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Want Bigger Marketing Results? Aim Smaller

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Nate Nead


As business owners and marketers, we often fall for the idea that bigger is better. We think, “If we just did more, bought more, or expanded our budget more, we would get better results.” But what if that’s not true? What if the exact opposite were true?

It’s 2022, and many savvy marketers and brands are waking up to the fact that bigger doesn’t necessarily mean better. They’re discovering that one of the best ways to build a successful brand is actually by aiming smaller. We’re talking about going local with your marketing strategy

The Power of Local Marketing

Local marketing might seem like something that small, niche brands or startups do when they don’t have the budget to launch a full-fledged marketing strategy. But don’t be so quick to judge. There’s a reason some of the world’s most successful brands are refining their scope and placing a bigger emphasis on local marketing. Here are some of the direct benefits:

  • Purchase behavior. Did you know that 93 percent of consumers typically travel 20 minutes or less to make their standard, everyday purchases? While Amazon.com and other ecommerce sites are as popular as ever, this means most people still make the bulk of their daily purchases from local businesses. Thus, it makes sense that you would have a local marketing presence. 
  • Local searches. Roughly 33 percent of online consumers use the internet to search for local businesses on a daily basis. Another 16 percent of people do so multiple times per week. That means nearly half of all online users are actively searching for businesses in their area.
  • Trusted referrals. Here’s an interesting data point: 83 percent of consumers say word-of-mouth recommendations and referrals from friends or family members make them more likely to buy a product or service. Considering that most friends and family members are in the same local market as the consumer, this amplifies the importance of having a local marketing presence. 
  • Engagement. If you study Facebook pages, you’ll find that 72 percent of brand engagement is happening on local pages. This includes comments, direct messages, and shares (which are all high-value engagement activities). Broader, non-local pages typically receive low-value engagement, such as likes and views.

When you add up all of these benefits, you can clearly see the value of local marketing (particularly when you stack it up against your existing marketing strategy that attempts to reach a broader market). 

5 Local Marketing Tips and Tactics

If you want to be successful with local marketing, there are several things you can do to maximize your results. Let’s explore a few of these tactics:

1. Choose a Defined Market

Successful local marketing starts with having a very defined target market. In other words, you need to know who your audience is.

It’s not enough to target a specific local market, like Nashville, TN. You must get clear on who your ideal target customer is within this market. As you build out your target customer profiles, think about factors like age range, interests, careers, political and religious affiliations, desires, frustrations, etc.

The more detailed your target audience is, the more effective your local marketing efforts will be. Take the time to really flesh out these details on the front end. 

2. Invest in Local SEO

Once you have a defined market, it’s time to turn your attention to local search engine optimization (SEO). Considering that nearly half of all online users are using Google and other search engines to find local businesses, an investment in local SEO is a no-brainer. Here are the main ingredients:

  • Technical SEO. While everyone wants to immediately jump into keywords and content, the reality is that your local SEO strategy won’t go anywhere fast without a sound technical SEO foundation. This means properly setting up your website so that things like tags, titles, page structure, URLs, site speed, security, and usability are all optimized.
  • Local keywords.SEO is largely based on keywords. If you want your pages, ads, and content to be served to people who are in your target audience, you have to prioritize the right local keywords. There are plenty of tools you can use to perform keyword research, including these eight tools.
  • Content. Keywords can be used in a variety of places, including PPC ads, but are most valuable when integrated into your website’s content strategy. In fact, content is the gas to this entire local SEO engine. Website pages and blog posts are what Google uses to drive traffic to your site.
  • Backlinks. Google and other search engines view backlinks as trust signals. When they see dozens of backlinks pointing from authoritative websites back to pages on your website, it tells them that your content is worth serving to people. This makes link building one of the most important components of a proactive local SEO strategy. 

When you invest in local SEO, you instantly make your brand more searchable online. In other words, people are more likely to find you when running keyword searches related to your products, services, or niche.

3. Use Location-Based Services

If you have a physical storefront or building, you can use location-based services to really increase your visibility and potentially drive foot traffic to your locations. 

Popular location-based services include Foursquare, Google Places, and Facebook Places. These services are free to use, but they give you an opportunity to connect with people nearby. 

4. Partner With Other Local Businesses

One of the fastest ways to build a presence in a local market is by leveraging the connections, resources, and relationships that other established businesses already have. You can do this by forming partnerships (whether official or unofficial). 

Partnerships can take on any number of different formats. Ultimately, the goal is to help other businesses. If you help other businesses by adding value to them, they’ll be willing to do the same for you. 

The power of business partnerships was perfectly exemplified during the pandemic shutdowns of 2020 and 2021. Businesses that had rich partnerships with other companies were able to combine and leverage resources to remain solvent. Those who were operating on their own little islands were much more likely to go under. 

5. Attend Local Events

There’s no better way to connect with customers than getting in front of them and interacting in a face-to-face manner. And what better option for face-to-face engagement than local events?

Attending local events allows you to get in front of people and build relationships. This strategy works especially well if your team features people with outgoing personalities. Here are a few ideas for local event marketing:

  • Sponsor local events. Are there local events already on the calendar that you can attach your brand to in the form of a sponsorship? Not only does this help you drive brand awareness in your local market, but it also serves as a goodwill builder between your business and the organization running the event. (Not to mention, it gives you an easy way to network with the other event sponsors.)
  • Rent a booth at a local event. Sponsoring an event can be beneficial, but so can renting a booth at a local event (like a tradeshow, outdoor market, or festival). This gives you a chance to meet people, talk about your business, and potentially even make a few sales.
  • Participate in non-profit events. Every local market has non-profit events and activities that are designed to benefit a particular cause, charity, or group of people. There may be opportunities for you to sponsor, volunteer, or provide some of your products or services.  

These are just a few ideas. Bring your team together and brainstorm some additional ideas. Every market is different and there could be unique opportunities available in your city.

Grow Your Brand With Local Marketing

Local marketing isn’t a get-rich-quick marketing scheme that drives instant results. It takes some time, patience, and planning. However, if you give it a few months, you’ll eventually be rewarded with higher penetration, better visibility, and – ultimately – a greater ROI on your marketing dollars. 

The only question is, are you willing to commit the resources?

Nate Nead

Nate Nead is the CEO & Managing Member of Nead, LLC, a consulting company that provides strategic advisory services across multiple disciplines including finance, marketing and software development. For over a decade Nate had provided strategic guidance on M&A, capital procurement, technology and marketing solutions for some of the most well-known online brands. He and his team advise Fortune 500 and SMB clients alike. The team is based in Seattle, Washington; El Paso, Texas and West Palm Beach, Florida.

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Fintech Kennek raises $12.5M seed round to digitize lending

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Google eyed for $2 billion Anthropic deal after major Amazon play


London-based fintech startup Kennek has raised $12.5 million in seed funding to expand its lending operating system.

According to an Oct. 10 tech.eu report, the round was led by HV Capital and included participation from Dutch Founders Fund, AlbionVC, FFVC, Plug & Play Ventures, and Syndicate One. Kennek offers software-as-a-service tools to help non-bank lenders streamline their operations using open banking, open finance, and payments.

The platform aims to automate time-consuming manual tasks and consolidate fragmented data to simplify lending. Xavier De Pauw, founder of Kennek said:

“Until kennek, lenders had to devote countless hours to menial operational tasks and deal with jumbled and hard-coded data – which makes every other part of lending a headache. As former lenders ourselves, we lived and breathed these frustrations, and built kennek to make them a thing of the past.”

The company said the latest funding round was oversubscribed and closed quickly despite the challenging fundraising environment. The new capital will be used to expand Kennek’s engineering team and strengthen its market position in the UK while exploring expansion into other European markets. Barbod Namini, Partner at lead investor HV Capital, commented on the investment:

“Kennek has developed an ambitious and genuinely unique proposition which we think can be the foundation of the entire alternative lending space. […] It is a complicated market and a solution that brings together all information and stakeholders onto a single platform is highly compelling for both lenders & the ecosystem as a whole.”

The fintech lending space has grown rapidly in recent years, but many lenders still rely on legacy systems and manual processes that limit efficiency and scalability. Kennek aims to leverage open banking and data integration to provide lenders with a more streamlined, automated lending experience.

The seed funding will allow the London-based startup to continue developing its platform and expanding its team to meet demand from non-bank lenders looking to digitize operations. Kennek’s focus on the UK and Europe also comes amid rising adoption of open banking and open finance in the regions.

Featured Image Credit: Photo from Kennek.io; Thank you!

Radek Zielinski

Radek Zielinski is an experienced technology and financial journalist with a passion for cybersecurity and futurology.

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Fortune 500’s race for generative AI breakthroughs

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Deanna Ritchie


As excitement around generative AI grows, Fortune 500 companies, including Goldman Sachs, are carefully examining the possible applications of this technology. A recent survey of U.S. executives indicated that 60% believe generative AI will substantially impact their businesses in the long term. However, they anticipate a one to two-year timeframe before implementing their initial solutions. This optimism stems from the potential of generative AI to revolutionize various aspects of businesses, from enhancing customer experiences to optimizing internal processes. In the short term, companies will likely focus on pilot projects and experimentation, gradually integrating generative AI into their operations as they witness its positive influence on efficiency and profitability.

Goldman Sachs’ Cautious Approach to Implementing Generative AI

In a recent interview, Goldman Sachs CIO Marco Argenti revealed that the firm has not yet implemented any generative AI use cases. Instead, the company focuses on experimentation and setting high standards before adopting the technology. Argenti recognized the desire for outcomes in areas like developer and operational efficiency but emphasized ensuring precision before putting experimental AI use cases into production.

According to Argenti, striking the right balance between driving innovation and maintaining accuracy is crucial for successfully integrating generative AI within the firm. Goldman Sachs intends to continue exploring this emerging technology’s potential benefits and applications while diligently assessing risks to ensure it meets the company’s stringent quality standards.

One possible application for Goldman Sachs is in software development, where the company has observed a 20-40% productivity increase during its trials. The goal is for 1,000 developers to utilize generative AI tools by year’s end. However, Argenti emphasized that a well-defined expectation of return on investment is necessary before fully integrating generative AI into production.

To achieve this, the company plans to implement a systematic and strategic approach to adopting generative AI, ensuring that it complements and enhances the skills of its developers. Additionally, Goldman Sachs intends to evaluate the long-term impact of generative AI on their software development processes and the overall quality of the applications being developed.

Goldman Sachs’ approach to AI implementation goes beyond merely executing models. The firm has created a platform encompassing technical, legal, and compliance assessments to filter out improper content and keep track of all interactions. This comprehensive system ensures seamless integration of artificial intelligence in operations while adhering to regulatory standards and maintaining client confidentiality. Moreover, the platform continuously improves and adapts its algorithms, allowing Goldman Sachs to stay at the forefront of technology and offer its clients the most efficient and secure services.

Featured Image Credit: Photo by Google DeepMind; Pexels; Thank you!

Deanna Ritchie

Managing Editor at ReadWrite

Deanna is the Managing Editor at ReadWrite. Previously she worked as the Editor in Chief for Startup Grind and has over 20+ years of experience in content management and content development.

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UK seizes web3 opportunity simplifying crypto regulations

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Deanna Ritchie


As Web3 companies increasingly consider leaving the United States due to regulatory ambiguity, the United Kingdom must simplify its cryptocurrency regulations to attract these businesses. The conservative think tank Policy Exchange recently released a report detailing ten suggestions for improving Web3 regulation in the country. Among the recommendations are reducing liability for token holders in decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs) and encouraging the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to adopt alternative Know Your Customer (KYC) methodologies, such as digital identities and blockchain analytics tools. These suggestions aim to position the UK as a hub for Web3 innovation and attract blockchain-based businesses looking for a more conducive regulatory environment.

Streamlining Cryptocurrency Regulations for Innovation

To make it easier for emerging Web3 companies to navigate existing legal frameworks and contribute to the UK’s digital economy growth, the government must streamline cryptocurrency regulations and adopt forward-looking approaches. By making the regulatory landscape clear and straightforward, the UK can create an environment that fosters innovation, growth, and competitiveness in the global fintech industry.

The Policy Exchange report also recommends not weakening self-hosted wallets or treating proof-of-stake (PoS) services as financial services. This approach aims to protect the fundamental principles of decentralization and user autonomy while strongly emphasizing security and regulatory compliance. By doing so, the UK can nurture an environment that encourages innovation and the continued growth of blockchain technology.

Despite recent strict measures by UK authorities, such as His Majesty’s Treasury and the FCA, toward the digital assets sector, the proposed changes in the Policy Exchange report strive to make the UK a more attractive location for Web3 enterprises. By adopting these suggestions, the UK can demonstrate its commitment to fostering innovation in the rapidly evolving blockchain and cryptocurrency industries while ensuring a robust and transparent regulatory environment.

The ongoing uncertainty surrounding cryptocurrency regulations in various countries has prompted Web3 companies to explore alternative jurisdictions with more precise legal frameworks. As the United States grapples with regulatory ambiguity, the United Kingdom can position itself as a hub for Web3 innovation by simplifying and streamlining its cryptocurrency regulations.

Featured Image Credit: Photo by Jonathan Borba; Pexels; Thank you!

Deanna Ritchie

Managing Editor at ReadWrite

Deanna is the Managing Editor at ReadWrite. Previously she worked as the Editor in Chief for Startup Grind and has over 20+ years of experience in content management and content development.

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