News and Analysis

The Pitfalls and Opportunities of Screen-Free Customer Service

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One vertical that has been able to integrate voice into customer service in a meaningful way is retail. National retailers like Best Buy, Walmart, and REI Co-op have created skills or teamed up with technology providers to connect with customers through voice-controlled assistants. Some retailers are accepting orders via voice, and others are doling out product information and reviews. What the most successful of these companies have in common is a defined strategy and plans to measure ROI.

Leveraging Voice: A Path for Brand Marketers

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It’s important that companies can see who their customers are and what transactions are associated with each customer via voice assistants. This sort of knowledge is necessary for brands to make the channel a valuable part of an overarching loyalty strategy.

Given that voice is currently owned by just a few select companies, it’s important for brands to figure out how they will leverage voice differently from company to company or device to device. Will retail brands keep the same strategy with Amazon’s Alexa and Apple’s Siri, or will they find unique ways to take advantage of these platforms across differences?

What Does Customer Experience Mean in a Voice-First World?

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The trend of moving customer experience beyond the screen has been dubbed “conversational customer care.” It’s still unclear just how many channels are included under this umbrella or how the future of conversational customer care will look. Brands that are dealing with demanding customers can’t afford to sit back and wait for this to play out. Screen-free customer experiences could be the future. They could be just a single touchpoint in the broader context of customer experience strategy. Or, they could just be a passing fad.

But the chances that voice-first customer experiences are a fad seem to be shrinking.

Commentary

Two Big Facebook Moves in the First Two Weeks of 2018

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“It will be interesting to watch how much SMBs’ costs go up with Facebook to achieve the same level of engagement that they have been enjoying,” Mike Blumenthal tells David Mihm in their biweekly column. “As Google expands their many local offerings, this might just play into their hands by forcing businesses back to Google My Business.”

Local SEOs: Don’t Play These Google Games

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Trying to game Google today is not worth the risk. Yet every day I see examples online and talk to digital marketers, agencies and businesses who are still trying to trick Google. Whether you’re optimizing your client’s business or your own, here are a few local SEO games you should stop playing with Google.

Why CMOs Will Be the Most Important Executives in 2018

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To today’s consumer, products and brands are plaited into a single entity. Thus, a company’s “product” now encompasses a consumer’s brand perception, interaction with its products, and affinity for its communities.

Latest Posts

How Car Marketers Get Customers

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Consumers are becoming savvier in the ways they research and purchase new cars, favoring online research over conversations with real world salespeople. So car marketer are using SEO, pay-per-click, third-party directories, and call tracking software to bring in leads. (Sponsored by CallRail)

Street Fight Daily: Bloomingdale’s Capitalizes on Snapchat Geofilters, Amazon Video Threatens Retailers

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A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Snapchat Geofilters Help Bloomingdale’s Connect with Next Generation of Shoppers… Amazon’s Video Steaming Service is a Threat to Retailers, Not Netflix… Google Looking at How to Measure Brand Awareness for Search…

Vistaprint Launches Platform to Connect Online and Offline Marketing

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Vistaprint is expanding beyond its roots as a provider of custom printed products today, with a new suite of digital marketing tools for “micro” business owners. The company’s redesigned website building platform will include tools for social media marketing, local listings, email marketing, and business email, along with design services.

Can Google Shift Its Revenue Model From Advertising to Products?

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“Google rolling out integrated hardware and software is a big change,” Mike Blumenthal says to David Mihm. “They have tried their hand at manufacturing many times and failed, but this feels more strategic. Clearly their AI assistant effort is central and it seems that AI is table stakes for the coming battles.”

DAC Group’s Fritz: ‘Consolidation Has Already Started’ in Local Tech

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“The biggest opportunity [will materialize] as we start to see technology platforms look at areas outside of their sweet spot,” says the company’s VP of business development. “We’ve heard rumblings around technology companies looking to purchase more agency solutions, as well as vice versa: agencies looking to acquire for tech.”

Street Fight Daily: Consumers Slow to Embrace E-Grocery, Location-Based Marketing Drives Foot Traffic

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A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… One Local Market — Packaged Food and Household Goods — Resistant to E-Commerce… Location-Based Marketing Boosts Store Visits… Gordon Borrell on Why Facebook is Killing It in Local Advertising…

LBMA Podcast: Waze’s Brands, EatStreet/PingUp, and McDonald’s.

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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: Skedaddle, Netclearance, Marriott’s #Mgravityroom, Under Armour, Sears + Uber, Google Trips, Sito Mobile + Blue Bite, and Verizon buys Sensity.

Street Fight Daily: Facebook Launches Events App, Gap Between Online and Offline Commerce Shrinks

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A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Facebook Launches Events App… Gap Between Online and Offline Commerce is Shrinking… How the Shift to Mobile Has Impacted Local Search and Display Marketing…

Openings and New Hires at OpenTable, Unacast, Foursquare

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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 Weather Company, Dropsource, Brandify and Tronc.

Raise Report: New Funding for FreshDirect, Tout, Home Chef

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Every two weeks, we round up some of the biggest fundraises taking place in hyperlocal marketing, commerce, and tech. This week’s edition includes funding for Zenly, Prowler, TapFwd, and Clearpath Robotics.