BIA/Kelsey Analysis Shows Digital Word-of-Mouth Is Driving E-Mail,
Reputation and Presence Management (ERPM) Platforms for SMB Advertisers
BIA/Kelsey forecasts revenues from ERPM platforms to reach $3.1 billion
in 2013
CHANTILLY, Va. (Oct. 5, 2009) - The rapid growth of digital word-of-mouth
through online reviews and social media presents
a challenge for small and medium-sized business
owners, who are often unaware of the online
conversations taking place among consumers. BIA/Kelsey predicts this
will change as SMBs adopt more sophisticated marketing practices that
require advanced communications platforms for e-mail, reputation and
presence management (ERPM). The firm forecasts revenues for ERPM to
grow from $460 million in 2008 to $3.1 billion in 2013. The number
of SMBs using ERPM will increase from approximately 500,000 to nearly
4 million during the forecast period. BIA/Kelsey plans to offer comprehensive
coverage of this topic over the next few months during two upcoming
webinars and its Interactive
Local Media 2009 (ILM:09) conference in
December.
“SMBs will soon have a window into digital word-of-mouth,” said
Matt Booth, senior vice president and program director, Interactive
Local Media, BIA/Kelsey. “There are too many disparate conversations
going on through social networks, user reviews, message boards and
online affinity groups for a small business to find let alone track
manually. We’ve been watching ERPM closely over the past couple
of years and believe the segment is poised to break through with solutions
that enable SMBs to effectively manage their online reputations. The
market has developed in such a way that ERPM is basically a white space
that capital and technology will rush to fill.”
E-Mail, Reputation and Presence Management Defined
The e-mail segment of ERPM comprises subscription-based
software-as-a-service providers and e-mail
marketing agencies that tailor their solutions
to the needs of SMBs. In 2008 this segment
represented 64 percent of the ERPM market.
Reputation management is built on the aggregation
of reviews and comments, including product
and service mentions by consumers. Opinions
are gathered from sources like Facebook, Twitter,
Yelp, Citysearch and thousands of others. The
data is aggregated into a simple dashboard
whereby businesses can view their online reputation
by monitoring digital word-of-mouth. BIA/Kelsey
expects technology and partnerships to evolve
to enable businesses to respond to consumers’ opinions,
concerns and requests.
BIA/Kelsey defines presence
management as “where” and “how” business
data and information are located across Internet
sources. A business may be listed in 100 directory
sources. Presence management allows business
owners to see how their businesses are displayed.
BIA/Kelsey analysts expect presence management
to transform into the ability to suggest corrections
and clarifications to core business data. Further,
presence will allow businesses to seamlessly
promote themselves via outgoing messaging to
numerous sites like Facebook and Twitter.
As
part of its coverage of ERPM, BIA/Kelsey is
presenting two upcoming webinars moderated
by Matt Booth, with research presented by BIA/Kelsey
Research Director Steve Marshall:
“The
Communications Revolution: E-Mail, Reputation
and Presence Management,” on Wednesday,
Oct. 14, at 2 p.m. EDT, will provide an in-depth
look at the unfolding business, market and
what it means. For details and registration,
visit: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/191044625.
“The Business View of E-Mail, Reputation
and Presence Management,” on Thursday,
Oct. 15, at 2 p.m. EDT, presenting SMB advertiser
perspectives from companies currently testing
alpha- and beta-release ERPM platforms. For
details and registration, visit: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/823169025.
ERPM at ILM:09
ERPM will be a focus of BIA/Kelsey’s Interactive Local Media 2009 (ILM:09)
conference (www.kelseygroup.com/ilm2009), Dec. 9-11 in Los Angeles, California.
A number of sessions will touch on various aspects of ERPM, including:
Populating
Local Content
Reputation – The New Driver for SMB Engagement
Making
Money With/for SMBs
A Special Conversation With Yelp
Los Angeles SMB
Panels: What Works for Me, What Doesn’t
ILM:09 is BIA/Kelsey’s annual conference
devoted to digital media with a local focus. This event covers a range of important
topics, including local search, mobile search, Internet Yellow Pages, vertical
directories, Internet video, online classifieds and social media.
About BIA/Kelsey
BIA/Kelsey advises companies in the local
media space through consulting and valuation
services, research, Continuous 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 www.bia.com and www.kelseygroup.com.
The company's blogs are located at http://blog.bia.com/bia/ and http://blog.kelseygroup.com/,
and it can be found on Twitter through http://twitter.com/BIAKelsey.
