Telecommunications and Technology Brands Are Missing Important Local Marketing Opportunities
The State of Local Marketing Identifies a Lack of Personalization, Inadequate Financial Investment in Local Marketing, and Low Social Media Use
CHICAGO, Ill., February 5, 2020 – BrandMuscle has published new research to help telecom and technology brands, dealers, and channel partners gauge their local marketing maturity. The State of Local Marketing in Telecommunications and Technology Report is the telecom industry’s first marketing research, published as an extension to BrandMuscle’s annual The State of Local Marketing Report. This new industry companion guide examines investment and knowledge in local marketing, corporate and dealer commitment, and the quality and relevance of brand-provided content and support.
On average, telecom dealers are less mature than local partners in other industries, due mostly to lower marketing spend by partners at the local level. One striking difference between telecom dealers and other local businesses is a preference for traditional mass marketing, as opposed to more personalized approaches. Three factors drive this lower level of marketing maturity:
Lack of personalization in favor of more generic messaging
Insufficient use of digital tactics, despite rating them as highly effective
Not investing enough of their own money on local marketing
“We continue to observe the importance of digital marketing taking hold in the local channel,” states Lori Alba, BrandMuscle’s Vice President of Marketing. “We advise customers to include more personalized digital tactics in their programs to help encourage partner participation and investment in local marketing.”
Telecom dealers report gaps in both budget and execution. Only one-third of dealers spend more than 1% of their annual revenue on marketing their businesses. A reliance on older marketing approaches, favoring traditional tactics over social media and other digital channels, means that dealers miss important opportunities.
“While we are seeing lower spending by channel partners, dealers appreciate and are engaged in the marketing programs,” states Jason Tabeling, EVP of Product Strategy at BrandMuscle. “There is a great opportunity to improve that engagement through the adoption of more integrated and simplified marketing offerings."
Only 18% of dealers are highly confident that their business listings are up-to-date, accurate, and complete
Telecom dealers are more likely to feel that their corporate program is helping them grow their business, compared to local partners in other industries
Content quality and relevance is perceived as weaker by telecom dealers than by local partners in other industries, leading to more generic ad messaging
Telecom dealers emphasize traditional marketing tactics more than local partners in other industries and rate TV, radio, and print advertising as top priorities
Few dealers are using social media as part of their current marketing program, despite the fact that they rate it as the most effective marketing tactic
Compared to other industries, dealers are slightly less likely to feel they are receiving meaningful training and support from their corporate partners
