BIA/Kelsey Study Shows Small-Business Spending on Digital Presence
Trending Up, with Emphasis on Websites, Social, Mobile and Loyalty
Programs
New findings from the ‘Local Commerce Monitor’ study
will be presented during a free webinar next week and at the firm’s
Interactive Local Media West conference in December
CHANTILLY, Va. (Nov. 2, 2012) – In the latest wave of the Local
Commerce Monitor (LCM: Core - Wave 16, Q3 2012), BIA/Kelsey's
ongoing tracking survey of small and medium-sized
businesses conducted with research partner
Ipsos, SMBs reported spending, on average,
$1,190 during the previous 12 months on websites and other Web properties,
such as social networks and mobile optimized sites, up from $876 in
Wave 15 (conducted in Q4 2011).
“While total annual spending on advertising and promotion remained
flat at around $3,000 for the previous 12 months, SMBs are allocating
more of their marketing dollars to digital presence assets,” said
Steve Marshall, director of research, BIA/Kelsey. “From Web presence
and mobile websites to social media, small businesses are building
deeper and broader engagement with customers across a range of digital
presence platforms.”
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Social media, propelled by Facebook, appears to be rapidly evolving
into a core medium for SMB advertising and promotion. Among LCM: Core
- Wave 16 respondents, 63 percent report they now use social media.
In addition, mobile platforms, and the advertising/promotion formats
that ride on them, have gained significant traction since LCM: Core
- Wave 15, in which only 8.7 percent of respondents reported having
a mobile website. In Wave 16, 14.7 percent report having a mobile website,
with another 22 percent saying they intend to add one within the next
12 months.
More than half (55.3 percent) of the SMBs surveyed report they use
(34 percent) or plan to use (21.3 percent) customer loyalty programs,
defined as “offering discounts or special promotions to frequent
customers.”
Local Commerce Monitor Wave 16 was conducted in August 2012 via an
online survey of 600 SMBs, consisting of two samples of 300 – LCM:
Core (no minimum annual advertising and promotion spend) and LCM: Plus
Spenders (minimum annual spend of $25,000). The findings highlighted
in this press release are from the LCM: Core sample.
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Upcoming Presentations of LCM Data
In a free
webinar on Nov. 8, BIA/Kelsey analysts will preview the
LCM data that will be presented at the firm’s Interactive
Local Media West conference, taking place Dec. 4-6, in Los Angeles. This
year’s conference theme is “Leading in Local,” and
will feature BIA/Kelsey’s latest local research and analysis,
including spotlights on sales force transformation, mobile, deals,
big data and local loyalty platforms. Conference details and registration
are available at http://www.biakelsey.com/ilmwest2012. Webinar information
and free registration are available at http://bit.ly/TkMBje.
About Local Commerce Monitor
Local Commerce Monitor (LCM) is BIA/Kelsey’s
ongoing tracking survey of small and medium-sized
businesses conducted online with research partner
Ipsos. The survey measures where SMBs are spending
their advertising and promotional budgets and
how their media usage and spending habits are
evolving. For this study, SMB is defined as a
business having from 1 to 99 employees. Local
Commerce Monitor draws its sample of business
respondents from a mix of nationally scoped MSAs,
which include first- and second-tier markets.
Local Commerce Monitor Wave 16 was conducted
in August 2012 via an online survey of 600 SMBs,
consisting of two samples of 300 – LCM:
Core (no minimum annual spend) and LCM: Plus
Spenders (minimum annual spend of $25,000).
About BIA/Kelsey
BIA/Kelsey advises companies in the local media space through consulting and
valuation services, research, Continuous Advisory Services and conferences.
Since 1983, BIA/Kelsey has been a resource to the media, mobile advertising,
telecommunications, Yellow Pages and electronic directory markets, as well
as to government agencies, law firms and investment companies looking to understand
trends and revenue drivers. BIA/Kelsey’s annual conferences draw executives
from across industries seeking expert guidance on how companies are finding
innovative ways to grow. Additional information is available at http://www.biakelsey.com,
on the company’s Local
Media Watch blog, Twitter (http://twitter.com/BIAKelsey)
and Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/biakelsey).
For more information contact: Eileen Pacheco
For BIA/Kelsey
(508) 888-7478 eileen@tango-group.com
BIA/Kelsey publicly available information (including, but not limited to, press releases, blog posts, company Web site content, presentations, and excerpts from advisories and reports) may be cited, provided BIA/Kelsey is properly identified as the source (Source: BIA/Kelsey). If you are uncertain about a particular use, please contact us for approval. Provide the full citation and context for your request via e-mail to Eileen Pacheco at eileen@tango-group.com
Company Information
BIA Advisory Services (BAS) is doing business as (d/b/a) BIA/Kelsey. BAS is owned by BIA Financial Network. For more information on this parent company and for a list of affiliated companies, please click now.
