News and Analysis
Street Fight’s March Theme: Word of Mouth
One of the oldest and still most influential drivers of local commerce is word of mouth. Though that’s sustained at a high level, the delivery vessel for local chatter has evolved. Social channels like Facebook and Yelp now shape the reputations of brick-and-mortar businesses, not to mention the kingmaker authority of Google.
This month, we will delve into the latest trends and insights driving reputation management, taking Word of Mouth as our theme.
Consumers Split on Personalized Ads
In the year of the California Consumer Privacy Act, the data privacy movement is ascendant, and marketers are likely more aware of consumer concerns about tracking than ever before. But a fresh survey of 993 Internet users from audience intelligence firm DISQO suggests that marketers will need to continue navigating the trade-off between providing consumers the only type of ads they widely welcome — personalized ones matched to their interests — and transparently requesting consent for the kinds of tracking that make personalized ads possible.
Commentary
State of Hyperlocal: Location Data Is Key R&D Priority Now and Longer-Term — AI and Voice on Horizon
Location data and analytics are a key R&D priority both now and in the longer term for companies supplying technologies and services to the connected local economy, according to Street Fight’s latest reader survey. Those companies deem AI and voice technology as two areas that require investment now, with an eye on a later payoff.
Follow-Up Thoughts on the SMB Marketing/Operations Universe
“Regardless of the right package, the key for both agencies and small businesses is to choose best-of-breed components in each galaxy that integrate with each other so that you can add relevant and profitable services over time,” David Mihm says to Mike Blumenthal in their bi-weekly column.
SMB Ecosystems vs Universes: What’s the Difference and What Do They Tell Us?
From analyzing the companies that specifically target the SMBs, this space is better depicted by a series of galaxies that swirl independently of each other and offer the SMB a myriad of choice. The upshot of all this work is that some stars are shrinking and others are growing. Bigger companies are actively acquiring and consolidation is increasing.
Latest Posts
New Report Shows Urban SMBs Do Better with Agency Help
Street Fight’s new analysis, The Urban SMB Report, indicates that local business owners in big cities get better results from their digital marketing efforts by not doing it themselves. The more they outsource, either to internal staff or to an agency, the higher their satisfaction rating. But there is room for improvement.
Brand Battles in Depth: Looking at Starbucks vs. Dunkin’ Donuts
The series demonstrates the real complexity of cross-platform digital marketing and the importance of a data-driven strategy in identifying meaningful objectives and tracking performance. This commentary explains how Brand Battles are constructed and how their subject areas fits into the bigger picture of local marketing for national brands.
The Importance of Location in Today’s Innovation Dialogue
It’s hard to overstate the importance of location in today’s business innovation dialogue. While consumers are online more than ever before, they continue to live their lives in the physical world. According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, while Americans spent $97 billion online in Q2 of this year, offline retail sales amounted to more than $1 trillion. The vast majority of transactions still occur in-store, and that makes location targeting an immensely powerful tool for brands.
Street Fight Daily: AT&T to Acquire Time Warner, Mobile Moves to Majority of Google Ad Rev
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… AT&T To Acquire Time Warner, Becoming Latest Media Giant with Cross-Device Mojo… Mobile Moves to Majority Share of Google’s Worldwide Ad Revenues… How Quartz Sculpts a Global, Mobile-First Brand…
Street Fight Daily: Google Introduces Location Affiliate Extensions, Didi ‘Definitely Going Global’
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Google Drives In-Store Foot Traffic Through Online Affiliate Location Extensions… Didi’s President Says China’s Ride-Hailing Giant ‘Definitely Going Global’… The Where Factor: How Location Data Offers a New Marketing Edge…
How Location Data Influences Consumer Buying Decisions
According to a new report from YP, 37% of consumers won’t consider local businesses with inconsistent information online, and 32% won’t consider a business with the wrong information listed on its website. Even inconsistent messaging and website content is enough to dissuade multi-channel shoppers.
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