News and Analysis
Why SMBs Are Flocking to Martech to Combat Covid Slump
The old way of doing business isn’t working anymore. As restaurants, retailers, and other businesses work to keep customers updated about shifting hours of operation and in-store social distancing requirements, they are opening up to outside-the-box ideas and becoming more comfortable trying location-targeted marketing platforms.
Data show that digital adoption among businesses and consumers jumped forward at least five years in the first eight weeks of the pandemic. Small restaurants and retailers are eagerly adopting the same tools now that they were hesitant to try back in 2019. That push is leading technology providers to expand their offerings and develop new tools for a growing market.
Mediaocean Acquires 4C Insights. What’s Next for Ad Tech?
The coronavirus pandemic and ensuing recession have forced tech vendors to step up their games and make a stronger case to advertisers as to why their products and services are essential amid tightening budgets. The year of Covid-19 is also fostering a favorable environment for mergers and acquisitions, as solo players team up to emerge stronger on the other side of a stormy season.
Last week, ad tech got a fresh acquisition, as Mediaocean acquired 4C Insights. I checked in with Aaron Goldman, CMO of 4C Insights, to find out what the acquisition portends for the two companies and how it matches up with broader trends in ad tech.
Retail Prepares for a Covid-Inflected Holiday Season
The coronavirus pandemic has accelerated the shift from brick-and-mortar commerce to digital transactions. It has also forced brick-and-mortars resisting the hybridization of their own businesses to adopt digital methods, turning restaurants and apparel stores alike into both brick-and-mortar establishments and online sellers.
Against that backdrop, retail’s biggest quarter will present novel challenges this year. Retailers will need to optimize for online transactions and contend with fragmented national and global landscapes where it may be safe to go to stores in New York but not in Los Angeles.
Commentary
Back to Basics: Why Every Business Should Invest in SEO
Contributor Kelsey Taylor goes back to the basics, laying out a case regarding the fundamental usefulness of SEO that might be presented to local business owners or industry newcomers.
AR Cloud: The Linchpin for Local AR
What about the non-Googles of the world? How will they create AR and visual search apps that can map environments reliably and return the correct info or graphics? The answer is the still-theoretical but critical AR Cloud.
LBMA Podcast: Placed, CityMapper, WeWork
On this week’s LBMA podcast: BAG Networks, Placed, Citymapper, Robomart, REI, BMW acquires Parkmobile, Universal + Amazon Alexa, and WeWork buys Conductor.
Latest Posts
Infographic: The Fight for Leads
In the battle to find and convert customers, a range of tools are at the disposal of marketers. This infographic highlights eight winning tactics being used by marketers in health care, automotive, marketing agencies and law firms. It is the final post in the “Fight for Leads” series sponsored by CallRail.
Street Fight Daily: Business Discovery in the Voice Search Age, Mobile ROI Eludes Marketers
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… SEO’s Path Forward in the Age of Google Assistant, Home, and Amazon Echo… 67% of Marketers Can’t Measure Mobile ROI… Among Marketers, IoT Is Seen as Critical Emerging Technology…
State of Hyperlocal Report: What’s Hot in Local Marketing and Commerce
social media, data and analytics, and mobile—especially geotargeting—are the hot technology investments for marketing and commerce. The investment in data and analytics is in part driven by the biggest overall industry challenge, online-to-offline attribution measurement, and one of the most difficult issues facing individual companies, proving ROI to customers.
With New Partnership, Commerce Signals and PlaceIQ Marry Location With Transaction Data
Commerce Signals this week rolled out its new centerpiece product, called databridge. The platform lets marketers see unfiltered transaction data directly from financial institutions when purchases are made. This transaction information is being combined with location data in a new partnership with PlaceIQ.
Street Fight Daily: Meal Kits Cut Into Local Supermarket Spending, Tracking Google’s Shift to Mobile-First
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Popularity of Meal Kits Sees Steady Rise, Cutting Into Supermarket Spending… Google’s Shift to Mobile-First: Mobile Moments That Matter… Gett Secures $100M Loan from Sberbank to Expand Its On-Demand Ride Service…
LBMA Podcast: British Petroleum, Crust Pizza, Simpli.fi
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: Galleries Lafayette, Royal British Legion, Coca-Cola, xAd buys Weatherbug, DAC Group, Yelp + SweetIQ, and AirBnB.
Using Chatbots to Improve the Customer Experience
Although automated messaging has been around for years, today’s chatbots combine machine learning with artificial intelligence to create enhanced user experiences. Chatbots are also giving brands a chance to flex their creative muscles, utilizing technology in innovative ways.
How Brands Can Get More Out of Their Brick-and-Mortar Marketing
Marketers that fail to see local storefronts as a critical channel are missing out on a rich sales opportunity. Brands invest $70 billion in local markets each year, but a significant portion of that spend often goes to waste because they fail to work collaboratively with their local partners.
Street Fight Daily: Google My Business Tests Chat Feature, M-Commerce Sees Conversion Issues
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Google My Business Tests a Messaging Feature to Enable Business-Customer Communication… Mobile Smartphone Shoppers Struggle with Navigation… E-Commerce Won Black Friday Weekend. Now Walmart Really Has to Compete on Amazon’s Turf…
What Is the Essential Digital Marketing Bundle for Local Businesses?
Where should small businesses be spending their money (or energy) right now to maximize their digital investment? Mike Blumenthal and David Mihm say it all starts with a website and listings management, and includes a variety of services like email newsletters, reviews management, and even Facebook ads.
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AI Won’t Fix Advertising – It May Scale Its Chaotic Nature