Are local businesses ignoring first party data?

Been talking with a few local business owners lately and many still depend almost entirely on Google and Meta for leads.

Very few are building their own email lists or collecting customer data they actually control.

Do you think small businesses are underestimating the value of first party data, or is it just too much work for most of them?

@megakim its mostly because they dont know what to do with the data once they actually get it. Most of these local guys think building a list means sending a boring newsletter once a month. Then they get zero sales from it, decide email is dead, and go back to burning cash on Facebook ads.

Seting up a basic SMS capture or a simple automated sequence isnt even that hard, but they want instant gratification. They just want the phone to ring today... they dont want to spend time nurturing leads for three months down the line. It's just laziness and lack of tech skills imo.

Bit of both honestly. @PPCPirate has a point about them not knowing what to do with it, but half the time these guys are already sitting on a goldmine and dont even realize it. Their POS or booking system has months of customer info just rotting in there, phone numbers, emails, last visit... nobody ever exports it.

The bigger issue imo is they cant see the payoff. Facebook gives you a number today, a list pays off in month 4 or 5, and most owners are too busy running the actual business to think that far out. So its not really laziness, its just that nobody framed it in a way that clicks for them.

Easiest win is usually not some fancy sequence, just tie a simple capture to something they already do. Wifi signup, receipt email, whatever. Low effort, and it starts building the asset without them having to "do marketing".