Shift from Media to Marketing Services to Frame Discussions at BIA/Kelsey SMB Conference, Sept. 29-30, in Denver

August 17, 2015
Anne Maguire
Press Releases

Program features top execs from 30-plus small-business-focused solution providers, including Constant Contact, GoDaddy, HomeAdvisor, Vistaprint and Microsoft

CHANTILLY, Va. (Aug. 17, 2015) – Small and medium-sized businesses will spend $51.5 billion on local media and marketing in 2015, according to BIA/Kelsey’s latest U.S. Local Media Forecast. The energy in the SMB space is moving away from the narrow notion of selling advertising products for lead generation to provisioning a much wider range of marketing services. These solutions, which are focused not just on acquiring customers, but also managing customer relationships and handling business operations, will take center stage during the upcoming BIA/Kelsey SMB conference, Sept. 29-30, in Denver.

“The SMB space is rapidly moving beyond advertising,” said BIA/Kelsey SMB Conference Chair Charles Laughlin, SVP, BIA/Kelsey. “We see evidence of this in the expanding product suites of publisher and local solutions providers. We see it in our Local Commerce Monitor data, which is tracking a gradual shift in SMB spend from media to platforms. The BIA/Kelsey SMB conference will illuminate these bigger picture trends impacting the business of helping small-businesses.”

The speaker lineup features more than 30 executives from some of the leading and most innovative small-business-focused companies. Headlining the event are D. Scott Bowen, VP & GM, Digital Services, Vistaprint; Darren Clark, CTO, YP; Joel Hughes, SVP, Emerging Businesses, Constant Contact; Kevin Jasper, CEO, hibu US; Raj Mukherjee, SVP, Product, GoDaddy; Kelly Thomas Nojaim, Director, Partner Sales for Bing Ads, Microsoft; Mike Osborne, President & COO, bieMEDIA; Randy Parker, Founder PagePart and Constant Contact; Craig Smith, CEO, President, HomeAdvisor US; and Chris Terrill, CEO, HomeAdvisor.com.

BIA/Kelsey SMB session highlights include:

Making Big Data Small Enough for SMBs
Programmatic for SMBs – Is It a Thing Yet?
Is There a Play for the Long Tail SMB?
Is Location the New Local?
SEO – What Really Works for SMBs?
Bringing Hollywood to Main Street – Evolutions in Video Advertising
How Marketing and Sales Will Converge to Drive Success in 2017
Inbound Sales – Bringing Customers to You
BIA/Kelsey Future Stars: Let’s See the Shiny New Startups (Learn more about the Future Stars program at https://www.bia.com/SMB/future-stars.asp.)

SMBiz Digital Jam @ BIA/Kelsey SMB

On the eve of the conference, Monday, Sept. 28, BIA/Kelsey is hosting a celebration of small businesses called the SMBiz Digital Jam. This pre-conference program includes a “crash course” to help small businesses learn how to choose the right digital tools for their business. Following the learning session, small-business attendees will have the chance to mingle with solution providers and get demos of the latest SMB solutions during the SMBiz Mixer & Welcome Reception, a high-energy networking event in the exhibit hall. Small businesses can learn more and register online for the SMBiz Digital Jam at http://bit.ly/SMBizDigitalJam.

Preview Webinar, Wednesday, Aug. 19

BIA/Kelsey will preview the conference and its latest small-business advertising research this Wednesday, Aug. 19, during a free webinar titled, “The Shift from Media to Marketing Services.” Webinar information and online registration is available at: http://bit.ly/BIAKelsey-Webinar-LCM19-Preview.

For more information about the BIA/Kelsey SMB conference, including the agenda, speakers, sponsors and online conference registration, visit https://www.bia.com/SMB.

About BIA/Kelsey

BIA/Kelsey advises companies in the local media space through consulting and valuation services, research and forecasts, Custom 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 https://www.bia.com, on the company’s Local Media Watch blog, Twitter (http://twitter.com/BIAKelsey) and Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/biakelsey). Stay connected by subscribing to the firm’s bi-monthly newsletter.