SMBs Ramp Up Local Marketing Tools for New Year Success

As a media seller, you should know what your small business accounts are obsessing about. We’re heading into a new year, and the latest research suggests the need to stay visible with buyers and fend off the competition is critical. Local marketing tools matter, and with new data from Valpak and AdMall, you can help your accounts achieve success.

The Need for Consistent Advertising

Around 96% of businesses surveyed by Valpak understand they must advertise consistently. This is especially true as inflation continues to sting. Consumers are pulling back on unnecessary spending.

According to AudienceSCAN data, from AdMall, around 17% of U.S. adults identify as financially concerned. They believe they will be less well-​off next year.

SMBs struggle with inflation, too. They are trying to meet their customers’ needs by taking the following steps:

• Offering lower prices 48%
• Offering discounts 43%

To make consumers aware of these changes, your accounts must advertise and use local marketing tools consistently.

How to Connect with Target Audiences

With so many media formats now vying for consumer attention and advertising dollars, it can be difficult to decide which local marketing tool to use. Valpak survey respondents use a variety of decision criteria. Over 40% base their decision on cost, reviews, ease of use, and past experience.

Response Rates

While these are all excellent concerns, media sellers should help accounts invest in the formats that are likely to reach their target audiences. AdMall subscribers can see the connection between media type and audience when they use the Prospect by Advertising Response tool.

For example, AudienceSCAN reveals that nearly 43% of auto dealership target audiences (combined) responded to TV ads in the past year. Your auto dealer accounts shouldn’t overlook local TV as part of their ad mix.

The Valpak study shows that most SMBs use the following media formats:

• Social media
• Email
• Mobile ads
• Display ads
• Postcards
• Event marketing

To optimize outcomes, you can help your accounts see how return on investment is critical.

A Note about B2B Buyers

If you are working with accounts that primarily sell to other businesses, check out the B2B BuyerSCAN survey on AdMall. In the coming year, senior leaders of SMBs in the B2B market plan to buy advertising. They are specifically interested in the following media formats:

• Online ads 32%
• SEM 18%
• Digital marketing services 27%
• Mass media advertising 20%
• OTT/​CTV advertising 7.5%

Working with New Business Owners

If you’re working with an owner who is new to running their own business, they’ll require some education. They need to learn the basics of advertising and how to use local marketing tools. You can earn the role of trusted advisor as you help them understand critical details.

To begin, they need to define what they hope to gain through advertising. For most businesses, the goal is winning new customers.

How will they measure the success of their ad campaign? Typically, they’ll count the number of new customers or measure the sales increase. As a media seller, you can help them calculate details such as the return on ad spend or the cost per lead.

When to Launch Ad Campaigns

Your prospects and accounts should establish a plan for when to spend their ad dollars through the year. The Valpak study reveals that the typical SMB spends 27% of the ad budget in the second quarter. While April, May and June can be strong selling months for many businesses, the trend is not universal.

For example, retailers typically experience their best sales in Q4. With an AdMall subscription, you’ll see the strongest months for over 450 types of business verticals. That information will help your accounts customize their advertising plan.

The Power of Local Marketing Tools

Your accounts can’t afford to waste their advertising budget. With the right data from AdMall and your expert advice, they can spend wisely and meet their revenue goals for next year.

Image by Pavel Danilyuk on Pexels.