News and Analysis

Why Zuckerberg Needs Local News Providers to ‘Bring the World Closer Together’

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For all their limitations, local news providers are now better positioned than Facebook’s moderators or artificial intelligence to help the people of their communities come closer together. If news providers join this mission, the community will respond by giving them the trust it so often withholds.

Street Fight Daily: Alphabet-Uber Case Plays Out Publicly, Adobe Offers Voice-Assistant Analytics

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A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Alphabet Says Uber is Engaging in a Cover-Up… Adobe Offers Voice Analytics for Intelligent Assistants Including Siri, Alexa… Gulf Between Off-Site, On-Site Digital Engagement is Slowly Killing Your Business…

How Brands Can Refine Their Local Marketing Mix to Maximize Results

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The right marketing mix can open up doors for an enterprise brand, as successful acquisition campaigns naturally funnel new customers into loyalty and retention strategies. We asked hyperlocal executives for their perspective on how brands can tweak the marketing mix to maximize high-yield results.

Latest Posts

Will AZCentral’s Big Leap Into Hyperlocal Be Model for Other Newspapers?

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The launch of 17 hyperlocal sites in metro Phoenix is just a start. After its initial move in five Scottsdale neighborhoods and 12 in the East Valley, the site aims to plant its flag in scores of communities through the two-county region, which has a population of 4.2 million…

Scoutmob Announces $3.25 Million in Funding, Agreement with First Data

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“Our vision has always been to combine a strong brand with new methods to connect locals with their cities,” Scoutmob co-founder and CEO Dave Payne said in a release. “This announcement confirms both media and transaction leaders recognize the power of our disruptive model.”

Case Study: The Benefits of Running a POS System in the Cloud

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When David Steingard began researching point-of-sale systems to use at Laughing Man, the New York City coffee shop he founded with the actor Hugh Jackman in 2011, he was surprised at how expensive checkout terminals had become. Rather than paying $15,000 to $30,000 for a traditional POS system, Steingard opted to go with ShopKeep, a mobile system that runs on the iPad…

Street Fight Daily: Target Taps Shopkick, Groupon Offers Settlement

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A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal content, commerce, and technology...

Target Rolls Out Shopkick Integration Nationwide (TechCrunch)…

Groupon Offers Settlement for Gift-Card Lawsuits (Chicago Sun-Times)…

Sonar Offers On-the-Go Messaging to Friend Groups Nearby (GigaOm)…

The New Local Delivery Systems

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The consumer decision now becomes: do I spend my precious hour driving and dickering at the store, or do I spend $20 for somebody else to do this for me? As crowdsourced delivery services gain acceptance, it’s not hard to imagine big brands like Apple Store, Home Depot or any restaurant chain leveraging delivery as a competitive advantage…

Wielding Hyperlocal Brand Influence

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It’s clear that for brands there is an ever-increasing array of tools available to help us find the true local advocate. We must remember, however, that influence is not only the ability to drive awareness and get recognition, but also a function of credibility, expertise and the ability to convince people to make decisions…

Street Fight Daily: SnipSnap, Geoloqi, Yell Becomes ‘Hibu’

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A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal content, commerce, and technology...

Geoloqi’s Location Tracking Now Available to Appcelerator Devs (GigaOm)…

For AOL, a Costly Gamble On Local News Draws Trouble (Wall Street Journal)…

Sense Networks Makes Location-based Advertising Relevant (GigaOm)…

In Wake of Layoffs, a 4-Step Plan for Patch Success

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The Patch layoffs today are actually a very good thing. This is an indication that the management at Patch is getting a better handle on what hyperlocal must look like in order to succeed. While I am not bullish on hyperlocal networks and national chains, I am even less bullish on hyperlocal networks with significant management layers. Here’s my map for the highest chance of success for a national hyperlocal network — and my quick turnaround program for Patch.

6 Platforms Hyperlocal Publishers Can Use to Fill Unsold Ad Inventory

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Ad inventory sold by networks typically doesn’t command the high CPM (cost per thousand impressions) that individual publishers can charge when they work with local businesses directly. However, these ads do give publishers a chance broaden their advertiser base and earn revenue for space that would have otherwise gone unused…

Study: Brands Expect More ROI From Local Ads Than From National Campaigns

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A new study from Balihoo backs up the claims that brands anticipate more return on investment when they go local. “The closer you get to the customer, the more ready the customer is to buy and the more targeted you can get with your message,” Balihoo director of marketing, Susan Tormollen, says…