News and Analysis
SMB Index: Local Stocks Keep Climbing in November
After a scorching gain in October, the SCP SMB Index continued to rally, climbing another 3.3% in November, outpacing all other major indices we track. The S&P 500, Nasdaq and Dow Jones all experienced gains during the month of 2.1% and 1.9% and 2.5%, respectively.
How Closetbox Is Using Location Tech to Disrupt the Self-Storage Industry
The company uses excess capacity in the existing logistics network to pick up and deliver storage in real-time. When consumers order movers via Closetbox’s mobile app, the company finds the nearest moving trucks with available space, and customers’ items get picked up and stored at private storage warehouses right away.
Why Mobile Ads Need Form and Function (VIDEO)
Verve VP and creative director Walt Geer believes that effective mobile local advertising balances form and function. The view towards proper balance stems from Geer’s longstanding position that more attention needs to be paid to creative in mobile ad campaigns.
Latest Posts
PODCAST: This Week in Location-Based Marketing — Ping Mobile
In this week’s episode, hosts Rob Woodbridge and Asif Khan discuss LinkedIn’s rumored acquisition of the Pulse News Reader. Meanwhile Posse saddles up and moves to the U.S.; the earth’s magnetic field may hold the key to indoor location; and Quri gives brands a little leverage. Plus special guest Shuli Lowy from Ping Mobile on SMS marketing…
Street Fight Daily: Local News Lost, Groupon Bundles SEO
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal content, commerce, and technology.… American News Consumers Have Gained the World but Lost Their Backyards (Atlantic)… Groupon Offers SEO Deal to Businesses (Upstart)… Barista Problems: Why Starbucks Isn’t the Energy Shot Square Needed (PandoDaily)…
Patch: Here’s Ten Things We’re Doing RIGHT
Anyone paying attention to this column knows I’ve dedicated plenty of thought to AOL’s efforts in local, primarily via its Patch effort. Some at Patch/AOL were unhappy. Others mailed me with even more colorful complaints, or “can-you-believe-this” vignettes. So I wanted to turn the tables on myself a bit and challenge Patch to sell us on what is going right…
Borrell: Promotions Will Dominate Local Media Ad Spend in 2013
Local advertisers are set to spend 81% more on promotions than media-based advertising this year, according to a new study by Borrell Associates. The report forecasts that growth in digital promotions will outpace digital advertising by 65% over the next four years, jumping from $32.2 billion in 2012 to over $80 billion in 2017…
Street Fight Daily: Pinterest Buys Livestar, Starbucks’ Shoddy Square Rollout
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal content, commerce, and technology.… Pinterest Acquires Local Recommendation App Livestar (AllThingsD)… Starbuck’s Shoddy Square Rollout Baffles Baristas, Confuses Customers (Fast Company)… Yelp: Study Says Our SMB Advertisers Make $23K More per Year (Screenwerk)…
Conference Notebook: Location Data Takes Center Stage
Scaling access to a small business’s customer data, and using that data to drive marketing, is quickly becoming a differentiating asset in the industry. Data should play a key role in not only defining the audience to whom a message is delivered, but in shaping the content of that message as well…
Local Companies Reluctant to Add New Jobs
Just a couple of years ago, local companies like Groupon and LivingSocial (and many others) were expanding rapidly and staffing up — eager to put hundreds of salespeople on the street as quickly as possible and grab share of their new market. But in 2013 those boom times have faded a bit, as local companies have adjusted to a period of economic uncertainty and are reluctant to add new positions to their cost structure…
Street Fight Daily: Mobile Payments Lack Winner, Groupon’s Temp Leadership
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal content, commerce, and technology.… Mobile Payments Still Lack Clear Winner (Media Post)… The Reward for Fixing Groupon? Not Much (Wall Street Journal)… Square’s Launch in Canada v. US: Higher Adoption Rate and Larger Transaction Size (The Next Web)…
5 Tips for Building a Smarter Geofence
The number of advertisers using “geo-aware” technology in their mobile ad campaigns jumped from 17% in 2011 to 36% in 2012, according to a report by Verve Mobile, and yet there is still confusion in the marketplace over what makes a geofencing campaign useful, and when location targeting is necessary to achieve a high ROI. Here are five strategies for creating a smarter, more strategic geofencing campaign…
Going Beyond Standard Location Targeting to Reach Mobile Audiences
It’s important to focus on not just the reach of a geofence, but also on effectively targeting your business’s relevant mobile audiences. A little extra strategic effort goes a long way, and there is much to gain from leveraging the variety of data currently available and layering it appropriately to suit your campaign’s specific strategies and tactics…
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