The wall between national and local marketing is falling with tech-empowered consumers able to find their information wherever they want it, noted YP‘s EVP & GM of Digital Markets David Lebow during a keynote at Leading in Local: The National Impact in Atlanta. “Traditional media companies are the only ones keeping up that wall.”

YP is very much a company in transition, like Gannett, Hearst and others, noted Lebow, a longtime media and online leader with recent stints at AOL and Internet Broadcasting. Like the others, YP’s real and clichéd task is “to grow the growing side of the business in excess of the declining side of the business. It never changes.”

“The question is: how can we be the Google of local search?” asks Lebow. “In order to do that, we need to innovate at the pace of the market.”

There is no question that YP should be pursuing local search. “We don’t want to be in directory. One is a $2.7 billion segment growing at 3 percent, while the other is a $29.8 billion segment growing at 7 percent,” said Lebow. But it is critical to attack the market in a broad way. YP shouldn’t be a content play within a vertical, like a Zillow or a WebMD, he said.

A core focus of the local search effort needs to be in SMB presence management. “Businesses really need to be found,” Lebow said. And that’s where the convergence of national local comes in. “The SMB says it needs leads and loyalty. National says it needs measurement, analytics and reporting. The needs of national and local businesses” are coming into one.”

The post At Leading in Local: The National Impact: YP’s David Lebow: No More ‘National Local Wall’ appeared first on BIA/Kelsey - Local Media Watch.

The wall between national and local marketing is falling with tech-empowered consumers able to find their information wherever they want it, noted YP‘s EVP & GM of Digital Markets David Lebow during a keynote at Leading in Local: The National Impact in Atlanta. “Traditional media companies are the only ones keeping up that wall.”

YP is very much a company in transition, like Gannett, Hearst and others, noted Lebow, a longtime media and online leader with recent stints at AOL and Internet Broadcasting. Like the others, YP’s real and clichéd task is “to grow the growing side of the business in excess of the declining side of the business. It never changes.”

“The question is: how can we be the Google of local search?” asks Lebow. “In order to do that, we need to innovate at the pace of the market.”

There is no question that YP should be pursuing local search. “We don’t want to be in directory. One is a $2.7 billion segment growing at 3 percent, while the other is a $29.8 billion segment growing at 7 percent,” said Lebow. But it is critical to attack the market in a broad way. YP shouldn’t be a content play within a vertical, like a Zillow or a WebMD, he said.

A core focus of the local search effort needs to be in SMB presence management. “Businesses really need to be found,” Lebow said. And that’s where the convergence of national local comes in. “The SMB says it needs leads and loyalty. National says it needs measurement, analytics and reporting. The needs of national and local businesses” are coming into one.”

The post At Leading in Local: The National Impact: YP's David Lebow: No More 'National Local Wall' appeared first on BIA/Kelsey - Local Media Watch.

As Social Local Media — BIA/Kelsey’s newest advisory service — marches toward its Feb. 23 launch and Feb. 24 free webinar, we’re using social media channels to present data to our audience and learn more about your challenges, successes and needs in social strategy.

Now, we thought we’d change it up by breaking out the social local media ecosystem into some key segments and offering some tidbits on the penetration and struggles of each. Hence, “industry flash … by the numbers.”

Broadcast: Radio & TV

– Generally, local radio stations lag well behind TV in their use of social media. Only 27 percent operate a Twitter account, and startlingly, just 1 percent have their own Facebook page (source: RTNDA).

– Local TV has shown a greater propensity to adopt social tools, but the results are uneven. While 77 percent are incorporating Twitter into their newsrooms, only 20 percent are active on Facebook (source: RTNDA).

So, the question for both is: Where are radio and TV stations missing key opportunities to use social media to connect with their audiences, market their brands and enrich their content? What are next steps that each can take?

Internet Yellow Pages (IYPs) vs. Online Local Search

A “quick and dirty” content analysis of major domestic directory publishers (AT&T, Dex, Yellowbook, Superpages) uncovered some eyebrow-raising stats and practices:

– On Facebook, IYPs averaged 5,045 fans, or “likes.” Of the more than 20,000 “likes” discovered, more than 56 percent came from SuperPages (11,400+, which has elevated its fan total by more than 9,000 since November. By comparison, Yelp has more than 31,000 “likes” by itself. Of course, sites such as LivingSocial (3+ million active users) elevate “social buzz” to an entirely different level.

– On Twitter, IYPs aren’t nearly as “in the game.” Among the four brands sampled, the average follower count is about 1,500. Again, Superpages dominates, accounting for 71 percent (3,160 of nearly 4,500). Yelp’s Twitter count: 40,000 on the main site, with many of its 100+ city accounts attracting thousands, too. Citysearch also employs this local approach with similar results. Superpages is the only IYP trying this.

What opportunities in social are publishers missing? How can they get more active?

Let us know on our Twitter feed (@BIAKelsey), our Facebook page, or in our LinkedIn Group…or post a comment directly to the blog. You can also E-mail us (webinarsATbia.com). We’ll address your recommendations and questions on the free SLM webinar– Thursday, Feb. 24, at 1 p.m. ET.

The post Social Local Media: Industry Flash … Social ‘by the Numbers’ appeared first on BIA/Kelsey - Local Media Watch.