Small businesses are paying more for Facebook ads

Lyft takes aim at daily commuters | MuniRent aims to get local governments hooked on sharing | Can Uber help the GOP reach young voters? Created for sugengaria@gmail.com |  Web Version   August 7, 2014 CONNECT WITH SMARTBRIEF        SIGN UP | FORWARD | ARCHIVE | ADVERTISE The Big Story Sponsored By Lyft takes aim at daily commuters Lyft is touting a service, Lyft Line, that matches users traveling to similar destinations and offers a substantial discount if they share a ride. The idea is to lower prices enough that people will start using Lyft for daily commutes. "We want to be something that people use twice a day, every day," CEO Logan Green says. The New York Times (tiered subscription model) (8/6) Share:  Top tools and trends for 2014. Download our 2014 Digital Trends report, created in partnership with eConsultancy, to discover the trends that are driving exceptional customer experiences. Based on a global survey of more than 2,500 marketers, our report found that customer experience, mobile marketing, and content marketing are major business imperatives for 2014. Get the report now to uncover more insights for the coming year. Connecting & Collaborating Sponsored By MuniRent aims to get local governments hooked on sharing A startup called MuniRent aims to help local governments rent out underused equipment to one another. Four municipalities in Michigan are using the service to source and share heavy equipment such as street-cleaning trucks. FastCoExist (8/6) Share:  Can Uber help the GOP reach young voters? Republicans are using the sharing economy's popularity as a way to generate support for free-market stances among young voters. The Republican National Committee has started a petition to protect Uber from "taxi unions and liberal government bureaucrats." Politico (8/6), Advertising Age (free access for SmartBrief readers) (8/6) Share:  TRUSTe 2014 US Consumer Confidence Privacy Report Consumer trust is falling. 55% of consumers (down from 57% in 2013) say they trust businesses with their personal information online. For a valuable barometer of consumer confidence, business impact and recommended business practices, download the TRUSTe research report now. Marketer Moments Small businesses are paying more for Facebook ads The average price of a Facebook ad during the second quarter was 123% higher than the price last year, putting the squeeze on small businesses that have embraced digital platforms as an affordable way to advertise. Ad impressions are lower as well, but "even if someone doesn't click on an ad they may see it and that helps build brand awareness," says Lauren Pohl, founder of KidzCentralStation.com. The Wall Street Journal (tiered subscription model) (8/6) Share:  Platform News Foursquare's new app debuts Foursquare's new mobile application has officially launched with a focus on location-based recommendations. The app allows users to tag locations using a system called "tastes," and it rewards users for reviews by designating avid posters as experts. TheNextWeb.com (8/6), The Wall Street Journal (tiered subscription model)/Digits blog (8/6) Share:  Tumblr touts staying power in bid to beat Facebook Tumblr is hoping to win over brands troubled by the fleeting nature of social content on Facebook and other major platforms. Tumblr officials say it's a more creative and collaborative platform, and that makes for greater staying power. "It allows for earned engagement long after the content has expired on other platforms," Tumblr's Lee Brown says. Adweek (8/6), Digiday.com (8/5) Share:  Measurement Matters Sponsored By Report projects continued revenue growth for social media ads Revenues from social media ads are expected to nearly double from last year's $6.1 billion to more than $11 billion by 2017, according to Mintel. The report says 50% of social network users in the U.S. say that it influences their purchase decisions, but only 9% say they've made a purchase through a social media ad. MediaPost Communications/The Social Graf blog (8/6) Share:  Download a free sampler of 7 Palgrave marketing books Featuring excerpts from recently published and forthcoming marketing titles, this complimentary ebook offers practical advice regarding social, mobile, and digital marketing to industry professionals as they strive to adapt their business strategies and hone their skills in the midst of today's ever-evolving technological landscape. Download the sampler now. Social Shareable Should you be worried about "Twitter psychosis"? A scholarly report says social media use can "aggravate or even induce psychotic symptoms" in susceptible individuals. Still, there's little to suggest that Twitter can actually trigger mental disorders. "Nothing in the case study indicates that Twitter can induce symptoms in people who wouldn't already be predisposed to develop them," Jesse Singal writes. The Daily Dot (8/6), New York magazine/Science of Us blog (8/7) Share:  SmartQuote You can't just collect a lot of information off people and not doing anything with it. It's not a fair trade." -- Foursquare CEO Dennis Crowley, as quoted by The Wall Street Journal's Digits blog Share:    Andy Sernovitz, Editor at Large Andy Sernovitz is the New York Times best-selling author of "Word of Mouth Marketing: How Smart Companies Get People Talking" and the blog "Damn, I Wish I'd Thought of That!" He runs WordofMouth.org, where marketers and entrepreneurs learn to be great at word of mouth marketing, and SocialMedia.org, the community for social media leaders at the world's greatest brands.   Subscriber Tools Please contact one of our specialists for advertising opportunities, editorial inquiries, job placements, or any other questions.   Editor:  Ambreen Ali Managing Editor:  Stephen Yusko Contributing Editor:  Ben Whitford Advertising:  Dena Malouf Jobs Contact:  Elizabeth Stack     SIGN UP   SHARE   ADVERTISE   SEND FEEDBACK Update Profile | Change e-mail address | Unsubscribe |  Archive | Web version (print friendly) Download the SmartBrief App  iTunes / Android   Mailing Address: SmartBrief, Inc.®, 555 11th ST NW, Suite 600, Washington, DC 20004 © 1999-2014 SmartBrief, Inc.® Privacy policy |  Legal Information