Research
Original Research
Everything here is first-party data from accounts we manage, published free and free to cite. Not surveys, not compilations of other people's studies, and not national averages presented as local insight. The section is small because original data is slow to produce — one report built on real accounts is worth more than five assembled from other people's numbers.
No email required. Nothing here is gated.
Published reports
| Report | What's in it | Updated |
|---|---|---|
| Nashville Service Business Marketing Benchmarks | Cost per lead and per booked job by vertical and channel, LSA vs Google Ads head-to-head, conversion rates, speed to lead, seasonality | Annually |
Why we publish this
Three reasons, and the first is the honest one.
It's the most durable marketing asset available to us. Original data gets cited, and citations are what earn authority — roughly 85% of the brand mentions that appear in AI-generated answers originate from third-party pages rather than a company's own site. You cannot write your way to that. You can produce something worth referencing.
It answers the question we get most. "What should this cost?" National benchmarks are close to useless for a local business, particularly for Local Service Ads, where pricing is set by local lead auctions. Somebody has to publish the local version.
It keeps us honest. Publishing our clients' cost per lead alongside our published pricing means the whole economics of working with us is inspectable. That's uncomfortable in the right way.
How the data is handled
Every report states its methodology in full — sample size, date range, definitions, and what's excluded. Two rules apply across the section:
- Aggregated and anonymised. No individual business is identifiable, and any figure drawn from fewer than three contributing accounts is suppressed rather than published
- Gaps stay visible. Where we don't have enough data, the report says so instead of filling the space with an industry average
A conflict worth stating here rather than burying: these are accounts we manage. That's the strength — complete data rather than survey responses — and the limitation, since every business in the set had an agency, which most don't.
Citing this research
Quote any figure with attribution. No permission needed, and no link-back requirement.
Each report carries a pre-written citation line. Journalists and researchers who want a specific cut of the data, or want to interrogate the methodology, can get in touch — we'll answer, including about where the data is weak.
Other agencies are welcome to use it. We'd rather the local market got better at this than keep a small edge on a table of numbers.
Related
The guides are the practical how-to material. Paid media budget benchmarks is the advisory version of the cost data — what you should spend, rather than what this cohort did.
Frequently asked questions
Is this research free to use?
Yes. Free to read, free to quote with attribution, no email required and no link-back condition.
Where does the data come from?
Accounts we manage directly — ad platform reporting, call tracking and CRM records. It's measured first-party data, not a survey and not a compilation of published studies.
Is any individual business identifiable?
No. Everything is aggregated, and figures drawn from fewer than three accounts are suppressed rather than published.
How often is it updated?
Annually. Previous editions stay online at their original URLs so existing citations don't break.
Can I request data that isn't published?
Ask. If we have it and it can be released without identifying anyone, we generally will.
Why is there only one report?
Because original data is slow. We'd rather publish one report built on real accounts than five assembled from other people's numbers.
Compiled by Jared DeValk, founder of Nashville Digital. Methodology questions: contact us. Last reviewed September 2026.