Lots of studies predicting where local digital advertising is heading in the near future and none better that what Borrell and Associates is predicting.
This chart is from an article on eMarketer.com where they also report these findings:
According to a report from Borrell Associates, “2013 Local Advertising Outlook: Get Ready for the Rebound,” US local digital advertising will reach $24.5 billion in 2013, to take a 25% share of total local ad budgets. That’s an increase of 31% over 2012, and nearly four times Borrell Associates’ prediction for overall growth in ad spending. It’s also well above the 17.6% rise expected for national digital advertising.
Local digital budgets will go primarily to targeted display ads and paid search, which together will account for 60% of total local digital advertising. Social media was not broken out in the study, but included in targeted display and search spending.
Local digital advertising continues to grow at rates much greater than all other categories of local advertising and that’s a good thing when you consider how inexpensive it is to buy local digital and how effective it is.
Mentioned elsewhere in this study is that 49% of small and medium sized businesses intend to keep their newspaper ad expenditure at the same dollar amount for 2013 as it was in 2012.
Print newspapers are still relevant, for at least one more year.