Year: 2016

  • Franchisees are Heavy Users of Targeted Advertising

    Franchisees are Heavy Users of Targeted Advertising

    Franchisees use an average of 20 different advertising channels to reach customers, according to Wave 20 of our Local Commerce Monitor™ survey of small businesses (Q3/2016). “It’s more important than ever to be where the customer is, whether in print, online or in-person,” according to a new research report from BIA/Kelsey — Franchisees Advertising and Marketing Research Report, which…

  • At BIA/Kelsey NEXT: Which is Better? Long or Short Form Content?

    At BIA/Kelsey NEXT: Which is Better? Long or Short Form Content?

    The question of “when it comes to content which is better, long form or short form?” came up during a case study panel at BIA/Kelsey’s NEXT conference. Our panel attendees, who are leaders from major local marketing companies, had a lot to say on the subject. Ashley Taylor Anderson, Director of Content, Ceros “What do you…

  • Free SEO Webinar: Join BIA/Kelsey & Moz Wednesday, Dec. 14

    Free SEO Webinar: Join BIA/Kelsey & Moz Wednesday, Dec. 14

    Following the release of our free white paper, Every Location Counts — SEO in Local Brand Engagement, BIA/Kelsey will host a one-hour webinar this Wednesday at 11 AM Pacific to discuss our findings with George Freitag, Local Search Evangelist at Moz, which sponsored the free distribution of the paper. Global brands, large corporations and companies…

  • New BIA/Kelsey Report: Using Data to Optimize Sales Organizations

    New BIA/Kelsey Report: Using Data to Optimize Sales Organizations

    Sales team composition is changing across all industries as information technology concentrates decision-making data in the hands of sales managers. Consequently, there are far more sales managers than at any time in history while the number of supporting roles, such as administrative assistants, auditors and accounting staff, are declining. The only other role projected to…

  • At BIA/Kelsey NEXT: Content is Not King, It’s the Emperor

    At BIA/Kelsey NEXT: Content is Not King, It’s the Emperor

    “Content is not King, it’s the Emperor” said Constant Contact’s Heather Jackson during a case study panel at BIA/Kelsey’s NEXT conference on Tuesday. According to Heather, the biggest hurdle small businesses have is trying to come up with content. Constant Contact  helps businesses identify their clients’ pain points so that they can provide relevant content.…

  • At BIA/Kelsey NEXT: Don’t Manage Employees… Coach

    At BIA/Kelsey NEXT: Don’t Manage Employees… Coach

    Millennials prefer to be coached, not managed… according to Kimberli Lewis of Global Business Therapy. We often focus on the challenges women face in the workforce as opposed to how women can use their strengths to be more effective and get recognized. A coaching style of management, with both individuals and teams, uses the strengths women…

  • At BIA/Kelsey NEXT: SMB Usage of Social Media Will Increase in 2017

    At BIA/Kelsey NEXT: SMB Usage of Social Media Will Increase in 2017

    80% of small and medium businesses will use at least one social media channel for advertising and promotion in 2017. That was one of the takeaways from the opening session of BIA/Kelsey’s NEXT conference in Boston when analysts from BIA/Kelsey gave their predictions for 2017 and the next few years. According to BIA/Kelsey’s Senior Research Analyst, Suzanne Ackley,…

  • BIA/Kelsey LIVE, Episode 11: Beacons and SMB Phone Leads

    BIA/Kelsey LIVE, Episode 11: Beacons and SMB Phone Leads

    Are beacons dead, as Euclid asserts? What does Amazon’s latest move mean for local? and what will pay-per-call add to Goodzer’s SMB marketing suite? These were a few topics on this week’s BIA/Kelsey LIVE, including guest, Goodzer’s Lori Faunce. Produced by Mitch Ratcliffe and featuring a rotating cast of analysts and guests, we’ll be live every Thursday at…

  • BIA/Kelsey LIVE, Episode 10: MapQuest Redux

    BIA/Kelsey LIVE, Episode 10: MapQuest Redux

    It’s been a while since we’ve caught up with MapQuest. The original online mapping and navigation tool is still going strong and is going deeper into local and enterprise utilities. That’s been advanced most recently with its acquisition of Social Radar and asset tracking API. Elise Neel, head of MapQuest for Business, sat down to…

  • What Do SMBs Want in 2017?

    What Do SMBs Want in 2017?

    In the spirit of the holidays and gift lists, BIA/Kelsey offers up our 2nd annual Holiday Wish List for SMBs. So what products and services are small and medium businesses most interested in adding to their marketing activities in 2017? In Wave 20 of our Local Commerce Monitor™ survey of small businesses (Q3/2016), we asked small businesses about their marketing…

  • U.S. Mobile Ad Revenues to Reach $72B by 2021: A White Paper Preview

    U.S. Mobile Ad Revenues to Reach $72B by 2021: A White Paper Preview

    BIA/Kelsey is in the process of producing a white paper that drills down on the mobile portion* of its U.S. Local Advertising Forecast. The report will be published in January 2017, and we are currently in post-production stages. To provide a sneak peek, below is its executive summary. Stay tuned for more and email mbolandATbiakelsey.com if…

  • SMB Data Point of the Week: 77.6% of Small Businesses Use Social Media for Marketing

    SMB Data Point of the Week: 77.6% of Small Businesses Use Social Media for Marketing

      For the third consecutive year, social media is the top marketing channel used by small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), according to BIA/Kelsey’s Local Commerce Monitor™, Wave 20 (LCM20). Among 1,000 SMBs surveyed, 77.6 percent (up from 73.2 last year) say they use social media to promote their businesses. “SMBs are sophisticated in their use…

  • Why Local Markets Are Best Positioned for Growth

    Why Local Markets Are Best Positioned for Growth

    “Industry consolidation has mitigated local market analysis and study,” BIA/Kelsey’s executive-in-residence Maribeth Papuga argued in yesterday’s webinar “New Localism: Why Local Markets Are Best Positioned for Growth.” Papuga, a 25-year media, marketing and advertising veteran, was most recently EVP of local media investment and activation at MediaVest. Papuga observed that, “technology and data automation provide false…

  • BIA/Kelsey LIVE, Episode 9: Snapchat’s IPO, Foursquare & xAd

    BIA/Kelsey LIVE, Episode 9: Snapchat’s IPO, Foursquare & xAd

    What do Snapchat’s IPO and partnership with Foursquare mean? What will xAd do with WeatherBug, and what role will chatbots play in local commerce? These were a few topics on this week’s BIA/Kelsey LIVE. Produced by Mitch Ratcliffe and featuring a rotating cast of analysts and guests, we’ll be live every Thursday at 10am PDT. Let us know…

  • What is Call Commerce and Why is it Important? (webcast replay)

    What is Call Commerce and Why is it Important? (webcast replay)

    Voice has been catapulted in the smartphone era. The telephone is 140-years old but has only been recently reinvented, as it’s bolted to an always-handy search and discovery device. This is the foundation of call commerce, the science of driving, tracking and optimizing voice calls as incoming business leads. And it influences $1 trillion in…

  • MapQuest & BIA/Kelsey Release “Everything In Its Place: Location, Logistics and the Future of Local Competition

    MapQuest & BIA/Kelsey Release “Everything In Its Place: Location, Logistics and the Future of Local Competition

    Tracking people and things, from products to assets necessary to customizing, delivering and supporting great local customer experience will become a critical competence for SMBs and the enterprise over the next five years. Without an underlying logistics system, supply-chain management and optimization will remain a largely manual experience. In a new sponsored research report, “Everything…

  • Small Business Saturday Is Not the Only Day Consumers Shop Local

    Small Business Saturday Is Not the Only Day Consumers Shop Local

    American Express is in its sixth year of supporting small businesses and the local economy with Small Business Saturday.  The National Federation of Independent Businesses and American Express released the fourth-annual Small Business Saturday Consumer Insights Survey. In it they found that supporting local small businesses continues to be top of mind for 77% shoppers nationwide.…

  • BIA/Kelsey Bytes: ‘Big Voice’ is the Next Big Data

    BIA/Kelsey Bytes: ‘Big Voice’ is the Next Big Data

    BIA/Kelsey Bytes are excerpts from research reports. This is the latest installment from the recently launched report, Call Commerce: A $1 Trillion Economic Engine. It picks up where last week’s post left off. The report can be downloaded for free here, and we’re holding a live webcast next Wednesday to unpack the report’s findings. ‘Big Voice’ Speaking of…

  • SMB Data Point of the Week: SMBs That Use Co-Op Funds Only Spend 25% on Digital

    SMB Data Point of the Week: SMBs That Use Co-Op Funds Only Spend 25% on Digital

    According to data from Wave 20 (Q3/2016) of BIA/Kelsey’s Local Commerce Monitor™ annual survey of small and medium businesses (SMBs), about 15% of the 1,000 SMBs surveyed reported using funds from a co-op program, down slightly from 18% in Wave 19 (Q3/2015). 25% of SMBs using co-op funds say that they get at least half of their ad budget…

  • Five Burning Questions for Call Intelligence (webcast)

    Five Burning Questions for Call Intelligence (webcast)

    Voice has been catapulted in the smartphone era. The telephone is 140-years old but has only been recently reinvented, as it’s bolted to an always-handy search and discovery device. This is the foundation of call commerce, the science of driving, tracking and optimizing voice calls as incoming business leads. And it influences $1 trillion in…