Here’s our top list, as ranked by reader popularity:

5. What the Bronx Zoo Cobra Taught Us about Local and Social

4. Three Game Changing Truths in Online Marketing

3. A Plea for Modern Customer Loyalty Programs

2. The Dollars and Sense of Mobile Loyalty Programs

1. Social, Local, Mobile: The New Word of Mouth Marketing

There you have it. Five posts to get you started brainstorming about how to better your business in 2012.

Our team can help you develop new products or services to offer to advertisers and consumers. Contact our team to learn more or discuss your needs. 

May peace, joy and happiness be with you throughout the season and in 2012!

What does the announcement of Google+ pages mean for local search?

In short, it’s too early to tell. But, to help you understand the potential impacts, we’ve compiled some of our favorite articles from around the web on why you need a Google+ page,  how to maximize your Google+ page and a few other considerations before you dive into creating your Google+ page.

• How Does Google+ Fit into the Social Media Puzzle from the MarketingSherpa Blog
• How Google+ Could One-Up Facebook’s Brand Pages from TechCrunch
• Google Finally Launches Business Pages from HubSpot Blog
• Creating Google Pages for Local from Screenwerk Blog
• 10 Tips and Tricks for Better Google+ Brand Pages from Mashable

While you are exploring options to create your Google+ page, be sure to “circle” the Local Matters’ page to keep up with news and trends from around the industry.

We are all learning how important these pages may become. If you have tips or advice to share about Google+, let us know in the comments. 

No one can argue that more and more people are searching and viewing web sites on their mobile phones. In fact, a Gartner study suggests that by 2013 (a mere 15 months away), more people will be online on their phone than their PC’s.

“Wait! I just paid an agency to redo my site and they assured me it will work on the phone, therefore I don’t need another ‘mobile’ site or page.”

Well, while technically true, I would respond that newscasters do not simply read the newspaper on the TV. That would be horrifically boring and non-effective, a similar if not worse experience as your “desktop site” being viewed on a mobile phone. Oh and God help you if you just had you site redone in Flash – I won’t even get into that.

So the question is… mobile site or mobile page? There are definitely arguments for both sides, but more importantly look at what kind of business you have. That will determine your needs.

For example, if your site is a movie site, you may need an entire site to properly engage the user. You would need a page for: new in theaters, reviews, movie times, theater locations, and so on.

If your site is a local small business – say a restaurant, a single page may work better. A page with your most crucial information: phone number, address, directions, deals, hours of operation, photos, and reviews, is all a consumer would need to make an informed decision.

Ok, you’ve convinced me. I need a mobile page. Now what?

Our platform, DigitalSeen, offers a centralized content management system (a fancy way of saying all of your information is online and can be edited by you at any time) and with one line of code placed on your current site (don’t worry, we will provide that for you)… and bingo, your mobile page is done!

• Half of American Internet users visited Facebook in July
• They stayed on Facebook for 25 minutes.
• 75% of visitors are age 35-54

The evolution of online presence is about engaging consumers. In the past, businesses were advised to get a website, optimize the content for search engines and make it welcoming to consumers with accurate and engaging content. The very same is true for a Facebook Fan Page; complete your business’ Facebook profile, and add compelling content like photos, a custom home page and consumer-oriented apps.

Read any blog about Facebook for businesses and it will tout the importance of engaging consumers on Facebook with regular, relevant posts. While great advice, it glosses over an essential aspect of a business’ Facebook presence – the Fan Page itself.

Local Matters’ DigitalSeen product helps to create and optimize business Fan Pages. With a solid Facebook foundation in place, we help curate business content and location data and publish it to Facebook. Because this information comes from a central repository-DigitalSeen- the information on Facebook is accurate, complete and consistent with other online business profiles. Additionally, our Location Finder app for Facebook helps users to quickly find nearby business locations. Each Location Page is also populated by Digital Seen. This all happens within Facebook on the business’ Fan Page.

More and more, consumers are searching Facebook for business information, much the same as they have used search engines in the past. Now, when consumers visit a business’ Facebook Fan Page, they are greeted not only by wall posts, but content such as photos, a descriptive profile and accurate business details. This creates authority and trust – building blocks for effective consumer engagement.