News and Analysis
Google Testing Restaurant Booking, Foreshadowing Ever Tighter Grip on Local Commerce
The news is an important signal that local-commerce options like Reserve with Google will get sleeker and more dominant in the years to come. And it calls to mind a crucial local-search debate: Will Google SERPs and the many options for engagement with local brick-and-mortars on them effectively supplant the local business website as the crucial interface for interacting with customers?
Commentary
How Data Is Poised to Significantly Transform Local Marketing
It is becoming clear that this is the year when our industry effectively leverages data integration across the marketing ecosystem. One significant aspect of this industry evolution is the injection of physical-world data with other data sets, as well as mobile. Mobile data is the glue that connects all data with the broader ecosystem.
Latest Posts
Locable Zeroes in on Marketing Solutions for Digitally Challenged Merchants
There are 28 million small businesses in America, and Locable considers all of them candidates for its expanded “Main Street for the 21st Century” marketing services. Now Locable is reaching out to those millions of small businesses through its IMPACT Marketing Suite. We caught up with Locable founder and CEO Brian Ostrovsky to talk about his new initiative.
Sponsored Content: With Banks, There’s a Brand Battle on Every Corner
This month’s Brand Battle, in conjunction with Brandify, compares the local-social engagement strategies of two of the U.S.’ largest banks: Bank of America and Chase. The contest was close on several counts, but Chase emerged as the winner, with social engagement the determining factor in this matchup.
Street Fight Daily: Google Goes After Robocallers in SEO Lawsuit, Apple Acquires Mapsense
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Google Files Suit Against SEO Firm Accused of Robocalling, Launches Complaint Center for Users (Search Engine Land)… Apple Acquires Mapsense, a Mapping Visualization Startup (Recode)… Amazon’s Prime Now Expands to L.A., Ramps Up for SoCal Grocery Deliveries (TechCrunch)…
How the Marketing of SMB Marketing Services is Evolving
The marketing of digital marketing services was once built on guarantees of leads, new customers, clicks, and the like. But when it comes to promoting small and medium-sized business (SMB) marketing products and solutions, the rhetoric and tactics have shifted. The new direction is more consultative and driven by content.
Street Fight Daily: Postmates’ Walgreens Partnership, Twitter and Square’s Election Collab
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… You Can Now Get Your Prescriptions Delivered to You Within an Hour from Walgreens (Business Insider)… Twitter Courts U.S. Presidential Campaigns with New Donations Service (Wall Street Journal)… Why Ad Blocking Is Good News for Almost Everyone (Ad Age)…
Executive Survey: What’s Hot and What’s Not in the Connected Local Economy
Preliminary results from our forthcoming executive survey suggest that industry players are investing the most in mobile, followed by data and analytics. Respondents indicated that mobile marketing and managing company websites were the biggest challenges for local merchants, along with SEO and listings management. More complete survey results will be revealed at our upcoming Street Fight Summit in New York City.
Case Study: Virginia Plumber Records Calls for Improved Customer Service
Social media, search engines, and local review sites can all generate attention for businesses in the home services industry, but when it comes to actually making sales and closing deals, nothing beats the effectiveness of a good old-fashioned telephone call. “Listening to how my associates communicate with clients is important,” says All Plumbing’s Kabir Shafi.
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Streets Ahead: Google Chat, and Instagram Reels