Here is this week’s roundup of the top news items related to local marketing and advertising, local media, technology, local commerce, consumer behavior and more.
Insight & Commentary
Google: Online Consumer Touchpoints Range Between 20 – 500 Depending on Purchase (February 5, 2019)
LSA Insider: “Most marketers have come to understand the reality of a nuanced, unique and non-linear path to purchase for consumers. The new path is a result of access to information online that helps consumers make informed purchase decisions and the smartphone has made this information accessible anywhere.”
The Uncomfortable State of Voice Commerce (February 3, 2019)
eMarketer: “Voice commerce holds promise. But, not everyone is comfortable—or even interested—in using their Amazon Echo or Google Home device to make a purchase (yet). Here’s what marketers need to know.”
Google Display ads have evolved: What’s next for display? (February 4, 2019)
Marketing Land: “For some, display ads still retain some of that “blast your story everywhere and see what happens” reputation. But I think that view is misplaced. Though today’s internet is complex and vast in ways we never anticipated over a decade ago, we now have the insights and technology needed to be helpful in ways consumers expect.”
Strategy & Tactics
Why clients in-house and what agencies can (and can’t) do about it (February 1, 2019)
MarTech Today: “Client in-housing has always been a factor for agencies, but the availability of ad tech and martech, the rise of automation and data management requirements have added new pressures. Half of digital agencies say clients moving marketing services in-house is a key challenge, according to our Digital Agency 2019 survey, released Wednesday.”
How Brands Are Using AI to Fight Back Against Dark Marketing (February 7, 2019)
Street Fight: “We live in an era in which social media has left everyone exposed. Or at least that’s how it seems. For a certain group of brands, social media platforms are offering a new cover to hide behind as they embark on digital marketing campaigns that fly below the radar.”
Breaking down the new realities of local search: What we learned at SMX West (February 7, 2019)
Search Engine Land: “Local search and SEO are frequently treated as secondary considerations for search marketers. Yet, especially where mobile search is concerned, they should be primary. Using Google’s own data and public statements, it’s safe to say there are at least 350 billion annual local queries, which is still probably conservative.”
Stats & Studies
Survey: 56% of Local SEOs Say Ranking Harder in 2019 but Most Still Upbeat (February 6, 2019)
LSA Insider: “Last month, BrightLocal released its annual Local Search Industry survey, which focuses on the services, pricing and salaries of local SEO practitioners. This year’s installment featured responses from 650 local marketers of agencies, local businesses, franchises and freelancers.”
Report: Inaccurate Local Listings = Lost Sales (February 6, 2019)
LSA Insider: “Though the consumer journey is more variable and complex than ever, it’s clear that shoppers conduct online research before almost every offline purchase. The data confirms this. LSA research shows 70% of adults do internet research “every time” or “almost every time” before buying.”
The Website User Experience: What Matters Most? (February 1, 2019)
LSA Insider: “Despite the growing perception that websites no longer matter, consumers do value websites and have strong opinions about how they should function. A new study of 1,013 US consumers from Blue Fountain Media UX revealed consumer views on privacy, retail and e-commerce and website content.”
Industry News
2019 Prediction: Location Services & Conversational Commerce (February 4, 2019)
LSA Insider: “It’s Not Just Voice, it’s conversational commerce. Everyone is talking about voice. But voice’s popularity taps into a larger trend in marketing – the shift towards conversational commerce. Conversational commerce, through voice assistants and chatbots, streamlines the customer journey and eliminates friction.”
Tech Adoption Summit: Conference Video — The Case for Product-Driven Marketing (February 7, 2019)
LSA Insider: “We’re in the process of digging into the video vault from last year’s Tech Adoption Summit, held November 7 at a tiny, quirky venue in San Francisco’s Mission District. It was a packed day spent geeking out on the things that drive the small-business SaaS industry — creating compelling brands and customer experiences, building great products, and scaling customer acquisition.”
Long live email: Why email’s future remains bright (February 1, 2019)
Marketing Land: “Part 3 of this email marketing series looks at what email has in store in the coming years and why its growth and continued relevance is all but assured.”
Member News
GroundTruth Helps Toyota Steer High-Intent Customers to Dealerships (February 4, 2019)
Cision: “GroundTruth, the leading location platform for driving visits, teamed up with the Tri-State Toyota Dealers Association and their agency partner Saatchi & Saatchi to test GoundTruth’s Cost Per Visit model and drive customers to specific dealerships.”
Google+ is officially deleting consumer data starting April 2nd (January 30, 2019)
The Verge: “As early as February 4th, you will no longer be able to create new Google+ profiles, pages, communities, or events. Comments generated by Google+ on external websites will be removed from Blogger by February 4th and from other sites by March 7th.”
Facebook will soon show users how advertisers target them (February 7, 2019)
Mobile Marketer: “Facebook’s upcoming Custom Audiences transparency feature appears to be a solid step toward helping to police third-party abuses of the social network.”
