Monthly Industry Roundup: October 2018

Location3 Selected for Google Partners Elevator Program

Location3 was recently selected to participate in the Google Partners Elevator Program. The prestigious program is reserved for Google Partner members that have displayed high growth potential and a commitment to innovation. The program provides exclusive training and support for Partner members, including an invitation-only conference that was held in Chicago on October 18-19.

“Working with Google has always provided us insights into how our agency can prepare for growth,” said Location3 CEO Alex Porter.  “We were honored to be selected and always look forward to learning from some of the sharpest minds in the business world. The Elevator Conference provided our team with instant-impact ideas for improving Location3 as a digital marketing provider and as an organization overall.”

Location3 Partners With Google for Franchise Growth Summit

Earlier this month, we had the opportunity to co-host the inaugural “Franchise & Multi-Location Growth Summit” with our great partners at Google, located at their newest PartnerPlex in Redwood City, CA.

Bringing together thought leaders from the digital industry, Google and Location3 marketing experts and executive marketing teams from some of the world’s most recognizable brands, the 2018 Growth Summit offered a unique opportunity for those in attendance to learn how they can better integrate enterprise and localized marketing strategies to drive increases in revenue for their businesses and store locations.

Stay tuned to our blog for a full recap of the Summit coming soon, complete with interviews and comments from attendees and hosts alike in addition to a sneak peek at Google’s newest campus location!

WHAT’S HAPPENING IN FRANCHISE DIGITAL MARKETING?

How Restaurants and QSRs Can Capitalize on “Near Me” Searches

While consumers aren’t always making online purchases, they are using mobile devices to research and find the products they want to purchase. This is especially true for consumers who are looking for restaurants. These consumers often are intending to make purchases immediately or within 24 hours and finding their preferred option via “near me” searches.

So how can restaurants and QSRs tap into this behavior to capture these potential customers and ultimately increase revenue? Location3 Director of Marketing Josh Allen gives us a few simple strategies to increase your restaurant’s online visibility in order to drive customers through your doors. Here’s an excerpt from the post:

“When mobile users search for local business information on Google Search or Maps, the results are often displayed in what is called the Google Knowledge Graph. This information can contain key business details such as address, phone number, hours of operation, business photos and much, much more. As Knowledge Graph features continue to evolve and expand, there becomes less of a need for consumers to visit your own brand or franchise website because customers can find all of the information they need to make a purchasing decision without ever leaving the Google interface.”

For more analysis and easy tips, the entire post can be read here via Franchising USA Magazine.

WHAT’S HAPPENING IN LOCAL LISTINGS MANAGEMENT?

Source: Phillip Barnhart

Google Rolling Out New Design for Mobile Local Pack?

In the past week, many users have seen a new design for the mobile version of the local pack. The local pack refers to how Google displays results for local web searches. Previously, the design featured a smaller image to the right of the businesses that were displayed in the search results.

The updated design, which has not been confirmed by Google, features a much larger image above the business profile. Users also are able to slide through multiple images that are linked to the profile.

This might seem like a trivial detail, but it makes the images on your Google My Business profile even more important. As users search for a solution, they may be more inclined to choose the business that is best represented by its images. Be sure to update your photos to make a good impression.

WHAT’S HAPPENING IN PAID SEARCH?

10 PPC Best Practices for 2019

The end of the year is approaching, and that means an onslaught of predictions, projections, prognostications, and more. Search Engine Journal’s Lisa Raehsler gets us started with her paid search best practices for 2019. Here are a few of Raeshler’s tips.

Test New Platforms: There’s more to the PPC world than Google, Bing, and Facebook. Paid search experts should be trying their hand at LinkedIn, Pinterest, and Snapchat to expand their capabilities.

Audiences Integrated with Search: We now have the ability to bolster keyword campaigns through audience targeting. Bing Ads audiences are nothing new, but testing Detailed Demographics, In-Market and Custom Intent, and Remarketing in Google Ads should be on your to-do list for 2019.

Voice Search Preparation: Voice search is here to stay, so staying on top of voice search trends within your account can direct campaign strategy, including hyper-targeting users who are using navigation voice searches, for example.

The remaining seven tips can be found here.

WHAT’S HAPPENING IN CONTENT?

4 Visuals to Increase Social Engagement

Marcus Ho of Search Engine Journal recently researched what visuals on social media receive the most engagement and shares. Here are his top four results:

1. Artistic Illustrations: These are simple drawings that complement the copy of the social post. The illustration should entice the user to read the copy.
2. Creative Display of Statistics: Avoid using simple text to communicate a statistic. Charts, graphs, or other creative visuals put a more interesting twist on information.
3. Clever Usage of Typography: Quotes have been a go-to for brand engagement for years, but users have been overexposed to them. To stand out and inspire in 2018 and beyond, brands should highlight important words or use complementary colors to influence emotions.
4. Filtered Photography: Filters have made us all professional photogs, and brands shouldn’t hesitate to follow suit. A filter can take a basic photo and make it stand out in anyone’s news feed.

For more tips, including a few tools to help create these types of visuals, the full post can be read here.