Many Small Businesses Plan to Widen Ad Spending Into Digital, Says BIA/Kelsey

More than 60 percent of small- and medium-sized businesses that spend $25,000 or more annually on advertising and marketing expect to increase such spending this year and possibly go into more digital platforms, said BIA/Kelsey in a Monday news release. Celine Matthiessen, vice president-analysis and insights, said the businesses "are benefiting from the lower costs of digital media and the opportunity to do more of the implementation themselves." She said the firms are reinvesting their savings into ad and marketing plans, potentially expanding into mobile and social digital services, along with traditional media advertising. BIA/Kelsey said the top advertising platforms used by the businesses are direct mail, internet yellow pages, Facebook, website video, community sponsorships, email, giveaways, cable and magazines.