Infographic: The History of Local Search

Dream Systems Media is the copyright owner of this info graphic.

Yelp and Foursquare, Google Maps and Siri — these are just the most recent efforts in Local Marketing. The folks over at Dream Systems Media put together this amazing graphic on the History of Local Search today. It shares just how far we have come with local marketing, from word-of-mouth through radio and TV to today’s local search. We wanted to share this timeline with our readers over here so enjoy and Kudos to the DSM team for putting together such an awesome graphic on local marketing!

foursquare Gets Fancy with Photos & Comments

Is foursquare is more than just a game?

In attempts to drive more users and create revenue opportunities, foursquare has added comments and photos to their interface. This is a huge development for foursquare, which previously relied on Twitter and Facebook to be truly useful. However, is it too late? I’ve always seen foursquare, a location-based social networking site for mobile devices, as the adult version of Pokemon. The same principle that Nintendo follows with its “gotta catch ‘em all” tag-line is the basis of foursquare’s success. Sure collecting badge and becoming the mayor of your favorite establishments is fun (I am the mayor of several Uptown New Orleans bars), but there has to be more than that or the game get old fast. The addition of images and comments allows more options than just telling absolute strangers (and employers) what establishments you visit, it also gives new depth to foursquare that it was previously missing.

Foursquare Survey Contest Winner Announced

We’d like to congratulate the winner, chosen at random, from our respondents to the first-ever Foursquare advertiser study.

Environmental Education Programs - The Urban Ecology Center

In order to be completely fair, we picked the entry at the halfway point (#65 of 130 respondents). And the lucky winner was Jeff McAvoy of the Urban Ecology Center.

Social Media Widget

The Urban Ecology Center offers Environmental Education Programs for Milwaukee residents in two Milwaukee County parks. These guys are clearly very social media savvy with a presence on Twitter, Facebook, Foursquare, LinkedIn and an email list.

Foursquare Survey Results

Though it’s been months, I’m finally publishing the Foursquare Survey Results from SMX Advanced

I will come back and update this post with analysis from the various slides.

Top 10 for the Weekend- August 13

We’re back with another thrilling installment of our bi-monthly series: Top 10 for the Weekend! Keep reading to find out tips and tricks, as well as what’s new in the world of SEO

Great Apps to Customize Your Facebook Fan Page

Facebook recently hit a new milestone: 500 million users! With this high volume it is a perfect platform for marketing, and people are already taking advantage of this opportunity. Here is a list of great apps that allow you to customize your fan page to its fullest potential.

Will Scott Speaking at SMX Advanced June 8-9

Next week’s SMX Advanced Conference in Seattle is sure to prove itself a valuable experience for all in attendance. On June 8 and 9, some of the brightest minds in search marketing will gather in Seattle for a conference that has come to be know as a must-attend for those interested in gathering high level actionable information to apply to their strategies.

Foursquare Advertiser Survey

Search Influence is proud to be taking part in the first ever Foursquare Advertiser Survey with 3 other companies focused on local search and social media.

Over the next 2 weeks, leading up to SMX Advanced, we will be polling businesses using Foursquares promotions tools to get the word out about their businesses.

If you are one of the advertisers we’ve contacted, please be assured we are very interested in your feedback and are excited to share the data we compile.

Foursquare is an exciting new media type bringing together local search, couponing and loyalty / retention programs around a game -based location-centric service.

Local Business Marketing on Foursquare

While many companies are still figuring out Facebook and Twitter as a means of local business marketing, a whole new social media is beginning to break into the mainstream. While the underlying idea is to keep you connected, just as other social media networks, foursquare takes it to the next level.

It’s also similar to other outlets in such ways that you connect to people you know by adding them as a “friend,” but past that, this new location-based app sets itself apart by integrating the service into everyday activities, being primarily mobile-based, and serving as a “tap and go” app, with which it  doesn’t take much longer to interact than it does to send a text message to a friend letting them know where you’re having your coffee.