Commentary
As Digital Ascends, Is Legacy Media Becoming a ‘Sinkhole’ for Marketers?
One of the most insightful studies released this year by Boston Consulting Group found that the 23 million small businesses in the U.S. allocate only 3% of their advertising spend to digital. Larger companies spend more, but digital still comprises only 15% of their marketing budgets. Meanwhile, it’s clear that the effectiveness of digital media has surpassed that of legacy — and it’s no longer even close. So marketers are spending the vast majority of their budgets on media that consumers are no longer engaging with…
How Reviews and Ratings are Driving Local Search
Despite the tremendous amount of press we have seen on fake reviews, ongoing interest in reviews by consumers and local search providers make it clear that these services aren’t going away. As platforms give reviews more importance and improve their ability to filter out fake ones — and government officials crack down on dishonest practices — consumer trust and use of reviews can only be expected to grow. This trend will continue to increase the impact they have on local businesses…
Finding the Balance Between Relevance and Reach in SMB Content
It’s simple enough to say that creating great content or a great platform should be enough to bring users to your door; but if they have no idea you exist, getting the word out effectively is both a matter of reaching your intended user base and staying within the confines of an algorithmically defined concept of quality content. For small and medium-sized businesses, the challenge is to be present and available to customers and potential customers in multiple online venues in a way that conserves effort while remaining effective…
Latest Posts
Street Fight Daily: Retailers Disable Apple Pay, Yelp Buys German Competitor
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Apple Pay Is Disabled by Rite Aid and CVS as a Rival Makes Plans (New York Times)… Yelp Buys Restaurant-Kritik To Expand Its Presence In Germany (TechCrunch)… Why NFC In The iPad Air 2 Is A Big Deal For Small Businesses (GigaOm)…
The Power of Visual Appeal in Local Search
Images are more compelling to the average user than any other medium of communication. Though users may visit local search sites and apps with the conscious intent of seeking out text-based information such as phone numbers, hours, and addresses, visual content encountered along the way may have a greater influence than textual information on deciding which businesses to visit…
In New App Marketplace, Signs of the Square’s Future
The company launched its Square App Marketplace yesterday to allow third-parties to develop applications that integrate directly into its point-of-sale product. The move marks an important step in Square’s evolution as it shifts focus from consumer-facing payments to an arguably much larger business software market…
Street Fight Daily: Etsy’s New Card Reader, Uber Delivers Flu Shots
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology…… Etsy Introduces Credit Card Reader to Go Beyond the Web (Recode)… Uber Delivers Flu Shots: How On-Demand Tech Can Actually Do Good (Wired)… Will The Check-in Survive? Foursquare’s Controversial Relaunch, By The Numbers (VentureBeat)…
Paid Placement Helps GrubHub Pad Its Bottom Line
Grubhub posted better-than-expected earnings Thursday sending shares up slightly in early trading. The online ordering company, which hit the public markets earlier this year, saw revenue and profit inch up slightly in a seasonally less active third quarter due in part to the adoption of a new auction-based commision model…
Street Fight Daily: Groupon Knocks Off Yelp, Apple’s Loyalty Program
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology…… With Yelp Knockoff, Groupon’s Still Searching for Magic Bullet (Recode)… Apple Pay Loyalty Program Due to Start Within the Year (Bank Innovation)… Macy’s Links With Google To Show Mobile Users What’s In Stock Nearby (AdAge)…
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