Nearly half of small businesses have adopted cloud-based tools and many more will in the next 12 to 18 months. This shift to the cloud may be the most disruptive trend yet facing local media sellers.

As it stands today, a new study found that 22% of SMBs are already making use of cloud-based technology (SaaS) for marketing and advertising. This was second behind payroll and HR (25%) and ahead of customer relationship management (20%), finance and operations (14%) and supply chain services (10%).

Of the services analyzed, 37% of SMBs said they aren't using any of the ones listed. For those planning to shift to cloud-based tech, 27% will be investing in CRM tools. And of those who expect to invest in new tech, 82% expect to do so within the next year.

Understanding this shift will help SMB providers make strategic decisions related to product development, competitive differentiation and growth strategies.