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Ongoing Study of SMB Advertiser Spending and Behavior

Local Commerce Monitor (LCM) is BIA/Kelsey’s ongoing tracking survey of small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs). The survey has become a trusted information source on the advertising and marketing behaviors of SMBs. This research is the only ongoing study designed to help understand how SMBs are using media and adapting new technologies.

Since 1999, BIA/Kelsey has surveyed nearly 4,000 small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) through LCM surveys. The LCM survey tracks SMB ad and marketing spending, Web footprint, media performance assessments, and opinions about key topics like emerging media and sales channels.  LCM draws its sample of business respondents from a mix of nationally scoped MSAs, which include first- and second-tier markets.

To examine a higher-spending bracket of SMBs, an extension of the LCM survey is LCM: SMB Plus Spenders. This survey studies those spending a minimum of $25,000 annually on media advertising and promotion.

Recent LCM Study

The most recent survey is Local Commerce Monitor Study, Wave 15 from Q4 2011. Full details of the survey are released to clients of the firm's Advisory Services. Highlights from the survey include:

  • What the “conversion” curve now looks like (conversion from traditional media to digital/online media)
  • Our interpretation of the adjustments in media usage and spend in the last year
  • How the age of a business impacts its ad spending and Web presence
  • The prognosis for “new media” and platforms, focusing on social, video and mobile
  • The coming shift in channels used for purchasing media and performance analytics

The following offers publically available information from published forecasts.

DATE PUBLICLY RELEASED FINDINGS
February 28, 2012 Small Businesses Plan to Allocate One-Quarter (26%) of Ad Budgets to Digital Media Over Next 12 Months, According to BIA/Kelsey
November 22, 2011 Local Businesses Expected to Use Digital Tools to Lure Shoppers on Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday
November 1, 2011 U.K. Small Businesses Allocate Nearly One-Third of Marketing Budget to Online Media
August 30, 2011 Digital Advertising, Performance and Retention Solutions Will Be 70% of SMB Marketing Budgets by 2015
February 10, 2010 Nearly Two-Thirds of SMB Advertisers Express Willingness to Buy Online Vertical Advertising
August 20, 2009 Penetration of Online Media Surpasses Traditional Media for First Time Among Small-Business Advertisers, According to BIA’s The Kelsey Group

LCM: SMB Plus Spenders

An extension of BIA/Kelsey's Local Commerce Monitor, LCM: SMB Plus Spenders surveys a higher-spending bracket of SMBs - those spending a minimum of $25,000 annually on media advertising and promotion. This study is designed to help companies in the local, social and geo media space, who are seeking to better understand the behaviors and needs of higher-spending SMBs

DATE PUBLICLY RELEASED FINDINGS
August 24, 2010 Higher-Spending SMB Advertisers Use Diverse Media Mix, Employing More Than Six Different Media on Average

 
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Steve Marshall

Steve Marshall | Bio
Director of Research and Consulting

"SMB Plus Spenders are more performance-oriented in making their media purchase decisions and do a considerable amount of lead tracking. This group of SMBs, with its digital media savvy and use of more media categories, represents the sweet spot for many companies developing and delivering local advertising solutions." —Steve Marshall, on findings from LCM: SMB Plus Spenders Wave I

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