All small businesses want for Christmas is a way to better connect to their customers, according to new research from BIA/Kelsey’s Local Commerce Monitor™ (LCM) survey of Small Businesses (SMBs). The LCM, Wave 21 survey reveals what marketing services and tools small businesses…
Higher spending small businesses*, which we call Plus Spenders, use 17 ad channels - more than most small businesses and their marketing mix is evolving. According to the new wave of BIA/Kelsey’s Local Commerce Monitor™ (LCM) their mix now includes more social and…
Small business that advertise on TV/cable are unique in some ways from other small businesses. This year especially, they are more optimistic about the future and plan on spending more on advertising in 2018. Other unique qualities include their size.…
Half of higher spending small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) plan to maintain their current ad spend in 2018, according to the new wave of BIA/Kelsey’s Local Commerce Monitor™ (LCM). Another 45% plan to increase their spend, while 4% plan to decrease spend.…
BIA/Kelsey's Local Commerce Monitor provides analytics and insights to help B2B media sellers and marketers segment the dynamic Small and Medium Business (SMB) market by highlighting differences in how these businesses operate when it comes to utilizing traditional and digital advertising and…
Mobile usage by consumers has a direct impact on small businesses' decisions to use mobile advertising channels -- specifically location based advertising. With nearly 90% of US consumers having a phone, small businesses are increasing their use of mobile advertising over other media…
In this latest in BIA/Kelsey Vantage Points article, GotU, a Los Angeles-based advertising technology solutions provider, offers tactical strategies for local businesses trying to find advertising success and stand out among the big companies in digital advertising. In addition to…
According to BIA/Kelsey's newly released report "Insights into Local Advertising — Automotive Vertical" businesses in the automotive vertical account for 10% of the total local advertising money that will be spent in the U.S. in 2017, which puts automotive third behind retail and…
BIA/Kelsey's newest report "Insights into Local Advertising -- Automotive Vertical" examines local media spending trends and consumer media usage habits in the automotive category. "Technology and consumers shifting shopping behaviors have had a large impact on the auto industry, even for repair…
Advertisers in BIA/Kelsey’s Local Commerce Monitor™ annual survey of small and medium businesses that use directories (including Internet and Print Yellow Pages) spent more on advertising overall than those advertisers who don't use directories. The average annual ad spend for Core* directory…
Social media for the second year has topped as the most popular digital channel used by small businesses. 78% of small businesses say they use at least one social media channel according to BIA/Kelsey’s Local Commerce Monitor™, Wave 20 (Q3/2016). SMBs' use…
Yesterday I wrote about how small businesses that use co-op advertising funds are heavy users of traditional media, particularly community sponsorships and direct mail. When we look at what digital advertising channels co-op users are adopting - video is key. According to results…
According to BIA/Kelsey’s Local Commerce Monitor™ survey of small and medium businesses (SMBs), 14.8% of the 1,000 SMBs in the survey report using co-op advertising funds. Of these, 21.1% are franchisees or licensees of larger national companies — most owning between one and…
For small businesses managing their local digital content including vital listings data like NAP (name, address and phone) can make or break their businesses. It's one of the most important search ranking factors on Google. Most businesses are challenged with variations…
New small businesses need to advertise to grow their businesses but, as shown in results from our Local Commerce Monitor™ survey of small businesses (Q3/2016), they spend far less than established (defined as growing or maintaining size and share) small businesses. When asked…
A couple of weeks ago I discussed why some small businesses prefer to DIY their digital advertising and why others prefer paid assistance, such as Agencies -- based on information from our Local Commerce Monitor™ survey of small businesses (Q3/2016). As you can see in the…
Microsoft recently announced three new tools they are rolling out to Office 365 Premium small business subscribers and to everyone by end of the year. Currently Microsoft offers 365 small biz subscribers a booking tool and customer management tools that keep…
Yesterday we discussed why some small businesses prefer to DIY. Today we dive into why other small businesses prefer paid assistance, such as working with an agency or paying for someone to manage their digital presence or social media marketing.…
Small businesses in our Local Commerce Monitor™ survey of small businesses (Q3/2016) were split in their digital advertising implementation preferences. Of the small businesses in the full sample of the survey, 48.2% preferred a “Do It Myself” (DIY) model for digital advertising,…
Small businesses in our Local Commerce Monitor™ survey of small businesses (Q3/2016) were split in their digital advertising implementation preferences. Of the small businesses in the full sample of the survey, 48.2% preferred a "Do It Myself" (DIY) model for digital…