News and Analysis
Search Marketers Cater to New Customer Needs for Holidays
Grocery stores are doing more business than pre-pandemic, with average weekly household grocery bills surging from $120 to $161 at the height of statewide lockdowns this spring. Many restaurants are pivoting right now to promote their takeout and delivery options. Health and wellness websites are fielding questions about coronavirus, as are many news publishers.
Leaning into the changes means understanding and responding to the challenges consumers are facing right now and setting up a search strategy that focuses on providing the best experiences possible.
Why Savvy SMBs Are Focusing on the Post-Sale Experience
Two-thirds of American adults say they plan to shop at more small businesses in the coming months, providing independent retailers with the perfect opportunity to turn those new customers into brand advocates.
Putting the strategy into action means capitalizing on what ActiveCampaign CEO Jason VandeBoom sees as the biggest untapped opportunity for local retailers right now — the post-sale engagement.
Square and Adobe Spark Team Up to Give SMBs a Holiday Marketing Boost
In addition to selecting three small businesses to receive a holiday marketing overhaul — pairing each up with local designers to modernize their brand marketing materials — Adobe Spark and Square are helping businesses digitize their shops to process transactions in a touch-free environment, utilizing mobile technology and QR codes. The firms have also announced a plan to give five small businesses a $10,000 media buy credit and a subscription to Adobe Spark Premium.
Commentary
How AI Helps Local Businesses Compete With the Biggest Brands
Historically, the world of advanced analytics has been the domain of huge enterprises with large budgets. But with big leaps in AI capabilities, even the smallest business can now access insights that were previously only available to “the big guys.”
How Local News Publishers Can Win SMB Ads Against Facebook: A Case Study
We know that local news providers can compete with Facebook for brand advertisers. But what about publishers also capturing SMBs—is that too much of a stretch? Michael Dinan, editor of the profitable local news site New Canaanite in suburban Connecticut, has some answers.
LBMA Podcast: VRstudios, McDonald’s, Snapcodes & Cargo
On this week’s edition of the Location-Based Marketing Association podcast: VRstudios, Fysical Technologies, City of Sacramento, Snapcodes + Cargo, McDonald’s, Cirque du Soleil + Ivanhoe Cambridge. Special guest: Karl Swannie – Echosec.
Latest Posts
How Publishers Can Improve Their Revenue — Ezoic’s Experts Spell It Out
Local news publishers are often able to pull together a decent share of pageviews in their communities — but many can’t wring enough revenue out of them. For practical solutions, I went to two experts at Ezoic, whose artificial-intelligence platform aims at helping its thousands of publisher clients to deliver better user experiences.
Street Fight Daily: IBM and Salesforce Share AI Tech, Consumers Still Tepid About Connected Home
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… IBM and Salesforce Will Start Sharing Their AI Technology… Most Consumers Not Turned On By Connected Home, Study Finds… Mobile World Congress 2017: Main Enterprise Themes…
Why Google Is Becoming the ‘New Homepage’ for SMBs
“So many things are happening right on Google; clicks to call, driving directions, etc., and even more so than a website,” Mike Blumenthal tells David Mihm. “For a business to do well there, things like photos, reviews (everywhere) and other visuals are becoming ever more important.”
Will Native-Social Ads Dominate Mobile?
The majority of mobile ad companies that don’t evolve their janky and interruptive banners will be displaced. A new era of mobile ads will be defined by intelligent formats that speak to the affinities of buying-empowered millennials (who are now almost 40 by the way).
Street Fight Daily: Uber Wants to Be a ‘Content Marketplace,’ The AP Supplies Hyperlocal Data
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Uber Plans to Turn Its App Into a ‘Content Marketplace’ During Rides… The AP’s Plan to Put Hyperlocal Data in the Hands of Reporters… Yelp Blames Google for Its Failed International Business…
Openings and New Hires at Okanjo, Factual, Bing Maps
Every two weeks, Geoff Michener covers some of the latest job changes taking place in this dynamic industry. This week’s edition includes moves and new openings at Pandora, LotLinx, and Kobe Digital.
Street Culture: Tech Startups Amping Up Opportunities for Women
For many locally focused tech companies — including NextDoor, SweetIQ, ibotta and G/O Digital — transparent sharing and openness at all levels is inviting a new workplace generation led by women.
Street Fight Daily: Snap Valuation Jumps to $34 Billion, SMBs Shift Marketing Spend to Digital
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Snapchat Shares Surge 44% in Market Debut… Small Businesses Shift Marketing Spend to Digital… For Quartz, Bots Are a Chance to Build a New Path for Interacting with News…
5 Ways Brick-and-Mortar Merchants Can Utilize On-Demand Services
Businesses that sell physical goods are discovering that they can cut costs and increase services for their customers by forming partnerships with on-demand apps rather than competing on their own. Here are five examples of ways that brick-and-mortar businesses can start utilizing on-demand services.
Local News Is Struggling — But Handouts From Digital Giants Aren’t the Answer
Two very smart thinkers about the future of American journalism have called for Facebook and other hugely prosperous digital enterprises to pay reparations for what their success is allegedly costing journalism and democracy. I’ve worked in journalism all my life, but I don’t buy these arguments.
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Meta Is Automating Ads, But Brands Still Face a Bigger Problem