News and Analysis
Communicating on GMB Poses Some Challenges, but the Local Ecosystem Has Answers
Google has been hard at work on local in 2018 and 2019, taking strides toward making its Google My Business app the one-stop-shop for local businesses hoping to connect with customers through digital means. Nevertheless, local is a tricky, 24-7 business, and when it comes to connecting brick-and-mortars with customers nearby, Alphabet’s core business has some room for improvement.
5 Platforms Using AI to Analyze Customer Reviews
Beyond the star ratings lies a wealth of information. Sentiment and opinions can be used to shape the way brands develop their highest-selling products. Given the volume of reviews posted each day, however, it would be impossible for most major brands to analyze every customer reaction individually. Instead, a growing number of brands are utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) technology to extract and analyze the sentiment from product reviews. Here are five examples of platforms that offer this type of AI technology for analyzing customer feedback posted online.
How Brands Are Using AR to Generate Buzz, Promote Loyalty
The push into AR can be seen as a way for brand retailers to differentiate themselves from Amazon, bringing the in-store experience into the online world. It’s also a way for retailers to jumpstart word-of-mouth marketing, with the hope that using innovative technologies is new ways will have a viral effect and get people talking.
Commentary
Survey: Demand for Multichannel Programmatic Is Promising
Nearly one-third of the respondents in Street Fight’s survey who also said that local media and content was important for their marketing were thinking about such cross-channel programmatic. Interest appeared highest for marketers who found local TV effective, but also played strongly with radio and print fans.
The New Proximity: A Second Phase in Mobile Brings Here and Now to Life
The first phase of mobile software relied on us to express a desire and thereby to enable a service. Our actions initiated services that capitalized on the phone’s ability to maximize proximity. Now we’re entering a second phase where, for many of us, connectivity and location awareness will be active for longer stretches of our days.
Latest Posts
Street Fight Daily: Yahoo to Discuss Selling Internet Business, Google’s New Pinterest-Like Feature
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Yahoo Board to Weigh Sale of Internet Business (Wall Street Journal)… Google Turns Image Search into Pinterest with New ‘Collections’ Feature (TechCrunch)… Uber Teams with Enterprise to Let Drivers Rent Cars for Ride-Sharing (Denver Business Journal)…
Case Study: Restaurant Increases Visit Frequency with Mobile Ordering Option
Cold-calling techniques have a notoriously low success rate for hyperlocal vendors trying to onboard new merchants, but it was an unsolicited drop-in that led to The American Grilled Cheese Kitchen’s successful three-year relationship with ChowNow, an online ordering system and marketing platform for restaurants.
Local News Media on Ad Blockers: ‘We’re Not Hemorrhaging Revenue’
Ad blocking on mobile has been in the spotlight since Apple launched its iOS 9 operating system in September. “The loss from ad blockers appears to be more of an opportunity loss for publishers than an actual revenue loss,” said Thomas Sly, E. W. Scripps Co. vp of digital revenue and chair of the Local Media Consortium committee established to respond to the ad-blocking threat.
Street Fight Daily: Social Networks Struggle with Ecommerce, Nextdoor’s ‘Neighborhood Favorites’
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Social Networks Face Obstacles in Road to Ecommerce Domination (Gigaom)… Nextdoor’s ‘Neighborhood Favorites’ Gets Closer to a Business Model (Local Onliner)… Millennials’ Growing Distrust of Plastic Cards Paves Way for Digital Payments (Marketing Land)…
Holiday Weekend a Big Win for Mobile
If U.S. consumers proved reluctant to spend their Thanksgiving holiday in stores, they demonstrated few qualms about shopping online. Digital commerce was up significantly from 2014 levels. The momentum continued into Black Friday, which also saw brick-and-mortar spending reach its highest totals since 2012. The biggest winner over the holiday weekend was mobile: Its share of website traffic and online sales reached record highs.
LBMA Podcast: Western Union and WeChat Partner for Money Transfers, Carvana to Sell Cars in Vending Machines
On the show: Western Union partners with WeChat for money transfers; Carvana to sell cars through vending machines; Millennial Media working with Rentrak to match TV ad viewing with mobile; RedBox offers free movie rentals for “America’s Movie Night;” National Geographic launches “Find Your Park, Love Your Park.” Plus, news from SenionLab; Gravy + ROIchecker; RoamingAround; Google + Virgin America; and Oxfam America + xAd.
Street Fight Daily: Mobile Payment Transactions to Reach $27B by 2016, How to Sell on Social Media
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… U.S. Proximity Mobile Payment Transactions to Reach $8.71 Billion in 2015 (eMarketer)… The New Wave of Selling on Mobile and Social (TechCrunch)… Amazon Books Should Be the Future of Brick-and-Mortar Retail Chains (Gigaom)…
4 Ways You Can Use Google’s Search Analytics Report
Life has not been easy for SEO specialists and webmasters the past few years. Despite Google’s obvious good intentions, the updates it has rolled out, starting with Panda and continuing through to the more recent “mobilegeddon,” have made optimization more difficult for digital marketers. Google’s Search Analytics Report (SAR) is an important step in mending this relationship. Here are four tips to help you get the most out of the new SAR.
Holiday Shopping Data Roundup: $39 Billion to Be Spent Locally This Year
The holiday season isn’t just a big time of year for retail spending; it’s also a big time of year for retail spending data. The stats indicate one common trend: Purchasing is going to be more omnichannel than ever. Here’s a rundown on some key data points for this holiday shopping season.
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Beyond Likes: Win Hearts with Emotional Marketing