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
Paid-Search Automation Not Ready for Prime Time (January 29, 2019)
LSA Insider: “Back in December I received an email from Google asking to develop a completely automated paid search campaign on behalf of my new digital marketing agency, Rithm Marketing. My guess is that this is part of a larger effort to test the company’s ability to build automated campaigns from end to end (keywords, to bids, to creative, etc.).”
2019 Predictions: Voice Technology Will Become #1 Tool for Consumer Search (January 28, 2019)
LSA Insider: “Voice assistants like Siri and Alexa are becoming the preferred search tool for consumers. In response to that, businesses will need to start adopting strategies to prepare for this shift in voice technology reliance. One strategy we predict will be implemented across brands is Voice Engine Optimization, which refers to a new content marketing strategy to provide these voice assistants with questions and answers that consumers are frequently asking.”
Where is Google Attribution? (January 31, 2019)
Marketing Land: “In May 2017, Google announced the launch of a free version of Google Attribution. In October of that year, it said the tool had rolled out to “hundreds more” advertisers. But now, more than a year and a half later, it has stayed under the radar and has yet to fully roll out.”
Strategy & Tactics
LSA19 Privacy Sessions: What You Need to Know — and Do (Now) (January 28, 2019)
LSA Insider: “Today, January 28, is officially “Data Privacy Day,” which began in 2007 in Europe and in 2008 in the US. Privacy is a topic that many people find confusing or boring. But it’s probably the most important topic facing marketers and brands right now.”
A Simple Way to Find Co-op Funds You’re Probably Missing (January 25, 2019)
LSA Insider: “There’s an estimated $70 billion in available co-op funds; however, roughly half of that (~$35 billion) goes unused each year. An LSA survey of nearly 200 marketing and media professionals showed that the most common reason or obstacle is showing a client the specific co-op opportunity for them (42%).”
As Voice Gets Established, Brands Grapple with Implementation (January 31, 2019)
Street Fight: “Consumer demand for voice technology has never been greater, and industry heavyweights like Google and Amazon are gearing up for a platform war as they work to integrate voice assistants into virtually every area of the connected consumer’s life. But behind the scenes, many brand marketers are struggling to connect the dots and design campaigns around a technology they don’t fully understand.”
Stats & Studies
Recency Counts: Unpacking the ‘Consumer Review Journey’ (January 30, 2019)
LSA Insider: “No one disputes the influence of reviews and ratings on consumer buying decisions. A 2018 study conducted by LSA for SOCi found that reviews and ratings were the “most important” influence on purchase decisions, outweighing all other factors, including pricing/discounts, business location — even personal recommendations of a friend or colleague.”
Nearly 70% of Consumers Say Page Speed Impacts Their Purchasing Decisions (January 29, 2019)
Search Engine Journal: “A report on page speed revealed nearly 70% of consumers say a website’s loading time affects their willingness to buy. Further, 81% of marketers are aware that page speed impacts their conversions, but the majority aren’t making it a priority.”
Choice: The Ingredient That Drives Higher Mobile Engagement Across All Marketing Use Cases (January 29, 2019)
Street Fight: “Creating and implementing a mobile marketing strategy should tie into the preferred way each consumer wants to engage with retailers and brands via their mobile devices as well as the kind of messages they want to receive. In essence, this is the hallmark of an effective business engagement strategy for mobile users.”
Industry News
Here Are Your 2019 Ad-to-Action Awards Finalists (January 29, 2019)
LSA Insider: “Today, the Local Search Association (LSA) announced finalists for the 2019 Ad-to-Action Awards. Now in its fourth year, the Awards recognize the top products, campaigns and software driving online-to-offline and local consumer actions. LSA received more than 80 submissions from media companies, agencies and technology providers from North America, Europe, India, Australia and Israel.”
On February 4, Google Will Start Intervening in SEM Campaigns (January 28, 2019)
LSA Insider: “Last week an email went out to an undetermined number of paid-search marketers. It says, “Google Ads experts are identifying key changes that can help you get more out of your ads, from restructuring your ad groups and modifying your keywords to adjusting your bids and updating your ad text”.”
Facebook to Integrate Technical Infrastructure of WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger (January 28, 2019)
Street Fight: “A seemingly strange move at a time when regulators and public opinion are turning sour on the size of big tech, Facebook is at work on a plan to integrate the tech underlying its messaging platforms by the end of 2019 or early 2020, the New York Times reported.”
Member News
Location3 Named Agency of Record for Self Esteem Brands (Anytime Fitness, Waxing The City, Basecamp Fitness) (January 30, 2019)
MarketWatch: “A core aspect of the new partnership will focus on directly supporting individual franchise owners within the Self Esteem Brands network as they seek to effectively market their business locations online and grow in-store revenue.”
GroundTruth Kicks Off 10 Year Anniversary with Accelerated Platform Growth (January 30, 2019)
GroundTruth: “In 2018, there were 1500+ active businesses using Ads Manager and 500+ agencies and small-to-midsized businesses spending daily on the platform. Platform revenue doubled in the second half of 2018 and GroundTruth anticipates a 6X YoY growth in Q1 2019 as the company begins expanding the platform directly into enterprise businesses including iHeartMedia and OUTFRONT Media.”
Mono and bfound Partner to Expand Digital Offerings for SMBs in the Middle East (January 31, 2019)
Mono Solutions: “The partnership provides bfound with the technology to provide small businesses in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) with a professional digital presence, and extends Mono’s global partner base to the Middle East.”
