Mobile Prospects Promising for Directory Publishers Over Next Three Years: Survey

According to a recent qualitative survey of 11 of the top global directory publishers in the world, a whopping 73 percent revealed that they expect mobile services to become a major part of the directory publishing business by 2016.

Many of the publishers surveyed already offer mobile services to their customers, but nearly all agree that they will at some point, if they don’t already.

The survey was conducted in August and September 2012 jointly by BIA/Kelsey – an advisor to local media companies – and dotMobi, the company which makes the mobile website publishing platform goMobi.

The research survey, entitled “The Strategic Value of Mobile for Directory Publishers,” examined directory publishers in six different countries (U.S., Canada, France, Italy, Israel and Australia.), focusing on the mobile prospects for the industry, and the findings are enlightening.

The survey reported that full-service mobile website creation is a significant opportunity for directory publishers to assist small and medium-sized businesses (SMB) in regard to mobile advertising.

“There is a high level of awareness among advertisers that there is a need to have a mobile presence,” explained Eileen O’Sullivan, COO at dotMobi, “but many are not clear what route they should take or how to establish a mobile presence for their businesses. This presents a distinct opportunity for directory publishers to bring cost effective solutions to their advertisers for everyone’s benefit.”

Michael Boland, analyst and program director for Mobile Local Media at BIA/Kelsey, concurred; “As this survey reveals, mobile’s current share of revenue is slightly higher than local media, such as newspapers, which indicates a strong position for directory publishers.”

“Overall, BIA/Kelsey reports that about 0.6 percent of local ad spending is currently devoted to mobile. Though this is a U.S. figure, mobile’s share and growth rate are projected to be similar in many other developed nations,” Boland added.

O’Sullivan summed up the prospects described in the report, saying “This report offers valuable insights that will [help] publishers understand what investments should be made to stay ahead of user trends and deploy best of breed advertiser solutions."

The report is available for free at www.biakelsey.com/mobilereport.asp.