Ninety-two percent of consumers trust “earned media” — like word-of-mouth referrals — above other forms of paid advertising. At b2be Sports & Wellness, a high-end fitness studio in Chula Vista, California, Emmanuel Corona is looking to capitalize on this trend, partnering with Perkville to reward customers for referring their friends...

Including an interactive map alongside a local news story is an excellent way for online journalists to enhance context, relevance, and reader engagement. Here are seven platforms that reporters can use to quickly create interactive maps to go alongside their hyperlocal stories...

Although 36% of SMBs have said acquiring and engaging new customers was their primary goal in using social media, according to a recent survey, only 39% said they were seeing ROI from their online activities. In an effort to solve the mystery and find out how merchants can turn online followers into customers, we consulted with the experts...

Customers between the ages of 18 and 34 are eating out less than they were five years ago, which is a major problem for executives like Anthony Gianino. The senior director of marketing at KBP Foods is trying everything in the book — including text message marketing, local print ads, and mobile loyalty apps — to reach his target demographic...

Selecting the right ad server for a local news site has both financial and functional implications. Although many first-time publishers manage ads within their CMS platforms using ad plugins, those tools can only scale so far. Here are six ad servers that work with hyperlocal sites...

While e-newsletters have been a useful tool for promoting loyalty among current customers, Gwen Holtsclaw says Facebook has been far more useful for generating attention in her local area. Even the ScrubOaks Restaurant website has become a “secondary resource” for customer acquisition. “[Customers] hear about us or they see a Facebook post, and if they’re curious they’ll go to the website to see what the full menu is.”

Today’s top competitive intelligence platforms give SMBs a way to go far beyond tracking keywords and mentions. These hyperlocal tools give merchants and service providers a way to identify the most important players in their local markets and analyze which of those businesses’ marketing strategies is producing the greatest returns...

What started out as an online cookie sale in 2008 turned into much more for Cookies for Kids’ Cancer, when the pediatric cancer research nonprofit formed a partnership with hyperlocal content network Macaroni Kid to promote its local bake sales across the country in 2010...

Limited-time promotions are an effective way to generate immediate customer demand, but what happens once the hype is over and the deal is complete? To counteract their one-and-done reputations and give merchants a way to extend their promotions, a number of hyperlocal companies are developing local marketplace platforms with more opportunities for long-tail marketing...

The retail giant isn’t trying to dissuade customers from using their smartphones while they shop. In fact, the retailer is beefing up the carrier signals inside its stores to make it easier for customers to get online. Instead, the company is combating the threat of showrooming by encouraging customers to fill their screens with its own mobile application.