Shows / The Near Memo
The Near Memo
Exploring the big stories for the week at the intersection of local business & marketing across the spectrum of search, social and commerce. With Greg Sterling, Mike Blumenthal & David Mihm.
Episodes
- The Near Memo
Apple Maps goes from goat to great, Twitter needs new model, Fired Xooglers sue over Don’t be evil
Send us Fan Mail After the release of iOS 15 it has become clear that Apple is not just a wannabe in the mapping space. As they move towards AR, Maps has…
- The Near Memo
Uberall consumer survey: 50% of search is local, Apple Maps pushes business discovery & AR forward
Send us Fan Mail In this recent Uberal study conducted by Greg Sterling consumers confirm the importance of local search with over 50% of their searches being…
- The Near Memo
Vista rebrand elegance, Opportunities for new search engines, Google expands SMB propaganda campaign
Send us Fan Mail VistaPrint in creating its new brand, Vista showed how to elegantly rebrand a legacy company that has become digital. It created a new…
- The Near Memo
Google My Business Rebrand - Is it a chance to fix GMB or an opportunity to nuke part of the stack?
Send us Fan Mail This week we discuss but one topic, the rebranding of the Google My Business tools to the Business Profile. With enhanced in-search and in…
- The Near Memo
Amazon local BOPIS, Impact of images in Google Local search, Google Local driving the most leads
Send us Fan Mail Largely uncovered in the news, Amazon has announced a new program, Local Selling, that allows local merchants selling on Amazon to apply for…
- The Near Memo
FTC: mobile ISPs abuse privacy, Snap blames Apple for shortfall, Performance ads an analytics scam?
Send us Fan Mail The consolidation of internet, cable, voice, content, distribution, smart devices, advertising, and analytics exemplified by these large…
- The Near Memo
FTC lays groundwork for review fines; Amazon creates a stealth offline catalog; Google Lens surfacing Local Packs with product shots
Send us Fan Mail The FTC sent out a letter to many of America’s largest businesses (Apple, Alphabet, Comcast, Yelp among others) detailing unlawful practices…
- The Near Memo
Squarespace’s “Everything to Sell Anything,” Google vs. Lowe, and Has the Local Pack Outlived Its Usefulness?
Send us Fan Mail Squarespace’s “Everything to Sell Anything,” Google vs. Lowe, and Has the Local Pack Outlived Its Usefulness? The Near Memo is a weekly…
- The Near Memo
Google Enhances Lens for Image Based Commerce, Yelp Goes Front of House SAAS for Restaurants, Amazon and Facebook stymied by new consumer attitudes toward privacy
Send us Fan Mail Google Lens was first introduced at Google I/O in 2017 and it has become a showcase for Google’s image recognition. Now when paired with MUM…
- The Near Memo
Can new retail formats save traditional stores? How many real customers does Wix have? Will we see opt-in privacy options and what does it mean for marketers?
Send us Fan Mail wix claims to have 210 million users. Since there are only 125 million businesses worldwide and about 30 million in the US, this number is…
- The Near Memo
Shopify benchmarks SMB CAC; Reviews tell the story of Walmarts inventory woes; Twitter & WhatsApp now offering local business pages
Send us Fan Mail With ever increasing ad costs SMBs need to understand customer acquisition costs and lifetime values whether you are a SAAS company or not…
- The Near Memo
B2B sales have changed forever with self serve playing an ever larger role. Why is leading digital wallet Apple Pay uptake still so low? Will Facebook’s SmartGlasses make it out of the gate?
Send us Fan Mail 32% of B2B buyers were willing to spend between $50,000 and up to $500,000 without actually talking to a salesperson. 35% of businesses prefer…
- The Near Memo
MailChimp priced at $10b for Intuit proves value of SMB SAAS, 1-800-Contacts sues Warby Parker over trade name use in Adwords, Will Yahoo have a new life after Verizon sale?
Send us Fan Mail - Rumors of Intuit buying MailChimp for $10 Billion validate SMB / Agency strategy With an EBITDA of $300,000 million, MailChimp is apparently…
- The Near Memo
Biden encourages all departments to go all in on increasing competition, Will Craiglist decline create opportunity for NextDoor?, Will public notification of facial recognition deter shoppers?
Send us Fan Mail An unusually assertive Biden who noted that this 40-year “experiment” has failed. “Capitalism without competition isn’t capitalism,” he…
- The Near Memo
Walmart to make deliveries for SMBs, The SMB social media disconnect, Thinking about Apple reviews
Send us Fan Mail Walmart is doing something that would have been unthinkable in a pre-Amazon world: offering its delivery infrastructure to other retailers…
- The Near Memo
FTC takes big swing at FB, Survey: What SMBs really need, Can a Local food delivery co-op compete?
Send us Fan Mail Agency’s amended complaint details how the monopolist survived existential threats by illegally acquiring innovative competitors and burying…
- The Near Memo
Google devastates local food delivery, The boom in pet adoption leaves Vets overwhelmed, Amazon sellers paying to delete negative reviews
Send us Fan Mail Google, when testing new features in the chase to improve user’s experience, often pick large partners for the test period. Effectively they…
- The Near Memo
Yelp’s Positive Q2 Reports, When do SMBs Hire Key Roles & How to Create Content When AI Writes Well
Send us Fan Mail Yelp, in a turnaround from a disastrous 2020, even managed to surpass 2019 number by about 15% by targeting enterprise customers and seeing…
- The Near Memo
FB profits on way to metaverse, Apple & SnapChat up their SMB Maps play & Privacy seems less likely
Send us Fan Mail Due largely to ad price increases, Facebook’s profits soared as the economy picked up. But wait, Mark Zuckerberg notes that in 5 years they…
- The Near Memo
Google makes reviewing easy by adding attributes to restaurant reviews, Fake reviews are costly to SMBS but Google seems incapable of squashing them, Square’s new bank is a threat to traditional SMB banking relationships
Send us Fan Mail Google makes reviewing easy by adding attributes to restaurant reviews, Fake reviews are costly to SMBS but Google seems incapable of…
- The Near Memo
Biden encourages all departments to go all in on increasing competition, Will Craiglist decline create opportunity for NextDoor?, Will public notification of facial recognition deter shoppers?
Send us Fan Mail An unusually assertive Biden who noted that this 40-year “experiment” has failed. “Capitalism without competition isn’t capitalism,” he…
- The Near Memo
Google Play store antitrust suit futile?, Good Local content makes the difference, Yext
Send us Fan Mail Given the powerful standing of the leading apps, it is unlikely that, even if the app stores are more regulated, whether there will be a more…
- The Near Memo
FB Bulletin = newsletter + social, Shopify creates Ad Network, Supreme Court Ruling re-opens scraping question
Send us Fan Mail Facebook’s new Bulletin product integrates tightly into Facebook groups, their newsfeed and comments. It is well a designed and a thoughtful…
- The Near Memo
FLoC is flailing, Privacy Success of DuckDuckGo, Businesses need employee vaccination policies
Send us Fan Mail Why has Google, so shortly after announcing FLoC, already pulling back?Google’s delay of FLoC is signaling both the confusion and fear in the…
- The Near Memo
The local arc from inventory to ordering to monopoly and consolidation
Send us Fan Mail The local arc from inventory to ordering to monopoly and consolidation Google makes it easier to upload products & services and give Pointy…
- The Near Memo
Apple killed email? Google’s crazy Local business names; In person conferences are wonderful & weird
Send us Fan Mail Whenever Apple announces a new consumer focused privacy update, the pundits become Chicken Little. E-mail has long provided the best ROI of…
- The Near Memo
Fake Review Solutions, Google’s Grand Vision for Search, How a Local Bookstore Fought Amazon & Won
Send us Fan Mail The Washington Post details the travails of a couple seeking treatment and the problems that befell them after they picked a provider based on…
- The Near Memo
Confession of a Local Guide, Google’s push for privacy, SMB Platforms for marketing & ops automation
Send us Fan Mail Mike discusses his journey down the gamified rabbithole of the wildly successful Google Local Guides program, how the program promotes…
- The Near Memo
Are Yelp’s problems self-inflicted?; Google I/O AI & Local Shopping; Google going into Retail, really?
Send us Fan Mail Hospitality Case Study of Reviews: What Happened to Yelp? Looking at 20 years of reviews for a popular Santa Fe resort, we examine how Yelp…
- The Near Memo
Shopify makes the case for local ecommerce, Why do consumers desire to buy local but still buy at Amazon?; How did Google win the review wars vs Yelp?
Send us Fan Mail Part 1 Shopify makes the case for local ecommerce A report with a soup-to-nuts discussion of shopping and commerce trends, including online…
- The Near Memo
Apple Tracking Opt-in Only 4%, Shopify focuses on helping SMB be better, Facebooks Neighborhood, a NextDoor clone, is likely to be like Nextdoor but worse
Send us Fan Mail Apple Tracking Opt-in at 4% in US, lower than anticipated, Shopify focuses on helping SMB be better and retain customer relationships…
- The Near Memo
Is Apple being paternalistic to not allow advertisers to provide ATT incentives? Can Yelp make their way with transactions? Amazon, amazing profits, amazing (& ruthless) efficiencies
Send us Fan Mail Is Apple being paternalistic or ethical in not allowing advertisiers to provide incentives for Apple users to opt into advertising tracking?…
- The Near Memo
Zagat reviews, but shorter & more visual, rise from the Google ashes; The FTC ability to levy fines as a deterrent is knee capped by SCOTUS; Apple privacy changes AND review capability coming this week.
Send us Fan Mail Episode 12: Zagat reviews, but shorter and graphic appealing, rise from the Google ashes; The FTC ability to levy fines as a deterrent is knee…
- The Near Memo
Episode 11: FB Survey: increased SMB e-commerce & struggles, What will consumers do when the economy opens? SubStack creates program to develop local news
Send us Fan Mail FB SMB Survey showed 22% of SMBS adopted e-commerce over the past year, women led businesses were more agile in the adoption of digital…
- The Near Memo
Episode 10: SWYFT Opens New Avenues for SMBs to compete with Prime, Is the FTC getting serious about review enforcement, So long Yahoo Answers, will anyone get this product category right?
Send us Fan Mail The Near Memo is a weekly conversation about Search, Social, and Commerce: What happened, why it matters, and the implications for local…
- The Near Memo
Episode 9: Website Builder SquareSpace acquires restaurant backend restaurant system Tock; Google My Business shoots themselves in the Messaging foot; GroundTruth stays true to the SMB and acquires display advertising platform, Addy
Send us Fan Mail Website Builder SquareSpace acquires restaurant backend system Tock; will other website builders need to acquire more backend functionality?…
- The Near Memo
Episode 8: Google fights with Rand Fishkin over “zero-click” searches. Can a rating only review ever be defamatory? Will Yahoo’s brand rise from the ashes as a Verizon subscription service? Written by Near Media Filed under Conversations
Send us Fan Mail The Near Memo is a weekly conversation about Search, Social, and Commerce: What happened, why it matters, and the implications for local…
- The Near Memo
Episode 7:The impact of a year of covid ⁃Surveys indicate the vast majority of consumers favor rigorous mask enforcement by businesses ⁃Online commerce is becoming table stakes for small local businesses ⁃The trends in advertising and privacy fa
Send us Fan Mail The Near Memo is a weekly conversation about Search, Social, and Commerce: What happened, why it matters, and the implications for local…
- The Near Memo
Episode 6: How the advertising duopoly has created alternative income models, Tock, the restaurant friendly delivery model, Deconstructing Google’s recent post about Local Guides and Photo Updates
Send us Fan Mail The Near Memo is a weekly conversation about Search, Social, and Commerce: What happened, why it matters, and the implications for local…
- The Near Memo
Episode 5: Google’s privacy first stance benefits ...Google, What is the reality of the public’s trust in Google, How Volvo going direct portends radical shifts for car dealers
Send us Fan Mail The Near Memo is a weekly conversation about Search, Social, and Commerce: What happened, why it matters, and the implications for local…
- The Near Memo
Episode 4: Facebook Hides Behind SMBs, Hey's New Newsletter Product, and Wal-mart Innovates with Video
Send us Fan Mail The Near Memo is a weekly conversation about Search, Social, and Commerce: What happened, why it matters, and the implications for local…
- The Near Memo
Episode 3: Australia vs. Facebook, Ghost Kitchens, and Microtargeted Ads
Send us Fan Mail The Near Memo is a weekly conversation about Search, Social, and Commerce: What happened, why it matters, and the implications for local…
- The Near Memo
Episode 2: GMB Messaging, Local Commerce at Google, Privacy
Send us Fan Mail The Near Memo is a weekly conversation about search, social, and commerce: what happened, why it matters and the implications for local…
The Near MemoEpisode 1: Amazon's PR Stunt, Newsletters, and Clubhouse
Send us Fan Mail The Near Memo is a weekly conversation about search, social and commerce: what happened, why it matters and the implications for local…