Commentary
What Works in One Local Market Won’t Necessarily Work in Another
I’ve learned, sometimes through epic failures, what works in Tracy (a suburb of Sacramento, Calif.) won’t work in Tampa. However, I’ve also learned, through epic victories, that when you harness the power of 200+ communities for a common goal great things can happen. Here are a few bits of wisdom I’ve picked up along the way.
Hyperpublic: Structuring Place Data, Redefining Hyperlocal’s Scope
What might we see spring forth from the ether when local data is properly structured? It’s easy to imagine various applications of search — i.e. “Show me all wine bars that serve croquettes.” Similarly, one can imagine that this type of data would be immensely valuable to advertisers who want to target, for example, everybody who drinks beer and is in walking distance of an establishment…
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In Search of a Local Twitter, Circle Discovers the Problem of Proximity
After failing as a dating app, Andreessen Horowitz-backed Circle thinks it can find a second life as a localized version of Twitter — helping people message and interact with others in the area. The app allows users to share content with users nearby, using algorithms to surface posts based on proximity on relevancy to each user. A small portion of the content — around 10% — is sourced from Twitter, but the bulk of the posts come from the service’s 1 million active users. Today, the company is rolling out new functionality that allows users to tag content with specific categories, and follow topic feeds…
Street Fight Daily: Yext Launches Pages, Square Buys Photo App
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology.… Square Buys Photo-Sharing App Viewfinder (PCMag)… Newly Internationalized Yext Launches “Pages” To Help Businesses Sync Their Website Data (TechCrunch)… RetailNext Buys Eric Schmidt-backed Nearbuy Systems (Silicon Valley Business Journal)
Bezos Might Get His Delivery Drones Sooner Than You’d Think
If Amazon really wanted to get unmanned delivery aircraft into our skies by the end of the decade, maybe Jeff Bezos could set up a series of challenges, working with DARPA. They could perhaps use U. S. government facilities like simulated urban environments on bases as contest venues. The FAA could chip in with providing specific guidance on how to make drones urban airspace legal for commercial purposes. Bezos could underwrite the contest. All IP created would remain the property of the participants…
What Local Causes and Businesses Can Learn From #GivingTuesday
Building the advocate network for #GivingTuesday simply entails authorizing and amplifying the social media feeds of #GivingTuesday partners, who were receptive, and often enthusiastic to act as local voices for the movement. The same methodology would be used to develop advocate networks for any cause, by providing a simple means to give local influencers and organizations a way to reach their constituents…
Street Fight Daily: Applebee’s Serves Tablets, Digital Wallets Still Lackluster
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology.… Applebee’s To Serve Tablets At Every Table (USA Today)… Many Consumers Aware Of Digital Wallets, Fewer Use Option (Media Post)… Main Street Sees $5.7B In Sales On ‘Small Business Saturday’ (New York Post)…
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…
10 Strategies for Choosing the Right Loyalty Incentives
Although there are no right and wrong answers when it comes to structuring rewards in a loyalty program, there are some overarching guidelines that merchants should follow to ensure their programs remain profitable. Here are 10 tips from experts in the space on how merchants can ensure they aren’t giving away too much (or too little) in their loyalty programs…
Street Fight Daily: Amazon’s Drone Delivery, Online And Offline Retail Face Off
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology.… Amazon’s Drones for Deliveries (Wall Street Journal)… Online and Offline Stores Duke It Out This Week (New York Times)… Cyber Mundane: Why Online Shopping Is Overhyped, And What Brands Should Focus On Instead (TheNextWeb)…
Will ‘Indie’ Hyperlocals Go for National Marketers’ Goodies?
Most publishers of independent hyperlocal news sites steer clear of national ads. They think messages from national brands can be a jarring presence on a page with neighborhood news or ads for the local yoga center and pizza parlor. They also don’t like the low rates that have often come with national ads. But fast-developing changes in national digital ad marketing have buyers dangling premium rates for high-value placements…
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