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. These businesses are larger than the average small business in BIA/Kelsey’s Local Commerce Monitor™ (LCM) survey, with an average of 38.8 employees compared to 20.2 for the average small business. Another huge difference is that 42% are franchisees, most with multiple locations. When it comes to what advertising channels they use, digital is increasingly taking away from other traditional channels.

The new wave of  LCM also shows how much they depend on a third party, such as an agency, to handle their marketing for them. 81.2% use an advertising agency and 82.0% have a third party manage their digital properties. When it comes to their online advertising, 64.3% prefer a “Do It With Me” (DIWM) or “Do It For Me” (DIFM) model.

TV/cable businesses value their sales rep or digital agency as well as managed services. So if you’re trying to sell services to them, it is important to make sure your sales team is well-versed in not only traditional channels but also digital offerings, especially social and video.

*Core SMBs have an annual spend of less than $25,000. Plus Spenders have an annual spend of at least $25,000.

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BIA/Kelsey’s LCM, Wave 21 reports can be purchased a la carte in the BIA/Kelsey eStore. Subscribers of BIA ADVantage can view the research from the online dashboard found here.