News and Analysis

Cannabis Retailer Uses Tech to Boost Employee Morale

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Old-school companies hosted picnics and holiday parties to keep their employees happy, but tech-focused startups in the cannabis industry are taking a decidedly more sophisticated approach.

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6 Lead-Generation Platforms for Local Businesses

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More than a quarter of consumers say they use the internet to find local businesses every day, and yet a whopping 29% of small businesses still don’t have websites. Here are six examples of lead-generation platforms that small businesses are using right now.

GMB App Adds Support for Service-Area Businesses

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As of late last week, Google is offering an update to the Google My Business app that adds support for service-area businesses. Earlier in November, a Local Search Forum blog post indicated that Google would be adding features to help such businesses with local customers.

Commentary

Street Fight’s Predictions for 2016: Part One

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With 2015 drawing to a close, it’s time again to look ahead to what we can expect in the hyperlocal space in 2016. We asked Street Fight staffers and weekly columnists what they thought would be the biggest story (or stories) in local in 2016. We’ll be running their outlooks in two installments, the first today and the second tomorrow.

Rating Street Fight’s 2015 Predictions

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At the end of each year, Street Fight invites staffers, friends, and luminaries from the industry to share their predictions for what’s in store for the coming year. Today, we take a look back at some of the predictions for 2015 to see who was on target and who missed the mark.

Street Fight Hyperlocal Analyst Predictions for 2016

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With 2015 drawing to a close, it’s time again to look ahead to what we can expect in the hyperlocal space in 2016. This year, we did things a little differently. We invited our regular analyst contributors to 1) weigh in on what they felt would be a “sure thing” in the coming year, 2) offer a prediction on something that might get big (but might not happen), and 3) identify something that hyperlocal marketers and merchants really don’t need to worry about. This is the first of several predictions pieces we will feature this week.

Latest Posts

Street Fight Daily: Uber Nears $2B in Revenue, Twitter Ads Get More Reach

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A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology…… Leaked Doc: Uber Nears $2 Billion in Revenue, Expects IPO in 18-24 Months (Recode)… Twitter Gives Promoted Tweets and Video Ads More Mobile Reach (AdWeek)… Facebook Has Taken Over From Google as a Traffic Source for News (Fortune)…

Case Study: Bubble Tea Shops Use Boosted Facebook Posts for Customer Acquisition

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Like many merchants, the team behind Boba Guys relies primarily on unpaid marketing campaigns for customer retention, using organic tactics like posting exclusives and inside news on social media. Ten percent of Boba Guys’ marketing is aimed at customer acquisition.

Geofencing at Events: How to Reach Potential Customers Live and On-Site

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Businesses have been taking a closer look at the potential for geofencing and proximity marketing for trade shows, events, and festivals. The technology offers some rich opportunities for interactive messages, and can ensure that promotions are especially relevant.

Street Fight Daily: The Magnitude of Instagram’s API Switch, PayPal Acquires Mobile Commerce Startup

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A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Why an Instagram Tweak Spells the Beginning of a Multibillion-Dollar Industry (Recode)… PayPal Makes Its First Acquisition After Splitting From eBay (Fortune)… Google Express Plans to Shut Down Its Two Delivery Hubs (Recode)…

A New Political Campaign Methodology Connects Supporters With Localized Social Media

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It’s self-evident that campaigns should be promoted at local levels, where word-of-mouth buzz can truly happen within neighborhoods. As the 2016 national election approaches, campaigns have the opportunity to harness local social more directly than ever before.

Sponsored Content: Localizing Your Pay-Per-Click Campaigns

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After getting listed in online directories, setting up SEO-optimized websites, and creating profiles on popular social channels, running a PPC campaign is the next logical step for local business marketers. This post is part of a series on strategies in local digital marketing, sponsored by Mediative.

Street Fight Daily: Amazon Might Crowdsource Delivery, Square Introduces Apple Watch App

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A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Amazon Flex Could Be a New Way to Get Your Packages, Report Says (Mashable)… Square Cash for the Apple Watch Lets You Send Money From Your Wrist (The Next Web)… Here’s How the Post Office is Taking On UPS, FedEx, and Amazon (Fortune)…

Why Online Marketplaces Will Continue to Beat Word-of-Mouth Platforms in the Battle for Local Business

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People seek the opinions of their friends. They care what they think, and they trust them to make recommendations on everything from a good meal to a good mechanic. It’s word of mouth marketing — the most prized of its kind since the Stone Age. And its staying power undeniably supports the rationale for a […]

7 Ways For SMBs to Maximize the Benefits of Online Scheduling

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Before adding new platforms to the marketing mix, merchants should fully utilize the scheduling systems they’ve already implemented at their businesses. Here are seven examples of ways that merchants can maximize the benefits of online booking tools.

Street Fight Daily: Uber Launches Food Delivery, Facebook’s Ad Tech Strategy

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A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… UberEats Comes to San Francisco, Where Food Delivery Is Hot (Recode)… With Retooled Atlas Under the Hood, Facebook Closes in on Linking Ads to Sales Across Devices (AdAge)… Retail Tech Meets Consumer Reality: Cracking the Consumer Path to Purchase Code (PYMNTS.com)…