. Insights and analytical reports from the survey are also provided. Additional information about BIA’s SAM study can be found here.