What Questions Do You Have About the State of Local Marketing?
Earlier this month we released the third edition of The Local Merchant Report. With expert analysis of survey responses from over 500 local merchants highlighted in charts and graphs, plus in-depth interviews conducted with dozens of business owners, the report offers a powerful look deep inside the local marketing ecosystem.
At 70 pages, the report dives deep into trends, challenges, spending behavior and pitching strategies. Here are some of the questions we asked:
Q: Where do merchants struggle most and how can service providers help?
A: With all signs pointing to measurement and reporting as the chief challenge for SMBs in managing their local digital marketing spend, there is much discussion to be had around exactly what merchants are looking for now in the way of support in measuring ROI quickly and effectively.
Q: Is mobile really catching on among SMBs?
A: While only 22% of SMBs have made the leap and adopted mobile advertising platforms, those who have are jumping in with both feet allocating nearly ¼ of their marketing budget to mobile out of the gate. This insight makes mobile an interesting area for service providers to focus education efforts.
Q: Which digital channels are strongest among local merchants?
A: You may be surprised to hear that email still reigns supreme when it comes to digital marketing for SMBs, with 47% ranking it as their top performing and relied on channel. It’s a tried and true channel offering stable returns and built in measurement tools that make tracking clicks and opens simple.
Q: How can I pitch digital services more effectively to local merchants?
A: We hit on a nerve with this series of questions posed to merchants and answered in The Local Merchant Report. Their honest responses provide new insight into the tactics service providers can use to cut through the noise and deliver more winning pitches. With 24% of merchants being pitched at least twice a week by local digital providers and most only listening to one in five of the sales calls they receive, there is a clear set of criteria to making a merchant more receptive to your call including: timing, business fit, straightforward presentation of information, and bottom line cost presentation.
What questions do you have about SMBs and the state of local marketing now? Join our research experts in a webinar Tuesday as they reveal key insights from the report and lead a discussion on “what’s next” in local and get your chance to ask.
This hour-long session promises to be both insightful and conversational, with our panel leaving ample time to take your questions and supply you with answers from our pool of rich data. We hope that it serves as a primer for the report and gives clear guidance on how to implement the research into your process.
