$1 Trillion. That’s how much U.S. consumers are expected to spend this holiday shopping season, according to eMarketer. Low unemployment, strong income growth, and high consumer confidence will create a spending bonanza that will hit this historic level, a 5.8 percent increase over 2017 and the strongest growth since 2011. Now here’s the $1 trillion…
Your customer experience and reputation are much more than a differentiator. They’re the cornerstone of your brand. For decades, businesses have built brands by defining their values (what do I stand for?), positioning (how do I want customers to perceive me?), and image (how do I express my brand consistently from one channel to the…
The financial services industry is at the center of some compelling forces that are changing the way business is done: they include AI, blockchain, the cloud, and cybersecurity. All those issues are important, and they command the attention of anyone who follows this industry closely. But the trend that fascinates me the most is the…
Facebook has been on the defensive for most of 2018. The company has struggled to fight its way out of one bad story after another, including a dramatic drop in its stock value in recent weeks after the world’s largest social network underwhelmed investors with its latest quarterly earnings results. But Facebook is also improving…
Sometimes the most valuable tools to improve your digital marketing performance are hiding in plain sight. Such is the case with Google Seller Ratings (GSR). Google Seller Ratings are a Google AdWords (soon-to-be-known as Google Ads) extension that automatically displays your business’s average rating alongside your ads. Google says that ads with GSR achieve a…
In a data-driven world, brands require a more comprehensive, data-driven approach to managing their reputations. Most large brands I know view reputation management as the process of managing online ratings and reviews. And indeed having a system of soliciting and managing customer ratings/reviews is important. Ratings/reviews are the lifeblood of your reputation. The more reviews…
What exactly is Google My Business (GMB) page doing for businesses? For many companies, the answer is simply, “I cover my bases with Google.” I understand that answer. I hear it all the time. But no business should ever operate on gut feel. A GMB listing takes time to set up and manage effectively. Marketers…
The great location marketing roll-up is in full swing. In recent months, we’ve seen a flurry of merger/acquisition activity from location marketing vendors (including mine) across North America. Significant M&A activity has ranged from Snapchat’s acquisition of Placed to Gannett/ReachLocal acquiring SweetIQ. The location marketing roll-up is more than a story of vendors increasing scale….
