News and Analysis
Location Leaders Step Up to the Plate
During the Covid-19 outbreak, we’re seeing tech companies step up to the plate in a mixture of altruistic and opportunistic moves. That’s everything from Comcast removing data caps to Amazon removing its paywall for streaming kids shows. But what about local specifically? Again, that’s where businesses are getting hit most.
We’ve seen moves in the local space over the past week from Facebook, Yelp, and Foursquare. Though there are several others, we’ll drill down on this representative sample. We’ll also give a shoutout to Google for its work to free up human and compute resources for local listings updates, covered Monday by Damian Rollison.
Loyalty in the Time of “Near Me” Searches, Omnichannel, and Covid-19
In addition to the opportunities and challenges that come with an omni-channel commercial ecosystem, 2020 brings to businesses the challenge of mobile search, which leads people on the go to search for “X near me” and pick the closest possible option. The new year also brought, as hardly anyone would’ve predicted months ago, an impending recession as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.
I caught up with Nicole Amsler, vice president of marketing at loyalty tech firm Formation.ai, to garner her insights on loyalty strategy this year.
Google Disables Reviews and Q&A, Yelp Announces New Features Amid Outbreak
Important announcements were posted Friday by Google and Yelp as part of the effort to contend with coronavirus and its impact on businesses.
Google has published a new help page titled “Limited Google My Business functionality due to COVID-19.” Before diving into the details in the announcement, I’ll mention the most important headline. Due to a rapid reorganization of priorities, Google has determined that at this time, they will disable the ability to leave new reviews, reply to reviews, and post new Question and Answer content.
Commentary
Local Marketing on Alexa? The Real Estate Industry Gives It a Shot
There are almost 40 real estate “skills” currently listed in Alexa’s directory. This is greater than those related to lawyers/attorneys, doctors/dentists, and a host of other SMB categories, and overall there doesn’t yet appear to be much adoption of voice technology at the local business level.
Why Carrier Data Is the Key to Unlocking Mobile Verification
Brands like P&G are placing new demands on agencies and media providers for increased transparency and accountability, which in turn has led to significant advances in areas like viewability. The next battleground is clearly verifying the data accuracy of the underlying ingredients – namely the quality of data used for targeting and measurement.
Where Local Agencies Help Brands Most
About a quarter of multi-location brands use local media agencies to help manage and evaluate their local digital advertising and marketing programs, according to Street Fight’s latest survey. There’s a modest correlation between using agencies and marketing effectiveness, and the agencies seem to help the most with TV and display advertising.
Latest Posts
Geoscape’s New Digital Platform, AudienTivity, Helps Brands Connect With Multicultural Shoppers
The Miami-based company is dedicated to providing data and analytics systems centered around the U.S Hispanic population along with other “new mainstream consumers,” says CEO Cesar Melgoza. This includes consumers from various culture backgrounds, as well as age-based shoppers like millennials, and also the LGBTQ community.
Street Fight Daily: Lyft Reportedly Rejected $6B Offer, Uber-Google Rivalry Heats Up
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Lyft’s $9 Billion Price Tag Was Too High for GM… Uber and Alphabet Rivalry Heats Up Over Self-Driving Vehicles, Mapping Tech, Ride Hailing… Square Forges Relationships with Competitors to Expand its Business Opportunities…
On-Demand Services and Apps Becoming Inevitable Tools for Reaching Customers
Plenty of companies claim to be the “Uber of” their respective markets, but there is more to making it in this scene than just getting goods to customers fast. And not every company gets it right immediately; there is a steep learning curve for handling the logistics behind on-demand services.
Can Augmented VR Turn Window Shoppers Into Buyers?
The technology is here — if not packaged yet — and ultimately the costs to manufacture will likely fall enough to allow SMBs to participate. But until that day arrives I guess we’ll have to hold up our smartphones or don bulky headsets to experience the future.
Street Fight Daily: Marketing Tech Brings in Big Bucks, Consumers Still Unsure About Mobile Wallets
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Why Venture Capitalists Are Betting on Marketing Tech Over Ad Tech… How Connected Cars Are Turning Into Revenue-Generating Machines… Brands Debate Pros and Cons of Reaching Consumers via WhatsApp…
Openings and New Hires at YP, RetailNext and TigerPistol
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 Yodle, Infogroup, Bridg, and Valpak.
Raise Report: LendUp, DroneDeploy, Vettery Secure Fresh Funding
Every two weeks, we round up some of the biggest fundraises taking place in hyperlocal marketing, commerce, and tech. This week’s edition includes new rounds for Simbi, Dexter, MediaBrix, and RedShelf.
TripAdvisor Acquires Social Mapping Service CityMaps
TripAdvisor has announced the acquisition of New York-based social mapping startup CityMaps. The company launched in 2010 as map-based aggregator of third-party data and later evolved into a navigational tool and guide for travelers. TripAdvisor spokesman said the company will continue to operate as a standalone business.
LBMA Podcast: Lyft, Klosebuy, Homebase and Indoor Atlas
Welcome to This Week in Location Based Marketing, a weekly video podcast from the Location Based Marketing Association with Asif Khan and Aubriana Lopez. On the show: PetSmart + MoodMedia, MediaMath + Factual, Pinterest, Be The Match + Snapchat.
Street Fight Daily: Uber Racks Up Big Losses, Businesses Coming to WhatsApp
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Uber Loses At Least $1.2 Billion in First Half of 2016… WhatsApp to Let Business Operate on its Platform… Major Quick-Serve Restaurant Deploys Drones for Food Delivery…
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