News and Analysis
More Advertisers Explore Opportunities in Logged-In Media
Data privacy and online anonymity are layered into nearly every major martech project today, but a new survey of advertisers from the email based marketing technology company LiveIntent questions whether that approach is what consumers or advertisers actually want. Deep in the findings presented in LiveIntent’s 2023 Retail Media Playbook is this: Two-thirds of advertisers […]
Bad Stock Art: How Your Photos May Be Hurting Engagement
We all know the importance of graphics and videos in generating clicks, engagement, and traffic. One study claimed a lift of as much as 650 percent for posts and ads including imagery, versus text-only marketing. But the types of graphics or stock art you use may be as important as the fact that you use them. […]
What Lies Ahead for the Car Dealership?
Are we racing into the future or just cruising along? You may not think of a car dealership as MULO (multi-location) brands, but drive through commercial areas, and you’ll probably see one dealership after another. New cars, used cars, and luxury cars are all on display for consumers to browse, test drive, and buy. The […]
Commentary
Google Local Search Trends III: Socialization
In this third of four installments in my series on recent and ongoing trends in local search, I want to focus on signs that Google’s local platform — comprising Google My Business, Google Maps, and the local component of Google Search — has become, under our noses, a massive social network. Google has achieved this status not through traditional methods of connecting users to each other, but by allowing and encouraging users to share their experiences, questions, and opinions about local businesses in a variety of forms and at a massive scale.
Broadening Local: Expert Roundup
A trio of local search experts expound on the latest in the industry. Claire Carlile proposes Google My Business as a CMS and covers how businesses should approach the channel; Miriam Ellis explores the increasingly blurred lines between different categories of sites and businesses; and Damian Rollison delineates the major trends shaping the trajectory of local search, especially on Google.
Latest Posts
How Human-to-Human Marketing Can Counter the Labor Shortage and Drive Q4 Growth
In times of economic uncertainty, local communities look to support their own, ensuring businesses stay open and neighborhoods stay strong. What most brands miss is that they are a legitimate part of the community fabric and can leverage their place in that fabric as a marketing and sales asset.
Google Local Search Trends III: Socialization
In this third of four installments in my series on recent and ongoing trends in local search, I want to focus on signs that Google’s local platform — comprising Google My Business, Google Maps, and the local component of Google Search — has become, under our noses, a massive social network. Google has achieved this status not through traditional methods of connecting users to each other, but by allowing and encouraging users to share their experiences, questions, and opinions about local businesses in a variety of forms and at a massive scale.
Yelp Introduces Guest Manager, A Front-of-House Operations Tool for Restaurants
Yelp today introduced a new, comprehensive solution for restaurants to manage their front-of-house operations. With online searches for takeout remaining above pre-pandemic levels, the new Yelp Guest Manager is being billed as a comprehensive solution that brings together many of the digital tools restaurants have been using to manage digital ordering, reservations, takeout, guest loyalty, and table management.
Broadening Local: Expert Roundup
A trio of local search experts expound on the latest in the industry. Claire Carlile proposes Google My Business as a CMS and covers how businesses should approach the channel; Miriam Ellis explores the increasingly blurred lines between different categories of sites and businesses; and Damian Rollison delineates the major trends shaping the trajectory of local search, especially on Google.
Now’s Not The Time To Cut Back On Marketing. Here’s What To Do Instead
Businesses that withdraw from marketplace visibility have a much harder time, and find it far more expensive in the long run, to regain customers once they start re-engaging, with market share declining even after they resume advertising. So, while cutting back marketing spend can help address some short-term bottom-line issues, it will create significant challenges to long-term sustainability.
Streets Ahead: Google Chat, and Instagram Reels