By SmartNews

Insights for Advertisers Navigating Q4 Consumer Shifts

As the 2025 holiday season approaches, small and midsize businesses (SMBs) are feeling the weight of Q4 more than ever. According to MediaPost’s summary of Constant Contact’s Small Business Holiday Outlook , 60% of SMBs attribute at least half of their annual revenue to Q4. The study highlights what’s at stake—and how brands can adapt their advertising strategies to win.

The Holiday High Stakes for SMBs

For many small businesses, the holidays are make-or-break. The Constant Contact report found that a third of owners say it’s the most pressure-filled quarter of the year.

Still, confidence remains high: 77% of SMB owners expect to hit their revenue targets. Why? They’re innovating fast—new campaign launches in the U.S. have quadrupled year over year.

“Our report shows that SMBs are responding to this make-or-break pressure with unprecedented strategic adaptation,” said Smita Wadhawan, CMO of Constant Contact.

Where SMBs Are Investing Their Ad Dollars

The data shows how resource-constrained teams are prioritizing their marketing mix:

• 40% say social media advertising drives the most holiday success.
• 18% point to email marketing as their top performer.
• 51% rely on discounts and sales promotions to boost conversion.
• 60% plan to increase communication frequency throughout the season.
• 33% are launching new campaigns, up from just 7% in 2024.

This acceleration in activity reflects what we’re seeing across the SmartNews advertising ecosystem—brands seeking smarter, more contextual ways to reach consumers who are ready to buy.

The Challenges Behind the Campaigns

Despite optimism, SMBs face substantial headwinds. The top challenges cited include inflation and rising costs (32%), weakened consumer spending (22%), customer engagement difficulties (39%), budget limitations (36%), creative fatigue (34%), and tariff impacts (46%) prompting expense cuts or price increases. Meanwhile, 70% of consumers are actively hunting for deals—making message precision, timing, and trust more critical than ever.

What This Means for Advertisers

The implication for advertisers—especially SMBs—is clear: context and credibility matter as much as cost efficiency. Consumers are responding to value, but they’re also responding to trust.

Research from Stagwell’s Future of News initiative shows that ads in credible news environments outperform generic digital placements across every major brand metric, including purchase intent (+15.7 pts) and trustworthiness (+10.6 pts) .

For SMBs competing in crowded feeds, that’s a major differentiator. Partnering with platforms like SmartNews, which curate trusted journalism and deliver high-intent, information-seeking audiences, helps advertisers capture attention at moments of discovery—when consumers are actively engaging, not passively scrolling.

SmartNews Takeaway: Quality Context Drives Holiday Conversions

At SmartNews, we see Q4 as an opportunity for brands to align their advertising with consumer purpose. Our data shows that SmartNews readers are more engaged, more informed, and more receptive to brand messages delivered in trusted, premium environments.

For SMB marketers, that means:

• Higher-quality reach across verified news publishers.
• Brand-safe, performance-driven inventory optimized for attention.
• Flexible campaign options for both self-serve and managed advertisers.

In a season where every impression counts, advertising within credible news delivers not just visibility—but results.

Ready to Drive Your Holiday Results?

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👉 Get Started with SmartNews Advertising

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Source: Ray Schultz, “Holiday Scramble: How SMBs Are Dealing With The Pressure,” MediaPost, October 30, 2025.