News and Analysis
Square Announces SDK, Opening Its Platform Directly to Developers for First Time
Recognizing and looking to capitalize on the fact that some businesses may have needs its own software does not exhaust, Square announced on Thursday the release of the Square Reader SDK, which will allow developers serving brands and SMBs around the world to redesign the check-out experience in exactly the right way for their specific businesses.
After Downgrading Publishers, Facebook Explores New Ways to Boost Them
We all remember the seemingly apocalyptic early 2018 announcement that Facebook would downgrade publishers in favor of foregrounding posts from users’ family and friends. Less discussed are the various changes Facebook has made since that announcement to give publishers on its platform a fighting chance.
Commentary
Selling to Small Businesses: Getting Your Pitch Past the Gatekeepers
Having better conversations with gatekeepers is one way to improve the sales process. Most inquiring sales reps tend to ask a gatekeeper when the decision maker will be available and then quickly end the sales call. This is a waste of a great opportunity to gather valuable intel. A gatekeeper can be your unwitting scout, giving you the information you need to better serve your prospective client…
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Dallas Morning News Bets Ranch on Its Local/Hyperlocal Strategy
For the Dallas Morning News, local and hyperlocal — increasingly digital but with a continuing and strong print presence — define the future of the 130-year-old A. H. Belo Corp. newspaper. To find out more about what the DMN is doing to plan for the local digital future, we talked recently with several executives in charge of that strategy…
Street Fight Daily: Uber Paves Way to IPO, GM Sells Ads In Cars
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Uber Closes $1.6 Billion in Financing (New York Times)… GM Is Beaming Advertisements Into Your Car (Fast Company)… Sensory Marketing Is the Next Frontier in Mobile Advertising (AdAge)…
How Google Wallet’s Ex-Product Lead Plans To Tell Retailers What You Buy
The company offers retailers a chance to link the mountain of data, available about consumers online, to the growing, but relatively opaque, credit card data collected by retailers in stores. Marc Freed-Finnegan, the company’s chief executive, spoke to Street Fight recently about the shift toward a more intelligent brick-and-mortar retail experience…
Street Fight Daily: Amazon Folds Mobile Wallet, Yahoo’s Search Bump
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology…Amazon To Fold Its Mobile Wallet App Beta On Wednesday (CNet)… Yahoo Sees Big 1.6 Percent Monthly Search Share Gain At Google’s Expense In New ComScore Data (Search Engine Land)… NYC City Council Showdown on Airbnb Rentals on the Agenda (Skift)…
Why Chilean Hyperlocal Network Mi Voz Succeeds Where Patch Failed
Over the past decade, the Chilean community news network Mi Voz has transformed the way news is produced, consumed, and sustained in the often neglected small cities and towns outside of the country’s capital, Santiago. In the process, it has also proven that a local news network can be profitable…
Street Fight Daily: Twitter Buys ZipDial, Porch Nabs $65 Million
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology…Twitter Buys Indian Mobile Marketing Startup (Time)… SoftBank Emerges As The Biggest Challenger To Uber (TechCrunch)… Marketers Claim to Be More Mobile Than We Might Think (MediaPost)…
The Importance of Responsive Web Design for SMB Sites
It’s critical for local businesses to have a beautiful site that doesn’t just scale down to low resolutions, but also looks great on all devices — from a 27” desktop display to a “smart” refrigerator, and every tablet, phablet, and phone in between. That’s why for the majority of local businesses, responsive design is the best mobile strategy…
Street Fight Daily: Google Eyes Softcard, Lyft Seeks Mega-Funding
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Google Is In Talks With Mobile Payments Company Softcard (TechCrunch)… Lyft Seeking New Mega-Funding to Battle Uber (Recode)… Are Facebook And Yelp Losing The Support Of Small Businesses? (Pando)…
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