Where is the next lead generation frontier? I think it is becoming increasingly clear that getting local should be in your strategic plan if you are in the lead generation business. Mike Sachoff, of www.webpronews.com points out the glaring opportunity:

The dollar gap between U.S. local online spending and total local media ad spending is large with $97 billion going to offline media such as yellow pages and newspapers. Only 2.9 percent of all local ad spending will go online in 2007, or $2.9 billion.

The obvious drift (we all probably note in our daily routines) of eyeballs away from local newspapers, phone books, and radio–the media of that current $97 billion annual spend–will drive the shift of dollars to follow the eyes.

The question now becomes who will be the players in this emerging market. The big media brands, who are currently moving aggressively into the space, or some as yet unknown homegrown local media moguls?

Tags: lead generation, lead management, local advertising, advertising, marketing, bill rice