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...

On the occasion of our second anniversary, we took a look at the events in hyperlocal since we launched in 2011. Then: All Groupon all the time. Now: Not so much. The evolution of the hyperlocal landscape charts the same path as any new industry, beginning with the pioneers who take risks to prove a model; replications on the idea; consolidation and contraction; entrenchment of the ideas and business models; and legacy companies who buy or build their way in. 2013: Still the wild west, and what a great frontier it is.

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...

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...

With the rise of local search sites, social media, and mobile directories, the physical Yellow Pages books delivered to consumers' doors — long a staple of local marketing — are quickly becoming obsolete. We asked a few folks from around the industry what date they would envision for the directories' final print run...

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...

As pure-play daily deals sites struggle to remain attractive to local merchants, a new model for offers is beginning to emerge. Rather than giving blanket discounts on general merchandise — a hallmark of the original Groupon deals — brand advertisers are increasingly opting to use performance-based offers as a way to drive traffic without necessarily hurting the bottom line. Here are six tools that merchants can use to create performance-based marketing offers...

The number of advertisers using “geo-aware” technology in their mobile ad campaigns jumped from 17% in 2011 to 36% in 2012, according to a report by Verve Mobile, and yet there is still confusion in the marketplace over what makes a geofencing campaign useful, and when location targeting is necessary to achieve a high ROI. Here are five strategies for creating a smarter, more strategic geofencing campaign...

Platforms that allow consumers to book appointments with service-based professionals (like plumbers, electricians, and mechanics) are disrupting the way local services have traditionally been scheduled. Here are six platforms working to change the way local, service-based businesses schedule appointments with consumers...

Customer return rates on traditional coupons are notoriously low. So rather than saying goodbye to the customers they fought hard to acquire, SMBs are increasingly offering follow-up deals, known as “post-couponing.” Post-couponing platforms give businesses a way to drive incremental revenue by providing additional value to customers who have redeemed mobile coupons. Here are six platforms that provide post-couponing tools for businesses of all sizes...