Street Fight Daily: Facebook’s Latent Local Threat, Why Reviews Trump Social
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal content, commerce, and technology.
Is Facebook Local Search’s Sleeping Giant, or Just Sleeping? (SearchEngineWatch)
Michael Boland: Facebook usually gets my “sleeping giant” designation within local. That’s not to ignore its already woken status as an 800 pound gorilla, in general; but because its local ad monetization has stalled out for the past few years. But in the last few weeks, we’ve seen some impressive numbers to support both local search usage, and SMB advertiser adoption. Many aren’t paying yet, but there are signs that they will.
6 Ways SMBs Can Turn Social Media Fans Into Actual Customers (Street Fight)
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.
Why Customer Reviews Trump Social-Media Marketing (Inc.)
Michael Fertik: The number of small businesses that have increased their social-media budget has quadrupled, and 43 percent of small businesses now spend more than six hours each week dealing with social media. But as time progresses, companies will find that online reviews offer them a more concentrated customer conversation, one that’s easy to listen to and that opens a window into the invisible consumer–the one that got away.
Can the New Model for News Be Found in Networks? (Street Fight)
Patrick Kitano: “The old economic model is disintegrating faster than new alternatives are emerging,” former Seattle Times executive editor Mike Fancher told Street Fight. “While things seem to be falling apart, I am optimistic that new models will develop. Some will be for-profit; others will be non-profit or public. There may be new hybrid models as well. ”
Personalized Commerce: Coming to an Internet Near You (AdAge)
Kristopher Kubicki: Processing a customer’s entire purchase history just to recommend a single, custom-tailored promotion seemed far-fetched for a brick-and-mortar retailer even just a few years ago. But now, big data-enabled personalized promotional offers are becoming commonplace.
Silk Drives Sales via Location-based Mobile Advertising Campaign (MobileCommerceDaily)
WhiteWave Foods’ Silk brand is using location-based mobile advertising to drive in-store sales for three of its juice products. The campaign points to a growing need from consumer-packaged-goods marketers to use mobile advertising to push in-store sales and loyalty.
49% of Consumers Want Seamless Store, Digital, Mobile Experience (LuxuryDaily)
Forty-nine percent of consumers believe that the best improvement to the shopping experience would be better integration of in-store, online and mobile channels, according to a new survey from Accenture. The Accenture Seamless Retail Study indicates that consumers want a seamless shopping experience and want to be able to make a purchase in whichever way is most convenient for them.
Visit Philly Lets Locals Create Content (ClickZ)
Philadelphia’s Tourism office is letting select locals post their own images to its Instagram and Pinterest accounts. As a result of the pilot, the division saw 10 percent growth in Instagram followers and “good” interaction in comments on the network.
LBMA PODCAST: The Importance of Localization for Mobile Gaming (Street Fight)
In this week’s episode, hosts Rob Woodbridge and Asif Khan look at why Shazam could be the biggest retail enabler on the planet; can Foursquare discover a revenue source with version 6.0; and will Layar help print turn digital dimes into dollars and will you pay $360/year for WiFi in the car? Plus special guest Darya Trushkina, VP Business Development at Game Insight.
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