News and Analysis
Street Fight Daily: Google Puts Mobile First, Facebook Cuts Out Third-Party Data Brokers
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Google Search Takes Another Big Step Toward a Mobile-First World… Facebook Is Cutting Third-Party Data Providers Out of Ad Targeting… Amazon Directly Hires Housekeepers to Conquer Local Services…
Commentary
Can Mobile Technology Fix What’s Broken in Loyalty Programs?
New mobile and in-store technology allows merchants to utilize relatively low-cost devices, such as an iPhone or an iPad, to take advantage of data-driven programs that do more than simply count down the punches until a customer’s next free sandwich. Here are two ways in which mobile tech has improved loyalty programs for small merchants…
The Outsourcing of Hyperlocal Journalism Is Inevitable
My conviction in the power of collaborative “glocal” journalism has not been swayed by the Journatic debacle. Properly managed, outsourcing some newsroom functions can be incredibly cost-effective and can contribute to the quality of a publication’s editorial content. Badly executed, outsourcing can become a plague that infects a publication’s journalistic integrity.
Facebook and the Latent Local Layer
If Facebook were to really turn its attention to local, it could do some amazing things. Imagine if all of our posts and check-ins related to local restaurants were correlated together in a meaningful way. There’s little doubt Facebook could recommend the new place down the street based on your preferences and those of others similar to you, with a high likelihood of successfully predicting what you will like…
Latest Posts
Street Fight Daily: Fashion Retailer Tests iBeacon, Local’s Most Innovative Companies
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology.… Fashion Retailer Tries on Apple’s iBeacon for Size (Street Fight)… The World’s Top 10 Most Innovative Companies in Local (Fast Coppany)… Uber Car-Hailing App Expands in China’s Congested Market
(Wall Street Journal)…
5 Tools Merchants Can Use to Serve Targeted Promotional Offers on Twitter
Small business owners know that Twitter can be a useful tool for marketing, but many are unsure of where to begin when it comes to serving up paid promotional offers on the popular social channel. With its own unique language and tools, Twitter is a foreign land to many SMBs. For marketers who take the risk, however, the rewards can be great. A number of hyperlocal vendors are stepping in with platforms that bridge the gap for SMBs looking for more strategic ways to target consumers on Twitter…
As Google Updates Places, Could Some Merchants Find Their Listings Deleted?
Local SEO consultants and service providers offer businesses the peace of mind that comes with knowing someone is watching the forums and industry news in order to act on policy changes and new developments quickly. Given the complexity of local SEO and the fast pace of change, it’s unreasonable to place the onus for listing management solely on the small business owner…
Case Study: Restaurant Chain Uses Loyalty Data to Improve Customer Experience
If sales of a particular menu item seem slow this month, then Lucas Clarke is curious to know why that is. The director of marketing at MAD Greens, a Colorado-based chain of restaurants that specializes in seasonal salads and sandwiches, Clarke uses the data from his company’s card-linked mobile loyalty program to learn about sales trends in real-time…
Street Fight Daily: Square Partners With Whole Foods, Bitcoin Enters the Store
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology.… Square Lands Payments Deal With Whole Foods (Wall Street Journal)… Revel Systems Adds Native Bitcoin Transactions To Its POS Offering (TechCrunch)… Groupon Shares Drop as Executive Plans Departure (Chicago Tribune)…
How Online Reviews and Product Information Are Fundamentally Changing Local Marketing
In a new book, “Absolute Value: What Really Influences Customers in the Age of (Nearly) Perfect Information.” Stanford professor Itamar Simonson and co-author Emanuel Rosen take a look at the impact that access to perfect information has on the way consumers make purchase decisions. The big finding is that more and more, the value of brand, and the type of awareness marketing aimed at keeping the brand top of mind, is quickly eroding…
6 Strategies for SMBs Using Data Visualization Tools
Data digital flowHyperlocal marketing platforms are producing mountains of data for small business owners, but many local merchants aren’t quite sure of what to do with all the information they collect. Here are six strategies for local merchants who are thinking about using data visualization tools for the first time…
Street Fight Daily: Groupon Embraces Self-Serve, PlaceIQ Raises $15M More
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology.…Now You Can Finally Launch a Groupon Deal Without Ever Talking to a Human (Recode)…Datalogix Buys Shopper-Marketing Firm Spire to Extend Data and Market Reach (AdAge)…What Does the Yahoo-Yelp Partnership Mean for Foursquare? (Fortune)…
With New API, Delivery.com Connects Content and Commerce
Delivery.com, a New York-based online ordering site, has released a new framework, or API, through which developers can allow users to order from the firm’s network of restaurants — all without leaving the confines of a website, mobile app, gaming system or Google Glass. The API helps to automate the work of a business development team, allowing the company to bring the type of integrations already available on Yelp to the cornucopia of smaller, locally-focused properties…
Are Digital Agencies a Bad Idea for Media?
I’ve gotten a number of calls and emails lately that leave me wondering whether local media’s rush to create freestanding digital agencies is a lemming jump. With big companies like LIN Media, Gannett, Yellow Media, GateHouse, The Dallas Morning News and dozens of others entering the space, it couldn’t possibly be a bad idea. Or could it?
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