In our Local Commerce Monitor™ (LCM) survey of small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) the use of social media by SMBs overall is strongly driven by Facebook. Seven out of ten SMBs in our full sample* report using at least one…
Wrapping up National Small Business Week, the Local Search Association (LSA) published a great infographic that compiles research on the state of small business marketing. LSA's infographic reports 71 percent of SMBs manage their digital marketing internally and they use 7.8 marketing channels.…
Social Media is the top marketing channel for SMBs once again, according to Wave 19 of Local Commerce Monitor (LCM), our survey of small and medium businesses. 73.2% of SMBs in the full sample reported that they use social media…
Franchises use an average of 12 types of media for advertising and promotion, according to our annual survey of SMBs, also known as the Local Commerce Monitor (LCM)™, Wave 19. As with other SMBs in the survey, a Facebook page was franchisees' most…
One very simple way for small businesses to compete with the big players in their markets is with the help of marketing automation such as email and social media monitoring. Marketing automation helps small businesses appear and behave like a brand or…
The internet is flooded with how-to's and "hacks" -- quick, cheap ways to get things done. For new small businesses with limited resources, it's essential to quickly get customers through the purchase funnel to survive. CenturyLink's recent infographic, "How to Launch a…
MarketingSherpa recently released an infographic that shows a majority of consumers prefer to receive updates from brands and retailers with only 8% said they "prefer not to receive any company updates or promotion." Generally consumers want to receive updates and promotions in a way…
So what products and services are small and medium businesses most interested in adding to their marketing activities for 2016? In our current Local Commerce Monitor survey of SMBs (Q3/2015), we asked SMBs about their future marketing and advertising plans in the coming year.…
Last week at BIA/Kelsey SMB, we introduced a new construct that will define BIA/Kelsey coverage in the coming weeks, months and years: The Local Commerce Universe (LCU). Because we were so caught up in the conference and its action-packed program,…
In Wave 19 (2015) of Local Commerce Monitor (LCM), our survey of small and medium businesses, when asked about the importance of websites with customer opinions, 50% of SMBs surveyed rated Facebook as “very” or “extremely” important -making it the…
In Wave 19 (2015) of Local Commerce Monitor (LCM), our survey of small and medium businesses, 73.2% of SMBs in the full sample reported that they use social media to promote their businesses. "SMBs are becoming more sophisticated in how…
According to BIA/Kelsey's Local Commerce Monitor (LCM) Wave 18, the average annual spend on advertising and promotion for SMBs in the financial services vertical* was $31,012. This is the second highest of the verticals covered in the survey. Financial Services SMBs…
The trend of print directory ad dollars shifting to digital continues, according to findings from BIA/Kelsey's Local Commerce Monitor (LCM 18) upcoming look at SMBs who use directories for advertising and promotion. In LCM Wave 18, "net decreasers" -- those planning…
In the six years that BIA/Kelsey has tracked social media as an advertising/marketing medium for SMBs, it's developed from an experiment (blogs, email, and reviews) to a tsunami. Last year, social media achieved a "double first" -- It was the top media used…
SMBs that use video* for advertising and promotion (Video SMBs) have more aggressive plans for media spending over the next 12 months than those that do not use video, according to Local Commerce Monitor, Wave 18, BIA/Kelsey's survey of small…
Financial Services SMBs* use a mix of social, digital and traditional channels for advertising and promotion, according to Wave 18 of BIA/Kelsey's Local Commerce Monitor survey of small and medium-sized businesses. The most popular media used by Financial Services SMBs were a Facebook…
BIA/Kelsey's Local Commerce Monitor (Wave 18) shows just how popular customer loyalty programs are to SMBs. Currently, 29 percent offer them, with the number skewing higher (43 percent) for retail businesses. But despite the introduction of several loyalty platforms and…
Retail SMBs are more poised than their counterparts in other verticals to adopt sophisticated digital advertising and marketing. This is clearly shown by BIA/Kelsey's Local Commerce Monitor (Wave 18) survey of small businesses. Retail SMBs are already highly oriented to…
SMBs in the entertainment vertical love video advertising. We're talking movie theaters, event venues, catering, on-demand performers*, etc.. As is conducive to their craft, they're big fans of online video, particularly website and YouTube videos. They're also big on cable…
Professional Services SMBs* use social and digital channels the most for advertising. Professional Services SMBs most popular social media channel is LinkedIn, according to Wave 18 of our Local Commerce Monitor? survey of small and medium-sized businesses. They are the…
