Local Media Association recently wrapped up a round of webinars as part of the Accelerate Local series, which included a series of trainings from digital marketing company AdCellerant. LMA members can watch recordings of the training sessions here.
One session focused on explaining the advantages local media companies have when pitching a digital ad campaign to a local business owner. Jeremy Enders, director of training at AdCellerant, led the webinar.
The advantages include:
Local sales experience: More than half of a buyer’s decision is based on the sales experience, rather than brand, price, or product quality. Local media sellers have a distinct advantage in creating a positive sales experience because of their deep understanding of the local market.
Teaching and guiding: Business owners prefer salespeople who offer unique perspectives, help navigate alternatives, provide ongoing advice and educate on new issues. Successful local media sellers focus on teaching and guiding their clients, leveraging their local knowledge.
Trust and credibility: Local media are trusted sources of information in their communities. This trust and credibility can be transferred to the businesses they support, making local media sellers invaluable as they can offer a level of trust and understanding that national agencies cannot match.
Knowledge of the local market: Enders highlights the unparalleled value of local market expertise. Understanding regional preferences, cultural nuances, seasonal trends, and local events enables local media sellers to create highly customizable campaigns that outperform national campaigns. This local insight results in higher engagement rates and stronger audience connections, making local media sellers trusted advisors in their communities.
The community respects local media advertisers: Local media significantly enhance the perception of advertisers as community supporters, with 43% and 45% ratings for community support and inclusion, Enders said.
Local media companies can offer multiple products: Enders emphasizes that comprehensive advertising strategies, covering all sections of the marketing funnel, are far more effective. Campaigns using at least three products can achieve a nearly six-fold increase in conversions and a 45% higher return on investment compared to single-focus campaigns, stretching the client’s advertising dollars significantly.