As we enter what we're calling phase II of local the on-demand economy (LODE), the environment will be defined by vertical expansion, M&A activity, and a fair share of flameouts. We're already seeing the latter, with companies like HomeJoy and GoodEggs.…
Any company that sells to small businesses knows that demographics can be a stronger indicator of preference than vertical category. We recently met with the leadership team at Home Advisor to ask about the trends they are adapting to in the SMB…
Following vertical drill downs into the buying habits of pizzarias and pharmacies, the team at Buzzboard recently took a look at optometrists. The biggest takeaway: Chain optometrists have a healthy digital presence while independent stores fall behind. This goes especially…
We lose track of the incremental changes in our culture that digital has wrought. But shopping has really changed. The core components of shopping -- Search and discovery, promotions, prices, inventory, instore browsing, checkout, pickup and delivery, store locations and…
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…
HotelTonight is one of the marquee names of the local on-demand economy (LODE), which lets you book a hotel in three taps. We discussed the company's business model and success factors with VP of product Amanda Richardson at BIA/Kelsey NOW (video below). One of…
In our ongoing coverage of call monetization, one benefit is the ability to influence large considered purchases. As we've mentioned, the need to talk to a human isn't going away even in a digital era. That's especially true for big…
BIA/Kelsey has released its 2015 Insights into Local Advertising report for the Financial Vertical. The report provides BIA/Kelsey’s estimates of marketing and advertising spend in each of the major segments of the Financial Services industry.
One important takeaway is that financial services are undergoing rapid transformation due to automation, innovation in financial technology and changing consumer preferences that favor smaller more service-oriented banks.
Competition in the home services leads space has been heating up -- and so are the tensions. Just this week, Angie's List has filed suit against Amazon, contending that Amazon Home Services has been egregiously signing up for the member's-only service…
How big is the market housekeeping startups such as HomeJoy, Handy and Thumbtack? Is the business big enough to justify Amazon Home Services' leap into the market? We'll answer that question the last week before BIA/Kelsey NOW, coming up on…
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…
Automotive will drive $15.13 billion in local advertising in 2015. That's according to BIA/Kelsey's 2015 Insights into Local Advertising report released today. The Automotive industry, which has returned to strong growth on improved economic conditions, low fuel prices and the…
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…
The local on-demand economy (LODE) was the largest recipient of VC funding in 2014. And you can't throw a stone in the tech blogosphere these days without hitting scores of daily posts about milestones or new funding rounds for LODE…
Brand advertisers find that striking a balance between traditional and digital media advertising is key to their success at the local level.
During a panel at BIA/Kelsey NATIONAL in Dallas today, brand marketers from across different business categories described on how they manage their localized marketing and advertising activities. The conversation focused on the unique challenges that emerge when blending efforts to gain new customers with promoting brand awareness. In Short: customer acquisition is a common theme for service-oriented businesses, brand awareness is a secondary concern.
Driving more customers to local businesses is the most important goal, said Dave Moody, Director of Field Marketing at Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning. Online marketing is only as useful as the actual revenue it drives back to local service branches, he said. “A click doesn’t mean much to me. The end goal for us is to get into a customer’s home, and we’ve worked on our SEO and search marketing efforts to drive more calls and requests for appointments.”
Service Experts has shifted their online strategy from search marketing (SEM) spending to direct-response offerings.
“We’re not paying for a lot of ads, we’re more invested in a pay-per-call advertising, including yellow pages and direct mail,” Moody said. That sentiment was echoed by Keith Dailey, Director of Internet Marketing for UniGroup, the parent company of United Van Lines. He added that in addition to creating a channel for driving more leads to local locations, an objective that guides marketing strategy for UniGroup is ensuring that location listings are consistently maintained and always accurate.
Local media organizations facing incredible competition have to understand the media spending trends and behaviors of advertisers within key vertical industries. One particular area is the health care vertical. BIA/Kelsey estimates that for 2015 the total advertising spending in local…
Yelp is acquiring Eat24, the online delivery and pickup service that competes with GrubHub, Delivery.com and other national and regional players for order-taking, food search and discovery. The service is being acquired for the equivalent of $134 million ($75 million…
A sea change in home repair habits is occurring, as consumer segments begin to shift from Do It Yourself to Do it For Me models where people are seeking professionals to do everything from changing light bulbs to building decks.…
Home improvement services is a wild new frontier that has just scratched the tip of its potential, according to segment leaders at BIA/Kelsey's Leading in Local: Interactive Local Media event at San Francisco Airport. "ServiceMagic/Home Advisor is (only) a couple…
