Posts Tagged ‘BIA/Kelsey’
Monday, March 25, 2013
I attended BIA/Kelsey’s “Leading in Local: The National Impact” conference in Boston on March 18-20 and really enjoyed the terrific content and speakers. David Sharman, Dex One senior vice president and chief strategy officer, was particularly interesting during his keynote presentation.
Sharman discussed Dex One’s growth opportunity — providing SMBs with the latest marketing services. Using more than 1,000 sales reps, Dex One is making strides to build on its long-standing relationships with local businesses. While print still is an important aspect of the business, Sharman acknowledged the necessity of offering digital solutions that work for SMBs. To show its commitment to digital, Dex added digital expertise to staff and started to report digital revenues separately from print revenues.
Dex also has made some new partnerships with companies such as xAd, PaperG and Google to offer products that are fast, flexible and capital efficient. Dex’s digital product portfolio includes SEM solutions, Internet Yellow Pages (IYP), SEO, and websites which have helped Dex’s digital business grow by 30% making it worth around $300 million. Sharman attributed much of the digital growth to product bundles, which have a renewal rate of about 70%. Another driving force is the company’s Guaranteed Actions program, which is Dex’s commitment to deliver a certain number of leads across multiple media.
According to Sharman, Dex One still faces some challenges including finding new customers, identifying a way to soften the decline in print yellow pages revenue and being smarter with book distribution.
On the financial front, Dex reduced its debt by $1.8 billion, and the company has met guidance every quarter. Regarding the merger with SuperMedia, Sharman said it provides “more runway to transition to a growth company,” and both companies are focused on delivering value to their customers.
March 25, 2013 | Leave a Comment
Tags: BIA/Kelsey, David Sharman, Dex One, digital products, local advertising, sales reps, SEM, SMB, speaker, SuperMedia merger
Friday, March 22, 2013
Local media advertising revenues will climb from $132.5 billion in 2012 to $148.8 billion in 2017, according to a new study from BIA/Kelsey. Interestingly, the firm predicts that national advertisers will make up a significant portion of that increase, accounting for nearly $51 billion of local media ad revenue by 2017.
“Local media has become a key channel, not only for local small businesses, but for regional businesses, national franchises and national brands targeting locally,” said Mark Fratrik, vice president and chief economist, BIA/Kelsey. “This is clearly seen in our tracking of market shifts in mobile, social, search, promotions, coupons and deals, native ads and sales transformation.”
Though increased focus from national brands could create more competition in the local advertising space for small- and medium-sized businesses, the additional investment will surely spur innovation, likely positive for all.
Visit BIA/Kelsey’s website for more insights from their newly released “U.S. Local Media Forecast”
March 22, 2013 | Leave a Comment
Tags: BIA/Kelsey, local advertising, Local Search Association, U.S. Local Media Forecast
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
In my Locals Only column posted today on Search Engine Land, I shared 7 key takeaways from BIA/Kelsey’s jam-packed ILM West conference last week in Los Angeles.
As we head into 2013, local businesses have some important trends to consider when developing their marketing plans. The ways in which consumers are both searching and finding local businesses are rapidly changing, and local businesses and marketers are quickly adapting to take advantage of new opportunities to drive business in the door.
Read my full column on Search Engine Land.
December 11, 2012 | Leave a Comment
Tags: BIA/Kelsey, column, ILM West, Local Search, Local Search Association, Locals Only, Search Engine Land
Thursday, December 6, 2012
After a “musical” networking event Tuesday night that kept everyone entertained, Day 2 of the BIA/Kelsey ILM Conference kicked off yesterday with several strong presentations, including an interview with Google’s Todd Rowe and a keynote by CityGrid’s Jason Finger.
My favorite panel, “Search for It! Local Online Retail Innovation,” featured a great group including comScore’s Matt Archer, Where2GetIt’s Manish Patel and Kenshoo Local’s Paul Wicker. In just a half hour, the group discussed key insights into this year’s holiday shopping figures and product listing ads (PLAs).
To provide some context on where things stand in the online shopping space these days, here are some quick facts:
- The 2012 shopping season is off to a great start, up online sales up nearly 17% year-over-year.
- PCs still leading the way for online shopping, according to Archer.
- Cyber Monday sales have leapfrogged from $484 million in 2005 to $1.4 billion this year!
- Research shows that sales via mobile and tablets are gaining quickly, with tablets dominating the evening hours, as shoppers use them from the couch or in bed while watching TV.
- Mobile apps dominate access for most of the leading pure-play online retailers, with Amazon and eBay topping the list.
Wicker, who in a past life worked as a YP sales rep, described how his time in the job led him to love working with SMBs. He said he wants to help SMBs better understand the value of PLAs. Wicker talked about how Kenshoo Local has developed an algorithm to help SMBs increase the impact of their PLAs, noting that beta tests so far have showed positive metrics in terms of cost per call and ad effectiveness.
Patel said the solution for SMB advertisers is to embrace the online ecosystem by claiming their locations and verifying the consistency and accuracy of their data. He said no matter the size of one’s local business or number of locations, each one should have its own website to ensure accurate local content and optimized search results.
The panel closed with an interesting discussion of the ways to attract service companies to employ their own version of PLAs – or in this case SLAs: service listing ads. While all agreed that strong e-commerce capabilities are a requirement, the group felt that SMBs have a long way to go in that area.
The panel did a great job of leaving the audience wanting more, and several folks lined up to chat with the panelists at the session’s conclusion.
December 6, 2012 | Leave a Comment
Tags: BIA/Kelsey, CityGrid, comScore, Google, holiday shopping, ILM West, Kenshoo Local, local, Local Search, Local Search Association, online advertising, Where2GetIt
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
I’m very much enjoying my time here at BIA/Kelsey’s ILM West conference, taking place this week at Hyatt Regency Century Plaza in Los Angeles.
The event kicked off yesterday, and without question the highlight for me was the session “SuperForum: Sales Force Transformation,” which discussed the ongoing question on how to structure sales teams to successfully meet the demands of today’s fragmented media environment. Charles Laughlin, SVP and Program Director at BIA/Kelsey, moderated an expert panel that included Kris Barton of ReachLocal, Mark Canon of SmugCloud, Jeff Folckemer of LocalEdge and Kathy Geiger-Schwab of Geiger-Schwab Consulting.
Laughlin opened with the important reminder that in the realm of sales force transformation, “absolute success is hard to find, and fundamentally difficult to achieve.” He said that BIA/Kelsey would be publishing a foundational paper in early January that will explore attempts by Deseret Media Group, Dex One, Eniro, Yodle and others to make significant change in their approach to sales.
Pointing out that recent studies have determined that 79% of SMBs are either confused or don’t understand their digital options – and that 45% do not understand the ROI of their digital programs – Laughlin said that “the enormity of the challenge tends to be underestimated.”
Each of the panelists weighed in. Kris Burton explained that sending members of the tech team on sales visits has helped to close the gap in the understanding of client needs. Mark Canon observed that the SMB experience has changed, becoming much more complex with the proliferation of media choices. Jeff Folekemer said his company’s dashboard includes all of its products, making it easier to track supplier performance.
Kathy Geiger-Schwab, a former Berry executive and longtime expert in the sales improvement arena, suggested looking at the “CoreCo vs. the NewCo” She said companies should ensure that they continue to profit from their core business, while engaging a new team to build their future. She recommended “Profit From The Core” by Chris Zook and James Allen as a good read for those looking to transform their businesses.
The group discussed a variety of ways to improve sales teams, including:
- Automating SMB research as a tool for sales teams to use
- Watching your NPS (Net Promoter Score), but working with the baseline and be realistic about improvement
- Creating websites for SMBs that reflect the business’ identity
- Create a long-term business plan that emphasizes that success takes time
- Moving to resellers wherever possible and using their embedded investment to your advantage
And perhaps the most important message the panel had to sales teams out there was not to let what you know get in the way of what you don’t know. At the end of the day, change scares the entire management team. So to transform your sales force, start with the top and work down.
December 5, 2012 | Leave a Comment
Tags: BIA/Kelsey, Geiger-Schwab Consulting LLC, ILM West, Local Search, Local Search Association, LocalEdge, ReachLocal, sales, Smugcloud, transformation
Thursday, November 29, 2012
It’s not too late to register for BIA/Kelsey’s ILM West conference, taking place next Tuesday-Thursday, December 4-6 at Hyatt Regency Century Plaza in Los Angeles!
The event agenda is jam-packed with a variety of exciting speakers from across the local search industry. I’m particularly excited for the following sessions:
- Search for It! Local Online Retail Innovation: comScore’s Matt Archer, Where2GetIt’s Manish Patel, and Kenshoo Local’s Paul Wicker will discuss how the development of product listing ads driving Google Shopping, map insertion and enhanced locators have altered the online shopping landscape.
- SuperForum: Mobile’s Impact on Interactive Local Media: National to Local: This four part series will look at the mobile local opportunity, local targeting and the evolution of mobile ads, the intersection between mobile and local, and how local businesses can plant the mobile flag. Representatives from BIA/Kelsey, Verve Mobile, xAd, Locu, JiWire, WillowTree Apps, and Duda Mobile will guide the conversation.
- The Advertiser SuperForum: A section of this conversation will feature Maya Kermath, former business development director for AT&T, who launched KOR180, a new fitness studio in Austin. One would think her deep experience should help make launching an SMB easy, right? Not so fast. Mari will discuss the promise and the pitfalls and what she is learning about digital marketing as a small business owner.
In addition to the speakers and panels, there will also be some great networking opportunities and a chance to meet with innovative companies looking for partners, vendors and advisors.
So book your hotel room, register for the event and pack your bags for LA! And if you can’t make it, check back on our blog next week for live blogging of our favorite sessions.
November 29, 2012 | Leave a Comment
Tags: BIA/Kelsey, ILM West, local advertising, Local Search, Local Search Association
Friday, November 2, 2012
BIA/Kelsey recently released the latest addition of its ongoing tracking survey of small and medium businesses, the Local Commerce Monitor Survey. The results showed that businesses are looking to dig deeper into digital in the coming year.
Of the 300 small and medium businesses surveyed, 40% said they plan to increase spending on digital marketing in the next 12 months, while only 3.7% said they planned to decrease their digital budget.
The survey showed that Facebook is a top marketing channel for SMBs. Among the businesses surveyed, 52% said they are currently using Facebook’s advertising service, making the social network more popular than e-mail marketing and online banners.
Check out more insights from the survey over at eMarketer and the soon-to-come full report at BIA/Kelsey.
November 2, 2012 | 1 Comment
Tags: BIA/Kelsey, Digital Marketing, eMarketer, Facebook, Facebook advertising, Local Commerce Monitor, Local Search, Local Search Association, mobile, Mobile Advertising, mobile marketing, Small Business, SMB
Monday, October 22, 2012
It’s not too early to register for BIA/Kelsey’s ILM West, taking place December 4-6 at Hyatt Regency Century Plaza in Los Angeles.
The event agenda is jam-packed with exciting speakers from across the spectrum. I’m particularly interested in hearing from:
- Kris Barton, chief product officer at ReachLocal, who will talk one-on-one with BIA/Kelsey’s Charles Laughlin on Sales Force Transformation
- Tobias Dengel, CEO at WillowTree Apps, who will participate on a panel discussing mobile’s impact on interactive local media
- Andrew Shotland, principal at Local SEO Guide and a BIA/Kelsey associate, who will join Paul Wicker, director at Kenshoo Local in reviewing the new landscape in local/social SEO
There are also many, many others I look forward to hearing from. As usual, I’ll be blogging on-site for the duration of the event, so stop by here for the latest.
Register today – I hope to see you there!
October 22, 2012 | Leave a Comment
Tags: BIA, BIA/Kelsey, conference, ILM West, Local Search, Local Search Association, Los Angeles
Thursday, October 4, 2012
It’s time to register for Interactive Local Media West, the BIA/Kelsey event at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza in Los Angeles, December 4-6. As always the meeting features a strong agenda and decision makers from around the country will be attending. Local Search Association members get a special rate!
The initial line-up of ILM West speakers includes:
Jason Finger, CEO, CityGrid Media
Dave Galvan, CEO, The Learning Annex
Jordan Glazier, CEO, Eventful
Victor Ho, CEO, Five Stars
Mike Hodges, President and COO, U-T San Diego
David Krantz, CEO, YP
Scott Moore, CDO, hibu
Doug Neil, SVP, Digital, NBC-Universal
Click here to find out what attendees say about recent BIA/Kelsey meetings.
I’ll be there blogging about the speakers and panels, and networking with influencers in the search community. So register now! Hope to see you there!
October 4, 2012 | Leave a Comment
Tags: BIA/Kelsey, CityGrid, Eventful, Five Stars, hibu, ILM West 2012, Learning Annex, Local Search Association, NBC-Universal, YP
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Consumers are becoming daily deals junkies – checking sites like Groupon and Living Social each day and awaiting the daily e-mail from platforms like Gilt City and Google Offers to see the latest deals in their city.
Last week, in the midst of SMB Digital Marketing 2012, BIA/Kelsey released a new report projecting that daily deals spending will rise by 87% in 2012 alone. U.S. consumers will spend $3.6 billion on sites like Living Social and Groupon by the end of the year.
BIA/Kelsey expects the daily deals space to grow an additional 23% in 2013 and projects that it will become a $5.5 billion industry by 2016.
Growth in this area presents a major opportunity for small business. Stay tuned.
September 25, 2012 | Leave a Comment
Tags: BIA/Kelsey, daily deals, Gilt City, Google Offers, Groupon, Living Social, Local Search, Local Search Association, report, research, SMB Digital Marketing
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
We’re in the last day of SMB Digital Marketing 2012, presented by BIA/Kelsey here in Chicago. The final day is packed with speakers and analytics.
The morning will include John Pletz, Senior Reporter from Crain’s Chicago Business, a panel on Mobile Advertising for SMBs, a presentation by Valentine Matrat and Ben Wood from Google and more.
If you missed this event, take a look at BIA/Kelsey’s next meeting, ILM West, December 4-6 in Los Angeles. That’s your next opportunity to take advantage of BIA/Kelsey’s special blend of research and networking. Hope to see you there.
September 19, 2012 | Leave a Comment
Tags: Ben Wood, BIA/Kelsey, BIA/Kelsey Event, Chicago, Crain's Chicago Business, Google, ILM West, ILM West 2012, John Pletz, Local Search Association, Mobile Advertising, SMB Digital Marketing, SMB Digital Marketing 2012, Valentine Matrat
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Mike Nabasny, Director of Midwest Sales at Wildfire, closed out the day with an interesting story of a guy, a girl, a ring, a friend and a Social Media hook-up. The story had a happy ending and helped demonstrate what the statistics show – 81% consumers say that friends can influence a purchase.
And he answered that old question, what DO consumers want? – 67% want exclusive offers, 60% want to interact with others and share their purchasing experience and most love games, contests and of course, prizes.
He offered three keys to Social Media ROI success:
- Create compelling offers
- Give people a reason to come back
- Take an integrated approach
His final word on Social Media marketing? The ROI is there!
All in all, it was an intriguing series of presentations. Go to biakelsey.com/smbdigital for more about SMB Digital Marketing and BIA/Kelsey.
September 18, 2012 | Leave a Comment
Tags: BIA/Kelsey, BIA/Kelsey Event, deals, Facebook, Local Search Association, Mike Nabasny, Offers, ROI, social media, Twitter, Wildfire
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
A session entitled ’Social Media: Focus on Business Models’ was hosted by Jed Williams, who kicked off the session by revisiting LCM 16 and reiterating that SMBs number one objective for Facebook is new customer acquisition.
Pamela Springer, CEO-Manta presented metrics on online networking:
- 50% of SMBs (with fewer than 9 employees) are networking online and that number is expected to grow to 70% in 2013. The goal of such networking is to acquire new customers.
- SMBs are using a variety of sites to do so:
- 19% Facebook
- 12% LinkedIn
- 1% Google
- However, 58% say they are still struggling with Social Media.
“Revolution is being implemented in an Evolutionary way”, Springer explained to attendees. Manta is helping customers get in the game, find out what works and tie it all together.
From creating profiles for their SMBs, to providing tools and channels, Manta is working alongside their customers to find the right solutions. And soon they plan to add activity streams and status updates to their mix.
September 18, 2012 | 1 Comment
Tags: BIA/Kelsey, BIA/Kelsey Event, Facebook, Google, Jed Williams, LCM 16, LinkedIn, Manta, Pamela Springer, Small Business, SMB, SMB Digital Marketing, SMB Digital Marketing 2012, social media
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
After a quick review of yesterday’s meeting by Tom Buono and Mark Fratrik, this morning kicked off with Richard Hanna, EVP – Sales and Marketing, Dex One. His presentation of Dex’s journey of digital transformation clearly intrigued the attendees. Hanna outlined why the next two years are so important to both SMBs and providers, and how his team has worked to prepare for the challenges.
Hanna emphasized that advertisers are no longer satisfied with one-product solutions, but expect at least four or more options to meet their needs. Discussing the changes that have to occur to ensure a sales force equal to the challenge, he explained that Dex One has:
- Invested in a 21st century sales force and world class support technology
- Invested in product solutions
- Showed sales teams that “we mean business” – making an impression on the sales team through compensation plans, and by delivering products and services they can believe in.
“Easy to buy, easy to sell” – Dex One created an assortment of bundles and delivered them across multiple platforms, as well as creating Dex Guaranteed Action (DGA), to encourage customer confidence in their approach.
Hanna returned several times to the theme of high-tech training, describing how they have outfitted their reps with iPads, and now deliver training, sales results, new compensation incentives through webinars, videos and podcasts.
His plan to “motivate and captivate” has resulted in measurable success. And the strategy continues to deliver – a 40% growth in digital revenues since its inception.
Hanna did a great job of answering some probing questions from the audience and his presentation gave the audience a lot to consider.
September 18, 2012 | Leave a Comment
Tags: BIA/Kelsey, Dex Guaranteed Action, Dex One, iPad, Local Search Association, podcasts, Richard Hanna, sales force, SMB, SMB Digital Marketing 2012, videos, webinars
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Do you believe in omens and portents? Yeah, neither do I, especially when it comes to predicting how SMBs will deploy their marketing budgets over the next four years.
To help us understand more about ad spending, SMB Digital Day Two began with a special session for attendees, with Tom Buono and Mark Fratrik, BIA/Kelsey, presenting some of the recent findings from their Media Ad View (MAV). This study tracks competition, online dollars and share shifts in the local ad market.
The study outlines a bullish view of ad spending through 2016 and the continued shift away from traditional media to online and digital spending. It also captures the move to mobile ads and provides a tool to help your sales team rate that “trusted advisor” status, key to working with SMBs and growing your revenues.
Click here to learn more about how to get MAV and help your advertisers make those critical marketing decisions.
September 18, 2012 | Leave a Comment
Tags: BIA/Kelsey, Mark Fratrik, MAV, Media Ad View, Small Business, SMB, SMB Digital Marketing 2012, Tom Buono, trusted advisor
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