Higher-spending small-
and medium-sized business advertisers use 6.5 different media on average in their promotional mix -- compared with 3.1 different media used by the broader SMB advertiser population, according to new
findings from market research firm BIA/Kelsey.
Higher-spending small and medium-sized business, per BIA/Kelsey, are spending at least $25,000 annually on media advertising and promotion.
This is a considerably higher spending level than the core SMB population, which spends on average $2,000 to $3,000 annually on advertising.
A full 90% of higher-spending SMBs report having a Web
site, versus 62% of core Local Commerce Monitor SMBs.
Higher-spending SMBs use more types of online media, and spend more for online advertising. In the past 12 months, these so-called Plus
Spenders spent 26% of their total ad budget on online media, versus 21.8% for core LCM SMBs -- a difference of 4.2 points.
"SMB Plus Spenders are more performance-oriented in making their media
purchase decisions and do a considerable amount of lead tracking," said Steve Marshall, BIA/Kelsey research director. "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."
This group also spends an appreciable amount of their total budget on broadcast
media, as 16.1% of their budget is allocated to broadcast media compared with 1.3% for all SMBs.
Finally, Plus Spenders tend to focus on media performance in making media-buying decisions, as 40%
rated "demonstration of ROI" as the first- or second-most important service that a vendor of online advertising can provide.
Conducted annually with research partner ConStat, the research is an
extension of BIA/Kelsey's ongoing Local Commerce Monitor study.
Neal Polachek, president of BIA/Kelsey, said he decided to conduct this research in response to the numerous inquiries from
players in the local, social and geo media space that wanted to better understand the behaviors of higher-spending SMBs.
The SMB Plus Spenders survey was conducted in May 2010 with a sample size
of 152. The survey was performed online using pre-existing, seasoned panels. The sample was nationwide, balanced between first- and second-tier markets and by key demographics.