US Local Business To Spend 16% of their Budgets Online

By 2015, eMarketer estimates about 80% of the US population will be online and more than half will have mobile web access, providing local marketers,  immense leverage  to market their brands via cost effective  mobile and online ads

According to BIA/Kelsey projects US local online ad spending will comprise 16.2% of all local ad spending this year—a number expected to jump to 24% of all local ad spending by 2015.

  Within local online and interactive advertising, Borrell Associates estimates that by 2015, two-thirds will come from mobile ads on tablets, smartphones and GPS-enabled laptops.

 

Currently  local marketers are more commonly turning to  using Traditional Online  Channels Like Search ( organic as as well as  paid ). Over the past few years, search engines have become efficient advertising channels for local businesses through enhanced geotargeting, and location-based offerings like Google Places and Yahoo ! Local, Yahoo !’s online directory, and are attracting local marketers. 

According to MerchantCircle, more than half of US local small businesses currently use Google Places, and 45% advertise on Yahoo ! Local.

Local small businesses  using  social media  to enhance visibility and awareness on social networking sites. Most Local Business use  Facebook (70.3%) and LinkedIn (58.2%) to promote their business, and a handful are using Twitter (39.8%), Facebook Places (32.2%) and Yelp (32.2%).