Ongoing Study of SMB Advertiser Spending and Behavior
Local Commerce Monitor (LCM) is BIA/Kelsey’s
ongoing tracking survey of small and
medium-sized businesses (SMBs). The survey has
become a trusted information source on the
advertising and marketing behaviors of SMBs. This
research is the only ongoing study designed to help understand how SMBs
are using media and adapting new technologies.
Since 1999, BIA/Kelsey has surveyed nearly 4,000 small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs)
through LCM
surveys. The LCM survey tracks SMB ad and marketing spending, Web footprint, media performance assessments, and opinions about key topics like emerging media and sales channels. LCM draws its
sample of
business
respondents from
a mix of
nationally
scoped MSAs,
which include
first- and
second-tier
markets.
To examine a higher-spending bracket of SMBs,
an extension of the
LCM survey is
LCM: SMB Plus Spenders.
This survey studies those spending a minimum of $25,000 annually on media advertising and promotion.
Recent LCM Study
The most recent survey is Local Commerce Monitor Study, Wave 16 from Q3 2012. Full details of the survey are released to clients of the firm's Advisory Services. Highlights from the survey include:
- Total spend on advertising and promotion is fairly stable, at about $3,000 annually. Spending intentions for the next 12 months are robust.
- The migration from traditional to digital/online media continues.
- SMBs continue to diversify the media they use for advertising and promotion, now using 5.8 different media on average (a large increase).
- Social media, propelled by Facebook, appears to be rapidly evolving into a core medium for SMB advertising and promotion.
- Mobile platforms, and the advertising/promotion formats that ride on them, have gained significant traction since Wave 15.
The following offers publically available information from published forecasts.
| DATE |
PUBLICLY RELEASED FINDINGS |
| November 2, 2012 |
Small-Business
Spending on Digital Presence Trending Up, with Emphasis on Websites,
Social, Mobile and Loyalty Programs |
| September 17, 2012 |
U.S.
Consumer Spending on Online Deals to Reach $3.6B in 2012 |
| February 28, 2012 |
Small
Businesses Plan to Allocate One-Quarter (26%) of Ad Budgets to
Digital Media Over Next 12 Months, According to BIA/Kelsey |
| November 22, 2011 |
Local
Businesses Expected to Use Digital Tools to Lure Shoppers on Black
Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday |
| November 1, 2011 |
U.K.
Small Businesses Allocate Nearly One-Third of Marketing Budget
to Online Media |
| August 30, 2011 |
Digital
Advertising, Performance and Retention Solutions Will Be 70% of
SMB Marketing Budgets by 2015 |
| February 10, 2010 |
Nearly Two-Thirds of SMB Advertisers Express Willingness to Buy Online Vertical Advertising |
| August 20, 2009 |
Penetration
of Online Media Surpasses Traditional Media for First Time Among Small-Business
Advertisers, According to BIA’s The Kelsey Group |
An extension of BIA/Kelsey's Local Commerce Monitor, LCM: SMB Plus Spenders surveys a higher-spending bracket of SMBs - those spending a minimum of $25,000 annually on media advertising and promotion. This study is designed to help companies in the local, social and geo media space, who are seeking to better understand the behaviors and needs of higher-spending SMBs
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