News and Analysis

Businesses Find Opportunities to Fundraise, Connect Through Local Platforms

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Consumers say they want to help the local businesses in their communities, and many are buying gift cards and launching GoFundMe campaigns to help their favorite restaurants, retailers, and brewpubs avoid going out of business. But restaurants and other essential businesses that remain open still need a way to let customers know how they’re selling their products and services, and how they can place orders without showing up in person.

The neighborhood social networking app Nextdoor is one of a number of platforms working on ways to ease that burden. Yelp, Facebook, and Patch are joining the fight.

PlaceIQ Buys Freckle IoT, Marking Second Instance of Location Consolidation in 2 Days

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Location intelligence firm PlaceIQ bought fellow location data and measurement company Freckle IoT. The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

The move comes just a day after the bombshell announcement that location leader Foursquare was merging with location data firm Factual. Speculation that the Foursquare-Factual merger could portend additional consolidation in the location data-driven marketing and insights industry came to fruition quicker than analysts could have predicted.

Foursquare Merges with Factual, Forming Location Intelligence Powerhouse

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Location intelligence firm Foursquare is merging with location data firm Factual, the companies announced today. The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Factual founder Gil Elbaz will join Foursquare’s executive team and board of directors.

The deal pairs Foursquare’s best-in-class location-based attribution technology and developer tools with Factual’s top-notch audience segments, Foursquare CEO David Shim told the Wall Street Journal. Industry insiders say the move may portend additional consolidation during the COVID-19-fueled economic downturn and positions Foursquare as an even stronger leader in the space.

Commentary

How Marketers Must Prepare for the Voice-Connected Consumer

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As digital media surpasses traditional, marketers must prepare for the changes that will result from connected devices becoming a common source of customer experience. Local search will be of paramount importance as consumers turn to their voice devices, and eventually their connected cars and appliances

State of Hyperlocal: Location Data Is Key R&D Priority Now and Longer-Term — AI and Voice on Horizon

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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

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“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.

Latest Posts

Why Local Search Is Even More Important in the Age of Ad Blocking

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With so many people blocking traditional advertising, a growing proportion of internet users cannot be reached through “classic” search engine marketing. That’s why in the context of ad blocking, SEO is still king.

Street Fight Daily: Postmates Secures Funding Amid Stiff Competition, Gannett Abandons Tronc Bid

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A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Postmates Navigates Tough Funding Terrain for Delivery as It Competes with Amazon and Uber… Uber Drivers Are More Likely to Cancel on Men with ‘Black-Sounding’ Names.. As The Verge Turns Five, Its Redesign Embodies Distribution Age Dynamics…

How Should SMBs Respond to Complaints on Social Media?

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The way a merchant responds to complaints on social media will influence not only the perception of the offended customer, but also the perception of any potential customers who view the interaction online. Here are eight strategies that business owners can use when deciding how best to respond to customer complaints on social media.

Street Fight Daily: Mobile and International Feed Facebook Revenue, Mixed Reviews on AMP

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A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Mobile, International Dollars Drive Facebook to Projected $33 Billion in Ad Revenue Next Year… Google AMP Gets Mixed Reviews from Publishers… To Aid Attribution, LeadsRx Launches One Tracking Pixel to Rule Them All…

Street Culture: UberMedia’s Transparency and Deliberate Growth Helps them Win Halloween

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“We do a lot of different things every day, but it’s not like, ‘check check check,’ everything’s done,” says the company’s CEO Gladys Kong. “It’s about not being afraid to try new things. Keep learning. Keep working at it. Have integrity and deliver excellence”

Philly Answer to Tough Critique of Newspapers’ Digital Push: We Need to Do Better and We Will

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A new study that says newspapers’ struggle to bridge the immense gap between the print and digital worlds has been a near-total bust. We spoke about the study with to Jim Friedlich, Executive Director and CEO of the Institute for Journalism in New Media.

LBMA Podcast: GasBuddy, OpenTable, and TomTom’s Parking Solution

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This Week in Location Based Marketing is a weekly video podcast from the Location Based Marketing Association with Asif Khan and Aubriana Lopez. On the show: Australia Post & Posterscope, Snapchat, Reali, Sears, Koupon Media + Verifone, ReviewPush + Yelp, and Panasonic’s smart mirror.

Street Fight Daily: Feds Restrict Data-Sharing, Speculation That Gannett/Tronc Could Fall Through

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A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Broadband Providers Will Soon Need User Permission to Sell User Data… Gannett and Tronc Shares Tank on Speculation Deal is Off… LivingSocial’s Lessons for the Experience Economy…

How Businesses Are Using Ridesharing Services to Bring in New Customers

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Consumer demand for ridesharing services has never been higher, with 40 million monthly riders spending an average of $50 on Uber alone. Now, some businesses are hoping that they can piggyback on that success by running promotions in conjunction with these very same services.

Foursquare’s Rosenblatt: ‘Location Is the Atomic Unit of Mobile’

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Foursquare has gone from check-in darling to an under-recognized data powerhouse. But in that transition, it’s more successful than ever. And its primary emphasis has remained the entire time: real-world consumer behavior. Meanwhile, the ad industry’s hunger for location data grows.