News and Analysis

Snapchat’s “Promote Local Place”: The Deeper Dive

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Snapchat’s 200 million users can now use Snap Map to find businesses in addition to finding friends. These two activities can go hand in hand if friends are discovered nearby on the map when users are planning local adventures.

But what matters most for local is that Snap will now let businesses promote themselves in the map interface, adding a key option for local advertising. This will happen on a self-serve basis for both SMBs and multi-location brands.

How to Start Selling on Amazon in 4 Steps: Complete Guide for Beginners

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As the coronavirus pandemic keeps shoppers away from brick-and-mortar stores, those same customers are looking for shopping alternatives online. That, combined with the general increase in e-commerce popularity, makes this an opportune time to expand your online retail presence — including opening up shop on the Moby Dick of all e-commerce marketplaces, Amazon. 

6 E-Commerce Tools for Brick-and-Mortar SMBs

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Brick-and-mortar merchants are moving their stores online or developing combination solutions that encompass both website sales and curbside pickup to keep pace with customer demand. Many of those businesses that haven’t made the switch are weighing their options and looking for the right technology. Plug-and-play e-commerce platforms tend to be the most popular route for merchants looking to quickly pivot to online sales, but features like scalability, flexibility, and integration with inventory management software are also important to SMBs.

Here are six e-commerce solutions that brick-and-mortar merchants will want to check out.

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5 Location-Based Tips for Brands Looking to Boost Mobile Visibility and Sales

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Centralization of location data is key. With correct information at hand, a brand’s corporate office can effectively channel information to individual store/business locations for events like regional holiday sales. At the same time, stores can manipulate their own unique data and funnel that back up to corporate.

Four Years After GateHouse, Brad Dennison Has Become a Local News Rover

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There’s a new nameplate in hyperlocal news publishing, and just about everything about it is boldly different, including the name—Rover. This combination digital daily and print monthly was launched in suburban Nashville last week. In this Q&A, Tom Grubisich talks with one of Rover’s architects, Brad Dennison.

Selling to Multi-Location Brands: Streaming Video Is On the Rise

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Suppliers of local marketing technology and services should move streaming video up on their priorities lists and help their brand customers apply it effectively.

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With $200k Boost, LION Aims to Take ‘Indie’ News to Next Level

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The new funds will help the organization bring more professional services to its members, and will further its mission to promote sustainable local news. To get a read on LION ‘s new plans, Street Fight caught up recently with interim Executive Director Matt DeRienzo.

Street Fight Daily: Facebook Gets Lift from Mobile, Businesses’ Dependence on Data Grows

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A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Mobile Ads Generated About 84% of Facebook’s 2016 Revenue… Data Becomes ‘Pillar’ of Advertising in 2017… 5 Things Brick-and-Mortars Need to Know About the On-Demand Economy…

Moz Local Incorporates Google My Business Insights Into Platform

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The company announced this morning that it is integrating Google My Business insights data into the Moz Local platform. The platform, which allows businesses to post listings across the major aggregators of location data, will offer information about how and where customers optimize their Google listings.

5 Quick-Serve Restaurant Brands Using Artificial Intelligence to Change the Way We Eat

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The type of ultra-personal service that was once offered by waiters at mom-and-pop diners is now being duplicated by highly-sophisticated computer algorithms, as many of the country’s largest restaurant chains start investing more in artificial intelligence technology.

Small and Large Local Marketers Have Remarkably Similar Spending Focus

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A survey of 200 U.S. small and medium businesses conducted late last year revealed that 70% said they would be increasing their digital and online marketing budgets in 2017. Fewer than a third said budgets would stay the same, and only 2% said they were cutting back.

Street Fight Daily: Amazon Invests in Shipping and Delivery, Inside Millennial Marketing

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A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Amazon Plans First Air Cargo Hub… Millenial Shoppers Have an Affinity for Mobile and In-Store Digital Shopping… Uber Partners with Daimler in a Step Toward a Driverless Future…

6 Platforms Merchants Can Use to Capture After-Hours Leads

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More and more consumers expect the small businesses in their own communities to be open when they’re ready to book appointments or ask questions, regardless of the time of day. Here are six examples of platforms local merchants can use to increase conversion rates outside of traditional business hours.

Should Local News Open Its Heart to Emojis?

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Six billion emojis are shared every day, but few of them appear on local news sites. Dana Loberg, founder and CEO of MojiLaLa, thinks emojis could help local news sites not only make better connections with their present users but also attract new and younger audiences.

Street Fight Daily: Walmart Ups Delivery Game, Small Businesses Rely on Antiquated Tech

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A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Walmart Launches Free 2-Day Shipping on Purchases of $35 or More… Survey: Small Businesses Have a Long Way to Go on Digital Strategies… Marketers’ Data Priorities Shift from ‘Collection’ to ‘Value’…

Apple Gets Into Position for the Voice Search Revolution

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As voice search becomes more prevalent, Apple will “retain an advantage over Amazon in ‘on-the-go’ searches, since our phones are always with us,” David Mihm tells Mike Blumenthal. “Unfortunately for Apple, people overwhelmingly conduct voice searches at home. “