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
How Badly Do Consumers Really Want Grocery Delivery?
Instacart is bumping up against the realities of the economy. There are two countervailing trends that are working against the idea of grocery delivery: frugality, and shopping-as-entertainment.
The Changing Role of Local Search Ranking
As mobile searches outpace desktop-based searches, proximity throws a wrench in the works of traditional rankings.
National-to-Local Marketers’ Top Pain Points Center on Integration
Nearly half of those who responded said they spend 1/3 or more of their digital marketing dollars to support their branch offices, franchises, and distributors — and 40% of them expect that budget mix to increase.
Latest Posts
6 Strategies for Segmenting Website Visitors for Real-Time Personalization
Marketing strategies like real-time website personalization have gone mainstream. But marketers still need help understanding the best ways to segment website visitors to get the most out of their personalization efforts. Here are six strategies from three top industry experts that detail how to segment site visitors for real-time personalization.
Street Fight Daily: Goldman Sachs’ Advertising Report, App Search Company Tests Mobile Ads
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Goldman Sachs: Online Advertising About to Be ‘Fundamentally Restructured’ by Apple, Google, and Facebook (Business Insider)… App Search Engine Quixey Now Taking a Crack at Mobile Ads (Recode)… Shopify Partners with U.S. Postal Service to Woo More Retailers (Reuters)…
Same-Day Delivery: The Linchpin in the Battle for the Last Mile of Commerce
Consumers are more impatient and time-starved than ever. At least that’s the impression one could derive from the seemingly unending string of same-day delivery announcements from major retailers, restaurants, convenience-store chains, startup enablers, and technology companies. The driving force behind their renewed focus on ever-shorter delivery windows: conquering the elusive last mile of commerce.
How Hearst Newspapers Became the Leader in Its Peer Group
Under president Mark E. Aldam, Hearst Newspapers is going full bore on digital, creating in-house digital marketing services and betting big on programmatic advertising. In our interview, Aldam explains how Hearst has become a top performer in the still financially challenged newspaper industry.
Street Fight Daily: Mobile Wallets Can Guide Search’s ‘Next Moment,’ BuzzFeed Wants to Go Local
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Mobile Wallets, GPS and Beacons: How to Dominate the ‘Next Moment’ of Local Search (Search Engine Land)… BuzzFeed Is Planning to Enter the Local News Game in the U.K. (Nieman Lab)… Grubhub, DoorDash, and Caviar Hit with Worker-Misclassification Complaints (San Francisco Business Times)…
How Local Businesses Can Leverage Content Marketing
Content marketing is on the rise: 69 percent of B2C marketers are creating more content now than they did a year ago, according to the Content Marketing Institute. Using blogs, videos, infographics, and other content to attract the interest of customers can be an effective option for small or local businesses. But time and resource constraints mean local businesses need to approach content marketing in a smart and strategic way.
Better Use of Data Could Dramatically Alter Local Digital Sales
Data is a core principle of digital marketing today, yet when it comes to local, big data has not penetrated very deeply where the sales process is concerned. All of that is about to change with the appearance of multiple companies trying to put data at the center of the way digital marketing is presented and sold to local businesses.
Street Fight Daily: Groupon Will Cut 1,100 Jobs, LivingSocial is Planning a Comeback
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Groupon to Cut 1,100 Jobs, Pull Out of 7 Countries (Chicago Tribune)… The Resurrection of LivingSocial (DCInno)… The Commoditization of Ad Tech — How the Cross-Device Landscape is Going to Get Worse Before It Gets Better (Medium)…
5 Tools for Measuring Social Marketing Results
Social media has become an essential part of the local marketer’s playbook. But with so many platforms and networks to choose from, and so many metrics to measure, it’s challenging for small business owners to know what they’re getting in return for their budgets. Here are six platforms with advanced tools for measuring results on social spending.
Report: Breaking into the Inbox with Successful Pitches to Local Merchants
A new report from Street Fight Insights found that when being pitched a new product or service, local merchants want information on costs, a clear explanation — backed up by case studies — of how the product or service will benefit their business, and all their questions or concerns addressed.
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