We've always had "marketing" as a unique silo for SMBs. Now, a number of companies are looking at a bigger, more integrated picture that includes marketing and operations. It is Quikbook meet Amex meet Groupon. The idea is once you…
Despite the well documented declines in newspaper circulation, advertising on newspaper was $22.5 billion in 2012, representing 17.1% of total advertising spend in the U.S. and second only to direct mail, according to BIA/Kelsey's Media Ad View Plus. In a…
Our Leading in Local: SMB Digital Marketing event in Austin Sept. 11-13 keeps building and building. We’re expecting hundreds of real and honorary Texans, and overall, an inspiring event that should help define the next wave of SMB growth. In…
Groupon has been pushing hard to upgrade its merchant base from one-time partners to permanent clients with monthly sales goals. The latest initiative? A “Partner Network” for publishers willing to highlight Groupon deals in return for a piece of the…
In 2012, newspaper continued to lead the way in real estate advertising spending at $563 million (27.7%), followed closely by online advertising at $487 million (23.9%), according to Media Ad View Plus, BIA/Kelsey’s local market ad forecast report. 2012 Real…
Mobile local advertising's promise -- besides hyper-targeted ad placement -- has always been clearer ROI (enter John Wanamaker quote). This has taken form in "beyond-the-click" activity like call tracking and mapping/navigation. Location based data provider Placed has just taken this…
On this week's episode of BIA/Kelsey's new analyst round table series, we tackle the M&A activity that seems to be picking up all over the local media space. This is everything from Apple's recent mapping acquisitions to Yelp's moves in…
At our March Leading in Local conference, one session that everyone went home talking about was the keynote presentation from David S. Kidder. Serial Entrepreneur, angel investor and author of The Startup Playbook, he gave a stirring address on the…
Television dominated the Government/Political/Religion ("GPR") vertical in 2012, according to BIA/Kelsey's Media Ad View Plus. In 2012, television's $3.1 billion of advertising from GPR represented nearly 3/4 of total advertising for this vertical. 2012 Government/Political/Religion Ad Spending by Media The…
In 2012, television dominated both the Automotive advertising and Government/Political/Religion ("GPR") verticals, according to BIA/Kelsey's Media Ad View Plus. More on the GPR vertical later. Television's $4.6 billion share of automotive advertising represented 28.4% of total automotive advertising in 2012.…
Continuing our charge down the multimedia path, the latest initiative is video round table sessions among BIA/Kelsey analysts. The idea is to capture a topical discussion and unpack the market events that have the most impact on our local media…
Deluxe Corp. took a significant step in developing its interactive marketing services for SMBs capability with its recent $27 million acquisition of Vertical Response, an email and social media marketing provider. Deluxe's origins are in providing business checking services. The…
As mentioned earlier this week, we're doubling down on video. And there's no richer source of tidbits and sound bites than a BIA/Kelsey conference. The latest is from our recent Leading in Local conference in Boston: a fireside chat with…
As part of our overall effort to analyze the fast moving local media space, we're experimenting with new formats like infographics and video. One of those projects is an executive interview series to highlight recent areas of coverage and top…
According to BIA/Kelsey’s Media Ad View Plus more than 43 percent, or $10.7 billion, of retail advertising dollars went to direct mail in 2012. That $10.7 billion represents 30 percent of direct mail’s total ad spending. Furthermore, BIA/Kelsey doesn't expect…
Much of the social media conversations we have at BIA/Kelsey deal with progress in the monetization of social, building social media solutions for small-business advertisers, or how social is being infused throughout local media. We are beginning yet another conversation…
Members of Generation Y, defined as those born since the early 1980s, have earned a very specific workplace reputation. Some characteristics associated with Gen Y include a need for ongoing recognition and positive reinforcement (the result no doubt of coddling…
The Leading in Local: SMB Digital Marketing event in Austin Sept. 11-13 is now mostly completed -- and it is looking really, really good. Many of the industry’s top executives have committed to participating, including leaders from top new media…
Can coupons be reimagined to spur more consumer engagement? That’s what DataSphere is working on. The Seattle-based company sells and hosts marketing solutions to more than 20,000 SMBs under local TV and newspaper brands owned by Gannett, Belo, Raycom, Meredith…
One of the more common debates in SMB digital marketing revolves around the DIY vs. DIFM dilemma. Is it realistic for a service provider to hand over its tech platform to a small merchant, or is high-level "done for you"…
