7 Platforms Local Merchants Can Use to Build Mobile Websites
Fifty-four percent of smartphone users now use their phones to “pre-shop” before arriving at stores, and 51% of consumers are more likely to make purchases from retailers with mobile sites. Despite this, only 4.8% of retailers in the U.S. currently have mobile websites. In response, a number of hyperlocal companies have stepped up with platforms that SMBs can use to easily create mobile-optimized sites. Here are seven of them…
Study: Less Than 20% of SMB Web Sites Link to Social Media
SMB DigitalScape analyzed the web sites of over 1 million small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) from around the world — including more than 700,000 U.S. companies — and found that only 19.5 percent of SMB sites link to their Facebook page, and an even small percentage link to Twitter and other sites…
Setster Launches Scheduling API for Deals Companies
With the ascent of daily deals companies, there has also been a rise of scheduling services that seek to help out local merchants that run the deals and find themselves overwhelmed by the results. Setster, one such appointment-scheduling company, has announced the release of a new API which will give daily deal providers the ability to offer integrated scheduling as part of the marketing package that they give to merchants…
Street Fight Daily: Foursquare’s 20M, Groupon Acquires Ditto.me
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal content, commerce and technology...
Foursquare Hits 20M Users — But How Many Are Active? (ReadWriteWeb)…
Groupon Acquires Social Recommendation App Ditto.me (TechCrunch)…
Former Yahoo Exec: 30% of PC Search Is Local (ScreenWerk)…
Street Fight Daily: Pandora’s Local Push, Foursquare’s Future
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal content, commerce and technology...
Pandora Courts Local Advertisers, by Offering Well-Defined Listeners (New York Times)…
Facebook Buys Customer Loyalty App Tagtile, Continues Focus on Mobile (GigaOm)…
Foursquare May Not Be Toast Yet, But It’s Browning At The Edges (Business Insider)…
Weekly News Recap: Patch’s Editor-In-Chief Steps Down
AOL’s much-discussed hyperlocal network Patch is in the midst of changes at the top of its masthead. Editor-in-Chief Brian Farnham, who had been with the company for four years, announced during a conference call this week that he would be leaving. Here’s a look at some of the coverage of Farnham’s departure.
Bringing Augmented Reality Marketing to Every Business
For years, marketing and advertising agencies have strained themselves trying to isolate the most effective, meaningful and lasting image to sell their product. Now, brands are able to visually and audibly foster experiences which consumers can be a part of. Augmented reality is still in infancy, and it seems that there are no limitations to the communication potential it embodies…
Talk About Local’s Hartley: U.K. Hyperlocals Looking for Scale
The U.K. has been a rich testing ground for hyperlocal content plays over the past few years. But British projects have taken a slightly different flavor than we’re used to here in the U.S., says Sarah Hartley, a veteran journalist who has been involved in some notable stabs at conquering the local space..
PODCAST: This Week in Location-Based Marketing — Shopkick, Glancee
In this week’s episode, hosts Rob Woodbridge and Asif Khan discuss Urban Airship stacking the deck for contextual notifications; Shopkick and ExxonMobil offer discounts on everything but gas; Foursquare enters the take-out food fray; The Tap Lab and Skout raise some funds; Geosentric shuts down; and special guest, Alberto Tretti of Glancee.
Street Fight Daily: Samwer Out at Groupon, Local Online Ad Spending Hot
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal content, commerce and technology...
Marc Samwer Out as Groupon’s International Boss (GigaOm)…
Local Online Ad Spending Is Red Hot Again (Media Life)…
Study: Most Adults Follow Local News Closely (Pew Internet)…
Media Companies Embrace Innovation by Nurturing Startups
Does anyone believe that a traditional media company could have created a digital product that would grow to be as quickly valuable as Instagram or Pinterest? The answer is no, but a few organizations are hoping to change that perception by bringing digital media entrepreneurs into the fold…
6 Mobile Coupon Platforms for Merchants
One of the simplest solutions for merchants just beginning to dip their toes into mobile marketing is text-based mobile coupons. Coupons that are sent via SMS are eight times more likely to be redeemed than coupons sent through email, and 90% of these messages are opened up within just three minutes of receipt. Here are six tools that local merchants can use to drive sales with targeted coupons sent to their customers’ mobile phones…
Street Fight Daily: Facebook/Foursquare?, MapQuest’s mqVibe
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal content, commerce and technology.…
Will Facebook Buy Foursquare Next? (ZDNet)…
Groupon Accounting Problems Put Spotlight on Board (Reuters)…
Consumer Trust in Online, Mobile Ads Grows (NetNewsCheck)…
EIC Brian Farnham Leaving Patch to Explore ‘Other Startup Opportunities’
Patch editor-in-chief Brian Farnham has announced he is leaving the AOL network of hyperlocal sites after four years on the job. A Patch spokesperson said the move was “100%” Farnham’s decision. Rachel Fishman Feddersen, who joined Patch as chief content officer in February, will now fully take over the editorial side of the operation…
Overview: Cerberus Acquires AT&T Ad Solutions, AT&T Interactive
Cerberus’ challenge will be to continue to purposefully and aggressively reorient an organization which has the dying print directory business in its DNA. The assets at their disposal are quite impressive but can the leadership let the past go and embrace the very fast-moving innovation now occurring in online and mobile?
Chicago Indy Ad Network Shutting Down After Poor Sales
The Chicago Independent Advertising Network is shutting down six months after it opened for business. Business manager Mike Fourcher wrote: “I am disappointed that it has come to this conclusion, but the old saying is, ‘When sales are good, everything’s good.’ Sales were not good, and therefore neither was publisher interest.”
How Pandora Is Winning Over Local Advertisers
Pandora recently announced it reached 400 local advertising campaigns in 2012. The figure represents a strong start in the company’s foray into local, although clearly it’s just a beginning. Street Fight spoke recently with John Hilton, the company’s executive director of sales strategy, communication & development, about the challenges of selling Pandora to local merchants…
U.S. Legalizes Startup Crowdfunding — What It Means for Hyperlocals
What does the JOBS Act mean for hyperlocals? They will no longer have to depend solely on private or angel investors — they can raise up to $1 million per year from small investments online and through social media. People in the community who believe they have a vested interest in their hyperlocal businesses can contribute by making small investments…