Monthly Industry Roundup: October 2019

Location3 Releases LOCALACT 3.2.4

Just over a month ago, we released LOCALACT 3.2, which upgraded service enrollment and budget management for LOCALACT users as well as added Facebook ad creative previews, Facebook ad creative-level reporting, and Facebook demographic reporting.

The latest update, LOCALACT 3.2.4, adds even more to the user’s toolbox. The first new feature of 3.2.4 is a Google Ads Location Targeting Map (above). This allows LOCALACT users to use an interactive map to see exactly where their Google Ads campaigns are targeted. The highlighted map displays the postal codes, radius targeting, and regional name targeted by a user’s ads.

We’ve also continued to fine-tune reporting and customization options, offering custom reporting fields from Search, Social, Shopping and Display reports to display in aggregate on the Ads Overview Report.

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Location3 Partners with Google for Franchise Growth Summit

Earlier this month in Redwood City, Calif., along with our partners at Google, Location3 co-hosted the 2nd annual Franchise Growth Summit. The two-day summit offered attendees the opportunity to gain valuable insights into digital marketing from a variety of perspectives and verticals, including retail, healthcare, restaurants, real estate, automotive, and more.

The event featured keynotes from Google, FASTSIGNS CEO and incoming Chair of the International Franchise Association, Catherine Monson, a panel session hosted by Location3 CEO Alex Porter, interactive round table sessions, and opportunities for networking along the way.

We’d like to thank our partners at Google for continuing to support this amazing event, as well as those who were able to attend. If you missed the 2019 Summit but would like to attend the next event, please don’t hesitate to contact us and we’ll be sure to follow up.

Forbes: Helping Franchisees Adopt Local Marketing

Location3 CEO Alex Porter recently shared with Forbes a few insights for supporting franchisees with the tools and knowledge they need to execute a local digital marketing strategy. Here’s an excerpt from the post:

Don’t leave franchisees hanging.

Introducing a local digital marketing program is much different than executing a local digital marketing program. Without proper support, your program is unlikely to ever be adopted by a vast network of franchisees with differing needs and capabilities.

The first level of support is training. Digital marketing training is essential for the long-term success of a franchise-wide program. And franchisees want to be trained. In a 2016 BIA/Kelsey survey of franchisees, 33% of respondents said “more training in digital advertising” was what they wanted most from their franchisor — the most common answer among survey participants. Before rolling out a digital strategy, franchisors should have training resources in place, including printed materials, video tutorials and live support.

Read the full post for more insights.

Podcast: How Online Marketing Drives Offline Revenue

Location3 Sr. Director of Marketing Josh Allen was a recent guest on the Marketing Innovation Technology podcast presented by the International Franchise Association. Allen previewed his presentation that was delivered at MITCon in Austin, Texas, on October 24.

Allen and host, Jack Monson, have a substantive discussion on the advancements in targeting capabilities and how tracking is helping marketers and brands get the most out of their marketing budgets.

Google Announces “Most Important Update in 5 Years”

Google announced last week what’s being considered its biggest update in years for organic search. Google announced the BERT algorithm update, which is Google’s way of better understanding queries in a way that humans can understand them.

BERT is a machine learning algorithm that aims to better understand queries and content on a page. This is not something that will create manual penalties or make sites disappear overnight.

Google says that it impacts 10% of queries, which is significant considering the volume of daily searches on the popular site. Long-tail queries are more likely to be impacted because Google is aiming to match intent for those types of phrases. This is Google’s way of moving further away from just keywords to actual understanding of the entire query.

One early major takeaway: By improving the way Google understands content and intent, it’s more important than ever to make sure your content is written for users, not crawlers.