News and Analysis
5 Cannabis Payroll Platforms
Growers, dispensaries, and other businesses that operate in the legal cannabis industry are caught between federal and state regulations, which make banking and payroll a challenge. Despite marijuana being legal in many states, cannabis businesses are still on shaky ground at the federal level, and banks in particular are skittish about partnering with the industry. Without solid banking partners, local cannabis businesses can have trouble keeping up on payroll. So what’s the solution?
Rather than waiting for Congress to make a decision on potential regulations that would shield banks from federal punishment for maintaining accounts for cannabis businesses, more dispensaries and growers are moving toward using web-based cannabis payroll platforms designed specifically for their industry.
Hyperlocal Social Firm Nextdoor Closes $170M Round, Adds Meeker to Board
The company seems well positioned to address the ills of social network and platforms plagued by negative user-generated content in general these days. That’s because it actually verifies the identities of its users and puts people in touch who live near each other in the physical world, definitely not eliminating all risk but limiting the chance that people use digital anonymity to harass each other without repercussions.
The Number-One Reason Consumers Will Delete Your App
It’s easy to get your app deleted from consumers’ phones at a time when every businesses has its own mobile property and social notifications are wearing consumers down. If you want to get deleted, just message your customers all the time, a new study by messaging platform Leanplum found.
The most common reason consumers deleted mobile apps is too many irrelevant notifications, Leanplum’s survey of 1,000 US mobile users found. This held true for all generations, from Gen-Z to Baby Boomers. More than 75% of the crucial millennial generation said they delete apps due to excessive notifications.
Commentary
What Does the Bot Bubble Mean for Facebook’s Long Game?
“Facebook has long been a force in post-sale retention and Messenger can really play a huge part as a CRM tool,” Mike Blumenthal tells David Mihm. “I see it as the “real” social network… the one where folks communicate with those closest to them.”
Yext’s IPO Could Raise All Boats in Local — And Herald Consolidation
While the company’s long-anticipated announcement yesterday didn’t come as a huge surprise for those following local, the news that it was imminent still packed a punch. So we asked several luminaries to weigh in on what the offering might portend for the broader industry.
Why It’s Too Early to Go All In on Virtual Assistants
As the so-called customer journey takes new twists and turns, tech companies and agencies should help local businesses and brands differentiate themselves via user experience. Catering to virtual assistants might seem to be the path towards that goal. But it’s probably too early to make huge bets on these technologies.
Latest Posts
5 On-Demand Apps for Emergency Services
While dialing 911 is the correct response when major emergencies occur, it isn’t always appropriate for lesser events, like flat tires or minor medical injuries. For events that are urgent but not life-threatening, a host of specialty on-demand apps are looking to fill the void.
Street Fight Daily: Amazon Could Buy Stake in HERE, New Subscription Service from Postmates
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Amazon In Talks to Buy Stake in Mapping Company HERE (Yahoo Finance)… Postmates Launches Subscription Service, Hits 1M Monthly Deliveries (TechCrunch)… More Brands Mean Many More Buttons for Amazon Service (New York Times)…
‘Indie’ Pureplays Capitalize on Newspaper Turmoil in Big SoCal Markets
As founder of the independent pureplays Times of San Diego and My News LA, Chris Jennewein is going up against Tribune Publishing, owner of the San Diego Union-Tribune and the Los Angeles Times, both once-reigning print dailies that are trying to make a comeback in the crowded digital space.
Case Study: Using Digital Coupons to Generate Calls
In today’s competitive landscape, digital marketing firms are honing their sales pitches and investing in innovative new technologies to stand out from the pack. But when Don Fuller’s Appliance Repair co-owner Lisa Fuller evaluates a vendor, she looks at something that’s harder to quantify — sincerity.
Street Fight Daily: Tim Armstrong’s AOL Goals, Square Launches New Payments Tools
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… AOL’s Tim Armstrong Aims to Build Digital-Ad Empire at Verizon (Wall Street Journal)… Square Has a New Growth Hack to Increase Its Payment Processing Volume (Recode)… Car-Pooling Helps Uber Go the Extra Mile (New York Times)…
Why Retailers Like McDonald’s Should Take Note of Starbucks’ Loyalty Program Misstep
There has been a lot of backlash from Starbucks customers after the company changed the mechanism of its My Starbucks Rewards program last month from frequency-based rewards to dollars spent. The switch is informative for other retail brands, and indicates that personalization is key.
Grocery Delivery Options Reach Further Into Local Communities
Matt Hatoun, founder of online buying club Wholeshare, believes that the delivery space is burning itself out by offering its services to mostly high-end customers who can afford to pay fees on top of the price of high end products.
Street Fight Daily: Google Will Offer Home Phone Service, Lyft Introduces New Carpooling Feature
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Google Fiber’s Latest Innovation Is a Landline (TechCrunch)… Lyft Wants to Make ‘Casual Carpooling’ a Thing Again (The Verge)… Digital Neck-and-Neck with TV Ad Spend in the U.S. (eMarketer)…
Case Study: Law Firm Uses Social Channels to Amplify Messaging to Prospects
“Marketing for law firms generally is something that not even 20 years ago was considered somewhat taboo,” Mike Mellor says. “The folks in law firms have had some catching up to do in regards to driving cultural change and getting attorneys comfortable with the concept of marketing and new business development.”
Augmenting the Local Shopping Reality
“I believe we are now at the tipping point where both AR and VR are set to become accepted into the mainstream and in a few years will play an integral part in all our lives,” says Amplified Robot’s Steve Dann.
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Meta Is Automating Ads, But Brands Still Face a Bigger Problem