Selling National Accounts for Local Targeting

Travis Arthur, VP of Partner and Strategic Accounts, ReachLocal
Rick Hanna, CEO, Mspark
Corey O’Donnell, VP Marketing, Brand Networks, Yodle

Yodle’s O’Donnell said, “The big challenge for network businesses is to get rock stars to act like choir boys.” O’Donnell was referring to the challenge of getting individual dealer or franchise locations to cooperate with national marketing efforts.

Reach Local’s Arthur positions the company as a variation on SaaS. It’s Software with a service, he says, with a heavy emphasis on the service part: “A platform is table stakes. Consistency is a key point of difference.”

Mspark’s Hanna: “Some players have brands strictly controlled at corporate. Others give more leeway to franchisees.”

Arthur: “ReachLocal is launching in-app mobile advertising for our customers. I think there is a play for the services space to serve up coupons, etc.”

Hanna: “When you are calling on your customers, don’t be surprised they are not anywhere near where they should be.”

O’Donnell: “The term mobile is a misnomer. The print to digital shift is a large formula. It’s like a meal, you need an entree, appetizer and drinks. Mobile is just part of part of that formula… “I also have a distaste for the word ‘national.’ There is a 100:1 ration between searches for small discreet hearing aid v searches for miracle ear. Most spend happens locally.”

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Court Cunningham has as good a handle as anyone on what makes small-business advertisers tick. As CEO of Yodle, Cunningham’s daily challenge is figuring out how to optimally sell digital marketing solution to SMBs. It’s a vexing problem that has challenged some of the best minds in local search.

In his wide ranging keynote presentation last week at BIA/Kelsey’s Leading in Local: Interactive Local Media conference in San Francisco, Cunningham shared his observations and what does and doesn’t work when going to market in the SMB space.

On Marketing Automation: Most SMBs do not have the budget for the big solutions (e.g., Marketo). Marketing automation comes in to solve that problem. Increasingly, success is being measured by revenue. Marketing automation will eventually be integrated into payments.

On DIY v. DIWM v. DIFM: SMBs need help. Among “Plus Spenders” (SMB advertisers in BIA/Kelsey’s Local Commerce Monitor survey spending more than $25,000 annually), 70 percent say they want assistance. “People will pay with their time or with their money,” Cunningham said. “The low end of market pays with its time.” Most of the dollars are in the “Plus” area, and those businesses are willing to pay for DIFM and DIWM solutions.

On CRM for SMBs: Marketing to existing customers is the most efficient way to sell. To do it, you need more data than just an email address. High impact CRM requires integration into vertically focused systems (e.g., automotive, etc.). The divide between acquisition and retention marketing is quickly blurring. Many activities now involve both.

The post At ILM 2014: Yodle's Court Cunningham Dissects the SMB Opportunity appeared first on BIA/Kelsey - Local Media Watch.

Court Cunningham has as good a handle as anyone on what makes small-business advertisers tick. As CEO of Yodle, Cunningham’s daily challenge is figuring out how to optimally sell digital marketing solution to SMBs. It’s a vexing problem that has challenged some of the best minds in local search.

In his wide ranging keynote presentation last week at BIA/Kelsey’s Leading in Local: Interactive Local Media conference in San Francisco, Cunningham shared his observations and what does and doesn’t work when going to market in the SMB space.

On Marketing Automation: Most SMBs do not have the budget for the big solutions (e.g., Marketo). Marketing automation comes in to solve that problem. Increasingly, success is being measured by revenue. Marketing automation will eventually be integrated into payments.

On DIY v. DIWM v. DIFM: SMBs need help. Among “Plus Spenders” (SMB advertisers in BIA/Kelsey’s Local Commerce Monitor survey spending more than $25,000 annually), 70 percent say they want assistance. “People will pay with their time or with their money,” Cunningham said. “The low end of market pays with its time.” Most of the dollars are in the “Plus” area, and those businesses are willing to pay for DIFM and DIWM solutions.

On CRM for SMBs: Marketing to existing customers is the most efficient way to sell. To do it, you need more data than just an email address. High impact CRM requires integration into vertically focused systems (e.g., automotive, etc.). The divide between acquisition and retention marketing is quickly blurring. Many activities now involve both.

The post At ILM 2014: Yodle’s Court Cunningham Dissects the SMB Opportunity appeared first on BIA/Kelsey - Local Media Watch.

The end of the year usually means a few things to us: the holidays; our annual predictions; and Leading in Local: Interactive Local Media, the industry’s flagship event.

This year’s event is especially hot — a 2 1/2 day extravaganza taking place Dec. 3-5 in San Francisco. More than 50 speakers have been recruited by the analyst team, and we’ve added some great extra-curricular activities, including a Tech Expo with top companies showing off their wares “Before The Bell” on Day 1; a Women’s Leading in Local networking event on day 2; and an International Roundtable.

Here’s our newest news: BIA/Kelsey Analyst Emeritus Matt Booth (currently CEO, Connectivity) is coming back to moderate one of two Executive Sessions with Google leaders. We’ll kick off with Managing Director of Global Channel Sales Todd Rowe, than go deep in conversations with Head of premier SMB partnerships Christine Merritt; Adwords Express Product Manager Francisco Uribe; Google My Business Senior Product Manager James Croom; and Global Business Leader for Google Shopping Max Frause.

We also have feature presentations set by YP CMO Allison Checchi; Deseret Digital Media CEO Clark Gilbert and President Chris Lee; Yodle CEO Court Cunningham; Pinterest Head of Partnerships Joel Meek; and Salesforce VP Randy Wootton.

We are also set with a great discussion between me and Business Book of the Year Winner Brad Stone, author of The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon. And then there are the feature presentations by First Data SVP Krish Mantripragada; InfoGroup CDO Matt Graves; and Go Daddy SVP Raj Mukherjee. And we’ve also got a great, seven company Superforum dedicated to local’s most important issue: “Make the Phone Ring.”

There’s so much more. Check out the Full agenda. Register here.

The post Leading in Local Update: 50 Speakers Are Set (Dec. 3-5, SFO) appeared first on BIA/Kelsey - Local Media Watch.

Looking at Facebook pages specifically, acquiring customers is the main objective for SMBs. Unfortunately, according to BIA/Kelsey’s Consumer Commerce Monitor?, only 21.8 percent of consumers use a company’s Facebook page regularly for local shopping. Not only that, but according to an infographic by Lab42, 46 percent of consumers who like a brand on Facebook have no intention of buying from them.

While a plurality of SMBs still view Facebook as a lead generator, they seem to be inching in the direction of using social more as an engagement platform. In last year’s LCM, 42.7 percent of SMBs said the primary purpose of their Facebook page was to acquire customers as opposed to this year’s 38.1 percent.

Despite not necessarily intending to buy, consumers clearly do want to engage with SMBs on social media. According to the Consumer Commerce Monitor, the average consumer has become a “fan” of, “liked”, “followed”, etc. a local business four times in the last six months.

Given that consumers are looking to engage, SMBs should shift their focus from acquiring customers to building community and awareness. Several companies are experts in assisting SMBs to achieve this, including Main Street Hub, Yodle, and Hootsuite.

The post A Shift in Focus is Necessary for SMB's Social Media Sites appeared first on BIA/Kelsey - Local Media Watch.

Looking at Facebook pages specifically, acquiring customers is the main objective for SMBs. Unfortunately, according to BIA/Kelsey’s Consumer Commerce Monitor™, only 21.8 percent of consumers use a company’s Facebook page regularly for local shopping. Not only that, but according to an infographic by Lab42, 46 percent of consumers who like a brand on Facebook have no intention of buying from them.

While a plurality of SMBs still view Facebook as a lead generator, they seem to be inching in the direction of using social more as an engagement platform. In last year’s LCM, 42.7 percent of SMBs said the primary purpose of their Facebook page was to acquire customers as opposed to this year’s 38.1 percent.

Despite not necessarily intending to buy, consumers clearly do want to engage with SMBs on social media. According to the Consumer Commerce Monitor, the average consumer has become a “fan” of, “liked”, “followed”, etc. a local business four times in the last six months.

Given that consumers are looking to engage, SMBs should shift their focus from acquiring customers to building community and awareness. Several companies are experts in assisting SMBs to achieve this, including Main Street Hub, Yodle, and Hootsuite.

The post A Shift in Focus is Necessary for SMB’s Social Media Sites appeared first on BIA/Kelsey - Local Media Watch.

Yodle — part of the class of 2005-2007 SEM-focused Independent Sales Organizations that took on traditional local sales organizations — filed this week for an IPO that could raise $75 Million.

The filing provides insights into Yodle�s evolution, and the evolution of the local online sales space overall, which has moved towards cloud-based automation. As Yodle notes, it not only provides its customers with an online presence, but mobile and social presences as well.

�Businesses need a comprehensive digital presence that includes a professional quality website that is easily discoverable and optimized for mobile devices, exposure on leading online directories and ratings and reviews sites, and tools to communicate with customers via email, text messages and social media notes Yodle in the filing.

The company’s customer base currently consists of 44,800 local businesses, making it one of the largest sales groups. These customers helped it achieve revenues of $161.9 million in 2013, with the average customer of its flagship product paying under $300 a month � or less than half what they’d have to spend if they purchased similar functionality a la carte, says the company.

Many of Yodle’s customers belong to one of several vertical categories. For instance, the company reports that it has account relationships with 6,400 dentists (out of 166,500); 4,500 plumbing, heating and air conditioning contractors(out of 226,500); 3,400 lawyers (out of 165,000 ) and 1,200 landscapers (out of 459,600).

Yodle has also focused increasingly on servings “brand networks” — national franchisors, manufacturers and multi-location businesses that are targeting locally. As the space evolves, the competitive picture has evolved as well. Yodle’s filing notes that rivals for local business marketing budgets now include a wide range of players, including traditional Yellow Pages, direct mail campaign providers and advertising and listings services on local newspapers, magazines, television and radio.

Other competitors include online search engines, online business directories, providers of digital presence offerings (i.e. GoDaddy, Main Street Hub, Web.com); providers of digital marketing solutions, such as SEM companies; and productivity and office management tools, such as Constant Contact, Demandforce, MailChimp and Solutionreach.

The post A Look at Yodle's $75 Million IPO Filing appeared first on BIA/Kelsey - Local Media Watch.

Yodle — part of the class of 2005-2007 SEM-focused Independent Sales Organizations that took on traditional local sales organizations — filed this week for an IPO that could raise $75 Million.

The filing provides insights into Yodle�s evolution, and the evolution of the local online sales space overall, which has moved towards cloud-based automation. As Yodle notes, it not only provides its customers with an online presence, but mobile and social presences as well.

�Businesses need a comprehensive digital presence that includes a professional quality website that is easily discoverable and optimized for mobile devices, exposure on leading online directories and ratings and reviews sites, and tools to communicate with customers via email, text messages and social media notes Yodle in the filing.

The company’s customer base currently consists of 44,800 local businesses, making it one of the largest sales groups. These customers helped it achieve revenues of $161.9 million in 2013, with the average customer of its flagship product paying under $300 a month � or less than half what they’d have to spend if they purchased similar functionality a la carte, says the company.

Many of Yodle’s customers belong to one of several vertical categories. For instance, the company reports that it has account relationships with 6,400 dentists (out of 166,500); 4,500 plumbing, heating and air conditioning contractors(out of 226,500); 3,400 lawyers (out of 165,000 ) and 1,200 landscapers (out of 459,600).

Yodle has also focused increasingly on servings “brand networks” — national franchisors, manufacturers and multi-location businesses that are targeting locally. As the space evolves, the competitive picture has evolved as well. Yodle’s filing notes that rivals for local business marketing budgets now include a wide range of players, including traditional Yellow Pages, direct mail campaign providers and advertising and listings services on local newspapers, magazines, television and radio.

Other competitors include online search engines, online business directories, providers of digital presence offerings (i.e. GoDaddy, Main Street Hub, Web.com); providers of digital marketing solutions, such as SEM companies; and productivity and office management tools, such as Constant Contact, Demandforce, MailChimp and Solutionreach.

The post A Look at Yodle’s $75 Million IPO Filing appeared first on BIA/Kelsey - Local Media Watch.

BIA/Kelsey, forecasting $52.9 Billion in national local spending by 2017, has unveiled its new Leading in Local: The National Impact conference, which will take place in Atlanta May 7-9.

The 2.5 Day event is expected to be the largest gathering of national brands and local marketing players that has ever taken place. Brands, franchises, multi-location stores and others will be the focus.

We’re ready with national local’s top leaders, including Weather Company Global Revenue Officer Curt Hecht; Gannett/G/O Digital SVP Mark Marinacci; Foursquare VP of Sales Rob Wilks; Living Social SVP Mitch Spolan; AutoTrader Founder Chip Perry; YP EVP & GM of Digital Markets David Lebow; ReachLocal SVP John Gould; Yodle VP Corey O’Donnell; MediaVest EVP Maribeth Papuga; and many other leading innovators.

A number of speakers will be accompanied by top brands they are working with. The list already includes marketing leaders at brands such as Scion, Two Men and a Truck, Genghis Grill, and PostNet. BIA/Kelsey is also holding The GOLOCAL Awards for brands, which will include an on stage presentation.

This isn’t your typical “local” event. It’s all new, it’s all important. And it’s all here. Register.

The post 'National Brands, Local Marketing': BIA/Kelsey's Spring Event is May 7-9 in Atlanta appeared first on BIA/Kelsey - Local Media Watch.

BIA/Kelsey, forecasting $52.9 Billion in national local spending by 2017, has unveiled its new Leading in Local: The National Impact conference, which will take place in Atlanta May 7-9.

The 2.5 Day event is expected to be the largest gathering of national brands and local marketing players that has ever taken place. Brands, franchises, multi-location stores and others will be the focus.

We’re ready with national local’s top leaders, including Weather Company Global Revenue Officer Curt Hecht; Gannett/G/O Digital SVP Mark Marinacci; Foursquare VP of Sales Rob Wilks; Living Social SVP Mitch Spolan; AutoTrader Founder Chip Perry; YP EVP & GM of Digital Markets David Lebow; ReachLocal SVP John Gould; Yodle VP Corey O’Donnell; MediaVest EVP Maribeth Papuga; and many other leading innovators.

A number of speakers will be accompanied by top brands they are working with. The list already includes marketing leaders at brands such as Scion, Two Men and a Truck, Genghis Grill, and PostNet. BIA/Kelsey is also holding The GOLOCAL Awards for brands, which will include an on stage presentation.

This isn’t your typical “local” event. It’s all new, it’s all important. And it’s all here. Register.

The post ‘National Brands, Local Marketing': BIA/Kelsey’s Spring Event is May 7-9 in Atlanta appeared first on BIA/Kelsey - Local Media Watch.