Street Fight Daily: Facebook’s Sandberg on SMBs, Etsy Will Try Same-Day Delivery

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A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology…

Sheryl Sandberg: Facebook Pages Are Mobile Presence for Small Businesses (Wall Street Journal)
Last week, Facebook announced new features for small and medium-sized businesses. The company says roughly 80 percent of its U.S. users are connected to at least one small business on the social network. In an interview, COO Sheryl Sandberg and vice president of small business Dan Levy spoke about Facebook’s efforts to court SMBs.

Etsy Will Test Same-Day Delivery Option in New York City (Recode)
As Amazon preps a handmade goods marketplace that will pit it against Etsy, Etsy is trying out one of Amazon’s specialties: express delivery. Etsy has partnered with delivery startup Postmates to begin testing same-day and next-day delivery in parts of New York City as it looks to solve one of the biggest complaints from buyers and sellers who transact on its marketplace.

With iOS 9 Release, Local Businesses Should Care ‘Deeply’ About Apple Maps (Street Fight)
Mark Sullivan: Most local businesses and search marketers have focused primarily on their visibility within Google Maps. With iOS 9 set to become available on Wednesday, it’s time they focused their attention on Apple Maps as well.

Google, Twitter, and Publishers Seek Faster Web (New York Times)
Google is working with Twitter and publishers like The Guardian and The New York Times to create a system that would load articles in a few milliseconds. The effort is an attempt to protect the web from the onslaught of mobile applications and steer publishers away from the closed, proprietary systems that are being built by companies like Facebook, Apple, and Snapchat.

How SMBs Can Boost Their Online Reviews Without Breaking the Bank (Street Fight)
Alex Palmer: Online reviews play an increasingly important role in helping local businesses stand out from the competition. But getting that strong rating on Yelp – or TripAdvisor, Google Plus, or Foursquare – requires a concerted effort on the part of a local business and its marketing partners. Here are some steps that can help earn a few more five-star votes.

Uber’s New In-Car Magazine Is Advertisers’ Ticket to Targeting Local Clientele (The Next Web)
Uber launched its own magazine for New York Fashion Week, ‘Arriving Now.’ The publication features “pro tips, hotspots, and exclusive details about upcoming promotions.” Uber hasn’t said if the magazine will be a recurring fixture or come to other regions, but it’s a way for brands to cash out on Uber’s clientele and tailor advertising to local events.

Good News For Jet: The Ecommerce Start-up Is Cultivating a Loyal Customer (Washington Post)
Since its launch in July, Jet.com has had a 23 percent repeat buyer rate, according to ChannelAdvisor, better than the 17 percent seen at eBay and the 11 percent seen at Amazon during the same time period.

Advertisers Are Not Happy With Apple’s Upcoming News App (Business Insider)
Ad execs have been complaining that Apple has imposed strict rules on how ads will be displayed alongside content from publishers in the Apple News app. For example, it won’t allow Google’s advertising service to be integrated, and video ads will be vetted by Apple before they’re allowed to run.

The ‘Sharing Economy’ Is Dead, and We Killed It (Fast Company)
A few years ago, ‘the sharing economy’ seemed like a warm and fuzzy inevitability. There were a bevy of startups with dreams of facilitating community sharing, but most of these platforms soon discovered a discomforting incongruity between enthusiasm for the concept and actual use.

Just ‘Venmo’ Me: How Social Payments Will Change Your Business (Venture Beat)
Andrew Caravella: From San Francisco to Shanghai, communities everywhere are taking to digital money transfers with gusto. And there’s a major social component: Apps like Venmo integrate with bigger platforms as another way of broadcasting our activities. So as Venmo becomes to payments what Google is to search, how might this trend affect your business’ bottom line in the not-so-distant future?

Ad Blocking Is Not Enough: 3 Challenges Apple Will Face in Pushing iAd (Gigaom)
Gilad Bechar: Apple’s recent decision to block ads from iOS 9 allows the company to force mobile marketers to place advertisements through its own network. This is beneficial if Apple’s goal is to make the most out of iPhone advertising, but at this point Apple is nowhere near taking over the mobile marketing field as a whole.

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