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, more than double the amount that preferred a paid model with an agency, such as “Do It With Me” (DIFM) or “Do It For Me” (DIFM), at 22.5%.

But why do they prefer to DIY? As you can see in the chart above, their top reasons for choosing a DIY model were fairly straight-forward:

• Money — SMBs that preferred DIY generally had much lower advertising budgets than those that preferred paid assistance.
• Time — DIYers typically have smaller staffs. They like that they can work on their online advertising at a time that is convenient to them.
• Cheaper — SMBs believe DIY models cost less than DIWM/DIFM models. That cost savings appeals to DIYers.
• Flexible — DIYers believe DIY models offer them more flexibility than paid models.
• Private — These SMBs liked that DIY models allowed them to keep their business details private.

Join us here tomorrow for a discussion about why 22.5% of the survey respondents prefer paid assistance.

For more details on what small businesses buy through agencies or direct, how much they spend and other advertising habits check out our latest Small Business Research Reports in the BIA/Kelsey shop.

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BIA/Kelsey’s LCM, Wave 20 reports can be purchased a la carte in the BIA/Kelsey eStore. Our LCM reports look at where particular SMBs (broken out by size, vertical, etc.) spend the most, as well as the top channels for marketing and advertising. Additionally, our reports provide analysis on the best product and service offers for highly coveted groups of SMBs.