Digital Ads: Leveling the Playing Field for Small Businesses
Maximum Impact: How Digital Ads Level the Playing Field for U.S. Small Businesses documents how digital ads help level the playing field and empower small business advertisers to compete with the biggest brands with billion-dollar marketing budgets by providing affordable, highly effective ways to reach target audiences, drive sales, and instantly understand the ROI with free high-quality analytics. For example, small business publishers that monetize digital real estate on websites, blogs, YouTube, and apps, advertising provides quick revenue streams that help businesses start and increase revenue long term.
Background
Small businesses have been advertising for centuries, always looking for less expensive and more efficient ways to market and grow their businesses. The survey of more than 2,400 small businesses shows that the digital advertising marketplace is affordable, extremely competitive, and highly beneficial for small advertisers and publishers. Small businesses use numerous digital ad platforms to purchase ads to connect with customers and publish audience-relevant ads on their digital properties.
As policymakers consider new laws and regulations to change how the digital ads marketplace works, they must realize the value digital advertising provides small businesses. Poorly thought-out changes will have serious consequences, not on the leading digital ad providers but on the bottom lines of millions of American small businesses.
Lead Findings:
SMBs Buying Digital Ads Drive Substantial Revenue and Growth
SMBs Selling Digital Ads Drive Substantial Revenue and Growth
Black and Hispanic SMB Publishers Use Ads for Seed Money
Because minority small business owners still lack sufficient access to capital, ad publishing has become an easy way for bloggers, YouTube personalities, app publishers, and startups to generate revenue quickly, often replacing the investment capital needed to start and grow a business.
SMB Advertisers Have Plenty of Options for Buying Ads
Despite some lawmakers’ claims that small businesses only have one or two options in the digital advertising marketplace, small advertisers buy ads on numerous platforms and get the most bang for their buck.
Grogg’s Home Services
“I think it’s very important, for us to make it in our service areas, to not be 100% digital driven. That’s why we use digital ads in combination with traditional advertising like local billboards.”
Adam McDowell, Director of Marketing, Grogg’s Home Services
Nguyen Coffee Supply
“I wouldn’t rely on any one platform. It just depends on how the market is evolving like how other challenger tech brands pop up and what kind of value they could offer.”
Sahra Nguyen, Nguyen Coffee Supply
Lalo
“We employ multiple targeting approaches. Some are broad targeting to reach as many people as possible, and others are a bit more targeted based on personas to deliver as personalized a message as possible.”
Michael Wieder, Co-Founder and Chief Marketing Officer, Lalo
ENSPIRE Magazine
“I know people that make six figures from digital advertising, and if I know I can do it too, I want to.”
Ese Ofurhie, Owner, Founder, & Editor of ENSPIRE Magazine
Conclusion:
The bottom line is that digital ads are central to contemporary SMB Advertisers’ and Publishers’ overall business strategies at every stage: launching, sustaining, growing, and competing. Ultimately, digital ads create a free, fair marketplace for tens of millions of small businesses to diversify their revenue streams and compete for customers’ attention – and dollars.
As policymakers consider new laws and regulations to change how the digital ads marketplace works, they must realize the value digital advertising provides small businesses. Poorly thought-out changes will have serious consequences, not on the leading digital ad providers but on the bottom lines of millions of American small businesses.