At the end of 2017 we asked members of the extended LSA community to tell us what they expect in 2018 for location-based marketing and media. We received a broad mix of predictions from over 60 industry professionals and compiled them into a free report.

Below are the predictions submitted by Garrett Sussman, Content Marketing Manager at Grade.us:

Information vs. Social (a.k.a. Google vs. Facebook)

2017 has been fun for local. And now, it feels like there’s a bit of a space-race in local between Google and Facebook. The interesting thing about it is that they’re coming at the issue from two completely different paradigms. Google aims to be useful, practical, efficient. Facebook wants to be social. Google’s knowledge panel is objectively helpful. Facebook’s recommendations are based on your social network for the most parts (and the things that you’ve liked).

I predict this year we’ll see a continued maturation of both networks (with its knowledge graphs, Google is very much a network). They will both become more effective in the ways that they’re designed to be effective.

For Google, that might mean more high-quality local results — a better understanding of what you objectively are searching for. Google is going to continue replacing lead-gen and other middleman companies with their own booking services. For Facebook, that will mean more social discovery and connection — a stronger offline to online connection between Facebook and the community.

And finally, naturally there will continue to be emerging networks, that tackle local from other unique perspectives. Thus, when businesses are marketing to local, they need to be prepared for the opportunities and take advantage of the features being added to these networks helping them to succeed.

To access all of the 2018 predictions, download the report here.