Ad spending contraction may be a fact, but it’s hardly universal. Take small business-to-business firms: Three quarters of them are either increasing spending over 2008’s level or keeping it at the same rate. Only 26% of these smaller companies are reducing budgets.
In comparison, 40% of large B2B advertisers who forecast cuts, according to a new survey from Outsell.
The survey also found that small firms are eager to increases their budget for online marketing These companies anticipate 8.2% jumps in spending, compared with 0.4% for larger ones.
What are they spending their money on? The largest line item is Web site development, which accounts for 59% of small B-to-B firms’ online marketing budgets and 51% of large firms’ online spending.
Small US business-to-business companies are also increasing spending by more than 10% each for keyword buys on search engine sites, e-mail marketing, industry-specific sites, and webinars.
Outsell, a research and advisory firm that specializes in the publishing, information and education industries, surveyed 1,019 US and 204 UK advertisers targeting the consumer, business and healthcare markets during February 2009.
