Last week, Inc. released its annual Inc. 5000 list, which boasts the fastest-growing, independently-held, private companies in the US. For the second year in a row, the “Advertising & Marketing” category made up the largest segment of featured companies, with 480 companies composing over 10% of the list.
Additionally, “Business Products & Services” and “Software” round out the top three industries by number of companies featured (see below). All three represent the B2B space, suggesting an acceleration of business investments, with an emphasis on growth (marketing). One possible explanation is small business optimism which is at its second highest level in 45 years, leading to more B2B spending.
Overall ad spending has increased steadily over the past few years, and eMarketer estimates that in 2018, total US ad spending will rise 6.6% to $220.96 billion from $205.06 billion in 2017. Digital has been behind much of the growth, and for the first time, in 2016, digital ad spending surpassed TV.
LSA Members in the Inc. 5000
First published in 1979 using only 100 companies, Inc. regards the list as “the most prestigious honor for growing private businesses and business leaders.” In 1982, the list increased to 500 companies, and in 2007 it became the Inc. 5000. The company also began releasing a European edition in February of 2015.
Companies are ranked according to their revenue growth percentage over the last 3 years and are required to show three full calendar years of sales upon submission. Revenue totals from the first year of operation had to have been at least $100,000 and $2 million for the most recent year. It’s also important to note that “fastest-growing” doesn’t necessarily indicate the most revenue.
This year’s list featured several LSA members, including:
#60 – SOCi
Founded in 2012, SOCi specializes in social media and reputation management for multi-location brands. The company’s SaaS platform helps companies grow and measure their social media presence, while improving their reputation at both the national and local level.
#107 – Broadly
Broadly is a software company whose mission is to help local businesses connect better with their customers through various digital avenues, like email campaigns, customer reviews and referrals, websites and SEO.
#719 – Chatmeter
Chatmeter specializes in online reputation and review management for multi-location brands and agencies. The company helps businesses make a distinct impact in revenue by improving various areas of their online presence that determine if a customer will visit their store, or a competitor’s – including online reviews, local business listings, SEO rankings and more.
#821 – TapClicks
TapClicks Inc. develops various marketing technology for agencies, media companies, brands and enterprises. The company’s platform is a single-user interface and includes sales enablement, workflow and order management, analytics and automated reporting.
#931 – CallRail
CallRail provides call tracking and analytics to over 100,00 companies and marketing agencies. Their software helps companies measure their phone call conversions, as well as record conversations to help qualify leads and improve customer service techniques.
#1350 – Scorpion
Scorpion specializes in a variety of marketing solutions designed to grow a business’s customer base, increase revenue and prepare for the future. Services include web design, SEO, social media management, paid search advertising and content creation.
#1420 – MomentFeed
MomentFeed helps brands create authentic, relevant mobile customer experiences for local consumers. The company’s customer experience management platform software allows multi-location brands to influence local consumers across mobile networks, applications and services.
#1453 – NinthDecimal
NinthDecimal utilizes location intelligence to obtain data about people through their digital activities. The company helps brands identify their best customers and new prospects, as well as implement marketing strategies that will increase store visits and revenue.
#1454 – Green Banana SEO
Green Banana SEO provides a range of SEO services designed to help businesses connect with prospective customers. The company offers pay for performance SEO, search engine marketing, social media marketing, web development, display advertising and email marketing services.
#1673 – Local Marketing Solutions Group, Inc.
Local Marketing Solutions Group, Inc. specializes in providing marketing solutions to national and international brands that help increase revenue through local sales and marketing channels. Services include marketing automation technology, facilitating brand image and content creation.
#2344 – Linkmedia 360
Linkmedia 360 creates comprehensive lead generation programs using various media channels. The company offers several marketing services, including SEO, content marketing, paid advertising and web development.
#4769 (Europe) – iProspect
iProspect is a digital marketing service provider that offers over a dozen unique products for brands, including paid search, paid social, content generation and conversion optimization.