News and Analysis
Local Businesses Face Negative Reviews Due to Coronavirus Safety Requirements
Google has taken several important measures to assist businesses during the pandemic, but none so far can prevent customers angry about coronavirus-related restrictions from lashing out at businesses attempting to follow public health best practices or the letter of the local law. “The review space has never been harder than right now,” wrote GatherUp co-founder and reputation management expert Mike Blumenthal.
But there are also possible strategies for survival.
With Walmart+, Retailer Combines Digital Subscription Service and Physical Stores
Regardless of which retailer comes out on top, there’s no doubt that many will see Walmart’s decision to launch a digital-first membership program as a turning point in brick-and-mortar retail and a concession on Walmart’s part that e-commerce is the way of the future, displacing rather than complementing old-school retail.
Marcel Hollerbach contends that Walmart’s decision to launch a membership program points to just how well positioned retailers with physical locations are in the current climate, with the ability to quickly facilitate things like in-store returns and same-day deliveries of items that take much longer to ship by mail.
5 Localized Ad Platforms for SMBs
Localized ad platforms could also see an increase in use in the coming months among SMBs that want to cut down on unnecessary costs. Many of the localized ad platforms aimed at the SMB market take a self-serve approach, allowing business owners to adjust their budgets and adapt their strategies as conditions evolve.
Here are five localized ad platforms that are focused on helping merchants get back on their feet.
Commentary
The Bifurcation of the Local SEO Services Market
“The changing nature of search and the increasing localization are making “traditional SEO” harder, more expensive, and less productive of ROI, and that should lead every agency to assess what they are delivering and to whom,” Mike Blumenthal tells David Mihm in their latest biweekly column.
Latest Posts
Why Developing a ‘Near Me’ Strategy Has Become Critical for Local Marketers
Mobile is no longer just an important or necessary element of a marketing strategy — it’s vital for the livelihood and existence of a brand. And it has led to a critical shift in shopper behavior that brand marketers are rushing to understand and adapt their digital marketing strategies to.
Why 2017 Will Be the Year of the ‘Micro Moment’
A micro moment is the point at which a consumer searches for nearby information, for things to do, buy, or learn in real-time. Essentially, it’s a description of a new consumer mindset: one that has switched from regularity to spontaneity in shopping and learning habits, due to ubiquity of smartphones.
Case Study: Restaurant Group Uses Spend Data to Analyze Customer Base
For Good Food Guys, a restaurant group that owns and operates fast casual restaurant concepts in the Bay Area and Los Angeles, digital marketing platforms helped bring in customers over the holiday season who were already out doing their shopping, while also rewarding those who visit most frequently.
Street Fight Daily: Voice Assistant Sales to Skyrocket, Alibaba Local Commerce App Raises $1.1 Billion
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… 25 Million More Voice Assistants Coming This Year; Google, Amazon Dominate… Alibaba’s Local Commerce Platform, Koubei, Raises $1.1 Billion… Crate and Barrel COO Talks Bucking Brick-and-Mortar Trends…
6 Tools Brands Are Using to Stop Ads From Appearing on ‘Fake News’ Sites
Fake news isn’t just a problem for consumers. It’s a problem that brand advertisers are facing, as well, as they struggle to ensure their display ads aren’t showing up alongside inflammatory online content. Here are six examples of tools that major brands are using right now to keep their ads off of disreputable sites.
Street Culture: inMarket Retains a ‘Startup Mentality’ as It Scales Up
“Startup culture doesn’t just mean a stocked kitchen with burritos in the freezer and tons of snacks in the kitchen, or jeans in the office,” says the company’s communications VP Dave Heinzinger. “It means everyone has the ability, from the CEO on down, to roll up their sleeves and really go to work on whatever needs to be done.”
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