A lot has happened in 2018. From the rise of Google Posts to the implementation of the EU's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), local marketing is always changing. Read our recap about what happened in 2018, and learn more about the 3 trends you should be paying attention to in 2019. http://bit.ly/2H2u2lD

1. brandify.com | @GoBrandify
2019
LOCAL MARKETING
PREDICTIONS

2. GOOGLE POSTS
Growth in popularity followed by a decrease
in effectiveness after a September change
where Google moved Posts to the bottom
of the Knowledge Panel.
GMB UPDATES
Several updates to the Google
My Business (GMB) API, including
support for Questions and Answers
in the November release.
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LOCAL MARKETING IN 2018

3. FACEBOOK
RECOMMENDATIONS
Facebook changed its reviews to
recommendations and got rid of star ratings,
along with several other local page changes.
CHANGES IN COUNTING
DIRECT SEARCHES
A revised method of counting Direct Searches
in GMB saw numbers jump up in August.
Branded Searches introduced.
ANONYMOUS REVIEWS
Google purged anonymous
reviews in the summer.
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4. GDPR IMPLEMENTATION
Implementation of the EU’s General Data
Protection Regulation (GDPR) in May; passage
of the California Consumer Privacy Act in June,
due to take effect in January 2020 and expected
to impact most companies who store private data
and do business in the U.S.
DATA BREACHES
Multiple stories involving data breaches at
Google and Facebook, unveiling the broad extent
to which these and other companies are
tracking the habits of individual consumers.
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5. THE IMPORTANCE OF
STRATEGIC DIFFERENTIATION
POSSIBLE UPHEAVALS ON
THE PRIVACY FRONT
MOVING “BEYOND”
THE INTERFACE
Read our 2019 Marketing Predictions
brandify.com | @GoBrandify
Brands need strong differentiators,
such as visual marketing and review
engagement, to compete today in
local search.
New privacy regulations may have
an enormous impact on digital
marketing in general, with
implications for local.
Voice search, visual search,
augmented reality, and AI are
establishing a digital world beyond
the traditional screen interface.
WHAT’S IN STORE FOR 2019?WHAT’S IN STORE FOR 2019

6. About Brandify
Brandify is an industry-leading provider of location-based digital
marketing solutions that helps brands connect to their
customers. Brandify does this by capturing data as well as
providing strategy and customized solutions to help brands
maximize their online presence and drive customers to their
locations.
For more marketing tips check out our Knowledge Hub.
brandify.com | @GoBrandify