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local search

Social, local, mobile links for the week ending October 14 (Small Business E-commerce Link Digest – October 14, 2011)

by Tim on October 14, 2011

in Local, Mobile, Social Media, del.icio.us links, social strategy

So, I’ve spent way too much time today playing with my new iPhone. Siri, its voice-activated personal assistant, is every bit as amazing as advertised. Of course, that means that I’ve still got a lot of work to do today. So, as I sometimes do, I’m skipping the setup and getting straight to the links. Enjoy:

Read/Write Web questions whether Google has taken the right approach updating Local listings before asking business owners. What do you think? Good move or “evil”?
Staying on the local search theme, Search Engine Land uncovers Mapquest’s new Vibe service, its entry into the social/local discovery space. And they like what they see. Do you?
Copyblogger shows shows how to use Facebook’s new features to improve your social media marketing. Good stuff.
On the mobile front, GigaOm reports mobile data traffic has doubled in the past 12 months.
Not to be outdone, Search Engine Land shows that the majority of that mobile traffic comes from Apple’s iOS , not Android devices. And Mashable follows up, pointing out that almost all “tablet” traffic is really iPad traffic All the more reason to ensure you’re mobile enough.
Finally, Forbes asks whether “authenticity” still matters in social media marketing.

Enjoy your weekend, Big Thinkers. Now I’m back to playing with my iPhone… I mean, to work!

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Technorati Tags: Apple, blogging, blogs, content marketing, content strategy, e-commerce, e-marketing, F-commerce, Facebook, facebook, Google, google, Google +1, Google Plus, Google+, integrated marketing, internet business, internet marketing, ipad, iphone, marketing, small business blogging, social, social commerce, social marketing, social media, social search, social strategy, strategy

Tagged as: local business, local marketing, local search, local web, mobile commerce, mobile device, mobile ecommerce, mobile internet, mobile marketing, mobile phone, mobile search, mobile strategy, mobile web, social, social commerce, social e-commerce, social ecommerce, social marker, social marketing, social media marketing, social media profiles, social network, social network marketing, social search, social search strategy, social shopping, social strategy, social web

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Social, Local and Mobile Links of Note (Small Business E-commerce Link Digest – August 19, 2011)

by Tim on August 19, 2011

in E-commerce, Facebook, Google, Mobile, Search, Social Media, del.icio.us links, social strategy

It’s been a busy week here at Thinks Central. We looked at the hidden connection between Elvis and social media, analyzed Google’s $12.5 billion bet on mobile and encouraged you to avoid snake oil salesmen while pursuing your social strategy. What’s the rest of the social, local, mobile web been up to? Let’s take a look:

Todd Wasserman at Mashable reports Android owners use apps twice as much as the mobile web. While Wasserman uses this as further evidence that the web is dead, I’m holding out to see how this trends over time.
Want a few reasons I’m holding out on the web vs. apps? Take a look at Business Insider’s slideshow of HTML5 apps that scare the pants off Apple. I’m only just starting to get my head around how to put HTML5 to work for your business. But this battle is far from over.
On the social scene, Jeff Bullas asks if Google+ will be the second biggest social network in 12 months. I suspect it will, though the bigger question is whether being the number 2 general-interest social network (as opposed to a #1 niche social network such as LinkedIn) is good enough to sustain interest from consumers and advertisers.
Supporting this point of view, TechCrunch highlights data suggesting Google+ is struggling to cross-over to mainstream users (though, to be fair, the data is terribly inconclusive at this point).
On the flip side, Business Insider has an excellent profile of the analyst who says Facebook management “is in a virtual panic” as “growth hits a wall”. Following this train of thought, Google+ could end up #2 by default if Facebook falters.
Switching to search, Chris Thunder (I hope he calls his house “The ThunderDome”), has a great piece at Search Engine Journal detailing 3 great AdWords tools you’ve probably never heard of. I know I hadn’t.
Tom Critchlow of Distilled looks at how Twitter’s t.co link shortener will change the tracking game, properly attributing “direct” traffic to various Twitter clients. Very cool.
Speaking of tracking, Adobe/Omniture has an interesting white paper (PDF link) talking about the business impacts of Facebook’s Like button. While part of the white paper is marketing for Omniture’s analytics products, they offer some fascinating insights into how companies currently benefit from incorporating the Like button into their sites.
And, since we’re talking about incorporating stuff into your site, GetElastic offers something to think about before you redesign. Well worth reading if you’re thinking about making changes to your site.

Finally, I would be remiss if I didn’t point you to my friend Robert Cole’s God-awful rebuttal to my “Elvis meets social” post. For the record, I am so sorry. But look at the bright side: You’ve got all weekend to blot that image from your mind. Or to “kit-roll” your friends with it.

Have a great weekend, Big Thinkers. See you back here next week. If we’re still on speaking terms after Robert’s page, that is. I’m keeping my fingers crossed.

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Tim Peter & Associates helps companies from startups to the Fortune 500 use the web to reach more customers, more effectively every day. Take a look and see how we can help you.

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Tagged as: local marketing, local search, local web, mobile commerce, mobile ecommerce, mobile internet, mobile marketing, mobile search, mobile strategy, search engine, search engine optimization, search strategy, social, social commerce, social e-commerce, social ecommerce, social marketing, social media marketing, social network marketing, social networking, social search, social search strategy

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SoLoMo is not a disease. But that doesn’t mean we’re not looking for a cure. (Small Business E-commerce Link Digest – July 29, 2011)

by Tim on July 29, 2011

in E-commerce, Marketing, Search, del.icio.us links, social strategy

As I mentioned yesterday in my “1,000 Thank You’s” post, the SoLoMo web (that’s social, local, mobile web), matters. A lot. Consumers increasingly use the web in ways that are different from what we’ve gotten used to over the last 15 years. And these changes in consumer behavior require marketers and e-commerce folks to re-examine their activities. Every. Single. Day. Here are some good places to start looking:

Our old friend Linda Bustos at GetElastic returns to the Link Digest with this look at 4 social behaviors invading e-commerce. Good stuff.
Search Engine Land shows how Google’s overhauled Place Pages incorporate user reviews into the results, giving your customers more information up-front before linking out to your site. That’s a fairly major change. And one we’re going to be learning a lot more about over the coming years. I’ve said for some time that your business needs a Google Place Page, but I would strongly recommend against making a Google Place Page your brand’s only web presence.
Despite rumors to the contrary (more on that later), social doesn’t kill search. At least not yet. Still social signals significantly influence search. How much? Well, SEOmoz asks the same question and offers some intriguing answers.
Whether you get people to your site from search, social, local or mobile, you’ve still got to turn them into customers. Fortunately, the fine folks at DIY Themes provides a good look at how to find your top pages (and what to do with them). [Full disclosure: I am a DIYthemes affiliate and use their Thesis theme for the blog—however, this is not an affiliate link].
Finally, Mitch Joel points to this fascinating video featuring Roger McNamee on the top 10 trends in technology:

Like Mitch, I don’t spend a lot of time talking about the tech underlying marketing. But McNamee’s arguments in this video are so compelling and clear, that it’s well worth your time to give him a listen. I use William Gibson’s “The future is already here, it’s just not evenly distributed” quote all the time. After watching McNamee’s presentation, you’ll have a whole different view on just how true that quote is.

Enjoy your weekend Big Thinkers. We’ll catch you back here next week.

Or subscribe via email.

And while you’re at it, don’t forget to follow Tim on Twitter.

Tim Peter & Associates helps companies from startups to the Fortune 500 use the web to reach more customers, more effectively every day. Take a look and see how we can help you.

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