While specific statistics for micro-enterprises are less commonly reported, they represent a significant portion of the employer business sector. These small, often family-run businesses are the essence of the term “local,” with a single site and a handful of employees. The owner wears multiple hats – from business manager to sales associate to accountant. Juggling these efforts consumes most of their time, and that’s why marketing frequently falls behind other tasks. Given their limited scale and resources, micro-enterprises naturally gravitate towards both cost-effective and adaptable marketing strategies. Options like digital marketing, networking, and community involvement stand out as delivering significant returns on modest investments. Transitioning from a "Do-It-Yourself" to a "Do-It-For-Me" marketing model has allowed many to lighten their workload, gain market insights, and achieve better marketing outcomes.

• Employees: Less than 10

• Revenue: Less than $2M

• Locations: One

• Top 3 Tactics: Website, Facebook, Email

• Top Challenges: CapEX, Managing Cash Flow, Growing Revenues, Owner Fatigue, Lack of Time, and Marketing Resources

In the United States, fewer than 2 million entities are recognized as small business enterprises, crucial pillars of the local economy. These dedicated owners tackle a daily array of challenges, often extending across multiple locations, from managing consumer feedback and staffing to coping with rising operational costs, and regulatory hurdles, exploring real estate opportunities, launching new products, and ensuring seamless daily operations. Amidst these tasks, the strategic incorporation of marketing—particularly through cost-effective digital and targeted local campaigns—becomes essential. Increasingly, these businesses are finding value in outsourcing marketing efforts, a move that not only aligns with budget constraints but also leverages external expertise to enhance their market presence and competitiveness without significantly expanding the length of their operational focus.

• Employees: Less than 500

• Revenue: Less than $10M

• Locations: Between 1 and 15

• Top 3 Tactics: Website, Social Media, Email

• Top Challenges: Reducing Dependency on Founder, Hiring New Employees, Increasing Profits,  Growing Revenues, Managing Cash Flow, Staying Energized, Avoiding Client Dependence

The exact number of these businesses is harder to pinpoint (under 100,000), but they represent a smaller fraction compared to small businesses. Medium-sized regionals occupy the same competitive arena as larger corporations, with similar challenges navigating the integrated media landscape. These businesses must manage effective media placement, maintain a robust digital footprint, and keep social media feeds active across various locations. Their bandwidth is stretched razor-thin. For those electing to outsource either a portion or the entirety of their marketing endeavors, the rewards have been significant. They have benefited from comprehensive strategies that include market research, brand development, as well as tactical executions of digital and traditional marketing efforts across a variety of communication channels to support business growth and facilitate entry into untapped markets.

• Employees: Between 500 and 1,000

• Revenue: Less than $50M

• Locations: Between 15 and 250

• Top 3 Tactics: Content, Video, Loyalty-Rewards

• Top Challenges: Attracting and Retaining Top Talent, Developing Next-Generation Leaders, Cost Containment,  Demand for Deeper Business Knowledge and Skillsets

These businesses are fewer in number (in the thousands) but profoundly significant in economic impact. Large enterprises account for a substantial portion of U.S. employment and financial activity. In a time of rapid change, companies need to execute efficiently, do more with less, and innovate at lightning speed. The demand for adept individuals and innovative platforms is at its peak, aiming to dismantle traditional barriers, foster dynamic collaboration, and surpass previously set benchmarks of success. While these organizations typically boast in-house marketing teams, there's a growing trend toward partnering with specialized marketing agencies for specific projects, and campaigns. This strategy allows them to tap into particular, avant-garde expertise that they lack internally, thus amplifying their marketing endeavors to align with the rapid pace of market changes and consumer expectations.

• Employees: Greater than 1,000

• Revenue: Greater than $50M

• Locations: Greater than 250

• Top 3 Tactics: Mainstream Media Advertising-PR, Digital Advertising, Marketing Automation

• Top Challenges: Slower Communication, Ingrained Practices, Need for Creating New Business Models because of Disruptive Technologies, Increased Regulations