News and Analysis
What’s Visual Search, and How Will It Play Out in 2019?
While visual search isn’t exactly catching on like fire yet, its evolution is buttressed by powerful developments of late in the tech industry. Among these: smartphones are increasingly ubiquitous, more efficient, and we’re all more accustomed to using them; investment in AI from both big companies and startups is widespread, making machine vision more effective; and augmented reality (AR), a similar modality in which tech overlays graphics onto images captured via camera lens, is taking off. Below are a few ways visual search will play out in local and retail in 2019.
Voice’s Local Impact in 2018 and 2019
Street Fight’s Mike Boland explained in a white paper on voice this year that there’s a number of misconceptions regarding how the medium will play out in local search and commerce, and there’s plenty of research out there to illuminate where voice is really headed. I outline some key insights about voice as brands and SMBs alike make plans to tackle it in the months to come.
How Predictive Analytics Reshaped Decision-Making in 2018 and Will Evolve in 2019
In this Q&A, we dig into what Sriram Parthasarathy, senior director of product architecture and predictive analytics at Logi Analytics, envisions as the future of predictive analytics and what he believes still needs to happen before AI-enabled applications move into the mainstream.
Commentary
Can Facebook Win Local?
Facebook is known universally for its social networking features, but the company has quietly but consistently been rolling out a set of tools to make it the go-to platform for SMBs. From social buy buttons, call functionality, and Pages to messaging and free beacons, Facebook is staking its claim to online, offline, and online-to-offline marketing and commerce for SMBs.
INFOGRAPHIC: The Complex SMB Marketing Ecosystem 2.0
As the head of digital strategy for a broadcaster operating local TV stations, Lorren Elkins has been challenged to clearly understand the digital marketing space from an SMB perspective. In response, he developed an interactive chart, now in its second iteration, to both enhance his own understanding and assist SMBs in identifying potential suppliers.
Online Reviews Providing Insights That Help Brands Compete
The evidence is in. Reviews on social media have a material impact on the capital investments made by nationwide brands. The key is strength in numbers: A national brand will be more likely to have the critical mass of reviews required in order to move beyond anecdotal evidence and glean statistically significant results.
Latest Posts
6 Vendors Bringing Hyperlocal Tech to Medical Offices
A changing healthcare landscape is leading many physicians to rethink the way they market their practices, and this is creating new opportunities for hyperlocal vendors. Here are six examples of platforms that use hyperlocal technology to help local medical professionals acquire new patients.
Sponsored Post: Building an Integrated Local Digital Strategy
Merchants like Brendan Madigan, owner of Alpenglow Sports in Tahoe City, Calif., say local listing management is an important component in their larger digital marketing strategies: “So many people want to contact your business … and if you’re late to the party, you’re just shooting yourself in the foot.”
Street Fight Daily: YP Transitions to Mobile and Display Ads, Alibaba’s Advantage
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Is YP’s Search Data Strong Enough to Win More Local Digital Ad Dollars? (Adweek)… Why Amazon Should Fear Alibaba (Forbes)… Uber Is Now Testing “Suggested Pickup Points” (TechCrunch)…
Why Selling to Partners and Resellers Is Never a Straight Path
Media companies are constantly bombarded by digital product and ad tech platform companies vying for consideration. Getting the attention of reseller and partner decision makers requires a clear understanding of their business challenges.
Beacons Reaching Millennial Moms — But Are They Motivating Them to Buy?
A new report from beacon proximity platform inMarket indicates that millennial moms in the U.S are getting the beacon message — literally — with more than 38 percent (or 3.4 million out of 9 million) actively using beacon-enabled apps every month.
Street Fight Daily: Yelp’s Struggles Continue, New App Bizibid Wants to Boost Local Economies
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Yelp Traffic Could Decline for the First Time Ever After Google Changed its Search Algorithm (Business Insider)… What Would Happen If Uber, Priceline, and Craigslist Had a Baby? (New York Observer)… Microsoft’s Tossup App Makes it Easier to Meet Your Friends for Lunch (The Verge)…
What Merchants Need to Know About Apple Pay and Loyalty Apps
Having provided a window into the future of Apple Pay and Wallet, Apple recently left small businesses wondering about how to adapt their mobile strategies to stay competitive. Here’s how the changes could affect merchants.
Local News Sites Need More Than Funding — They Need Vision
Community news vet Steven Waldman has produced “Report for America,” a brisk blueprint to save what he calls “civically important” news. But if publishers are really going to save local news, they should work on deepening their focus on the demographic shifts in their communities…
Street Fight Daily: Buy Buttons’ Impact, 7-Eleven Launches One-Hour Delivery
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… New, Simple ‘Buy’ Buttons Aim to Entice Mobile Shoppers (New York Times)… Twitter Introduces New Audience Insights for Brands (Twitter)… 7-Eleven Launches One-Hour Delivery in US (RetailWeek)…
Street Fight Daily: Yelp Sale Stalls, Twitter’s New Ads Button
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Yelp Sale Process to Stall as Founder Decides to Wait (Bloomberg)… Twitter Pushes Ads With A New Button Atop Mobile Users’ Profiles (TechCrunch)… An Argument that Newspapers are Missing Out on Reaching Loyal, Local Digital Audiences (NiemanLab)…
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