BIA/Kelsey found that companies are focusing more on marketing in local channels.

BIA/Kelsey found that revenue driven by local marketing is growing rapidly as businesses place a greater focus on various local-friendly channels. Whether it’s mobile search or targeted video, the study found local media revenue will grow 13.1 percent in 2012 compared to 2011.

Mobile search, specifically, will see 77.2 percent more investment from marketers this year. While the study focused on ad spend, targeting both paid and organic search campaigns to local users accessing the web on smartphones is critical for marketers moving forward. An earlier report from BIA/Kelsey pegged mobile search volume at more than 30 billion total queries in 2012. These users are clicking on paid results as well as those driven by SEO, and factoring local audiences into search campaigns will help marketers reach new prospects.

Developing integrated marketing strategies on the web grows more important as the web’s evolution continues. Social media marketing campaigns, for example, have a strong impact on custom content efforts, which can help drive local search standing with an effective keyword strategy.

“As businesses examine their advertising opportunities, the trend is moving toward building a coordinated ad plan across different platforms, with different messages across different media,” Mark Fratrik, vice president and chief economist at BIA/Kelsey, said in a release.

Brafton recently detailed similar sentiments from an interview with Ken Barhoover of Park Place Technologies. The B2B marketing manager attested to the idea that diverse content aimed at different target audiences can help companies increase web conversions.

Joe Meloni is Brafton's former Executive News and Content Writer. He studied journalism at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and has written for a number of print and web-based publications.