InstantLocal Finalist in Marriott Travel Experience Incubator

By on August 23, 2017 in Business, News

In August, Marriott, Accenture Interactive and 1776 brought 12 finalists to Washington DC to pitch their ideas and businesses on how to improve the travel experience. The 3-month Travel Experience Incubator program is a first of its kind in the US, and received hundreds of applications from interested startups.

InstantLocal was selected as one of finalists. All finalists got the opportunity to spend a day with key team members from the incubator program to prepare. This was followed the next morning by the pitches to key executives from all three companies.

This was the first opportunity for InstantLocal promote and pitch our new artificial intelligence (AI) enhanced travel discovery app.

The program is focused in improving the guest experience. Now more than ever, travelers are seeking out something real and different, spending their money on experiences. The challenge is helping to connect the traveler to the right local options, all without the need to spend countless hours searching.

Local communities everywhere offer a great range of opportunities, but all to often it is too hard to find something you don’t already know about on social media, or find that special experience amongst all the ads and search results promoting the same chains.

With InstantLocal we are using AI to eliminate constant searching and irrelevant information, by matching the best local options to a traveler’s needs wherever they are. With a visual search and voice assistant capability InstantLocal will help a traveler connect with other travelers, and discover a whole range of local opportunities that might never be discovered otherwise.

“Travel should be exciting and offer something new, even if it is a regular business trip” says Vance Reavie, CEO. “We want to banish the ‘ don’t know what do you want to do’ arguments and get travelers out into the community.”

With local events, business offers, attractions, wellness opportunities and entertainment options combined with posts and comments from other travelers InstantLocal offers travelers a social way to find what’s happening right now and get some insights from other travelers too.

“We are working on a whole new way to discover the best local experiences, and using AI to save travelers time while making their trip unforgettable. Our app is a visual real-time tool to discover and engage, no need to use multiple websites and apps, we combine everything in one so you can spend more time enjoying your trip and less time searching.”

A key benefit of the program, startups get to develop, validate, and test travel solutions directly with the experience of Marriott International. As a leader in using data to enrich and enhance the travel experience and customer connectedness, startups benefit from the program’s curriculum, and opportunity for paid piloting and investment at its conclusion.

“Having the opportunity to introduce our new concept was a great experience, we gained a lot of insight and feedback. We look forward to the opportunity to apply again next year, with our new app going live in early 2018 we we will be ready impress.”

HOTEL GUESTS WANT A LOCAL EXPERIENCE – HERE’S HOW

By on June 19, 2017 in Business, News

The Hotel Association of Tarrant County (HATC) and new start-up InstantLocal have created an exciting partnership to offer association members an innovative way to help their guests engage locally when they are looking for something to eat, do or buy.

Tourism and hospitality services are an important part of the Tarrant County local economy. “Staying on top of digital trends is critical” says Julie Fayer-Dylla, Executive Director of the HATC “connecting our members to new and innovative business partners is a core part of our mission.”

InstantLocal is a new local discover mobile app, featuring offers from local businesses. With real-time, location-relevant offers sourced directly from businesses, the app helps visitors find what’s near and new so that they can easily discover and enjoy local experiences.

Hotels can promote their offers to their guests and locals via InstantLocal. To help their guests even further, hotels can create InstantLocal Boards that feature a collection of their local recommendations, giving their guests a digital concierge in the palm of their hands.

As a new HATC member, InstantLocal will work with members to get their hotels, restaurants, spas, and other services on the app, plus on board their local business partners. “Hotels drive a lot of business at local bars, restaurants, entertainment venues and retailers”, continued Julie, “and we want locals to know how much we have going on at our local hotels too.”

“Hotels are a big part of our local scene, they have great local events, are a meeting place and are leaders in featuring local products and services.” said InstantLocal CEO Vance Reavie. “Our app is like a digital concierge for guests, connecting hotels and their guests to an authentic local experience.”

InstantLocal eliminates the frustration of out-of-date static directories, cluttered social media feeds and having to use 3-4 apps or websites to find something locally. The app has no advertising or sponsored content, just real offers direct from the businesses. App users can follow their favorite businesses and boards, plus share posts, business profiles and their favorite boards in text messages, emails and on social media.

InstantLocal app is free and available now on the Apple and Google app stores. HATC members can email Vance Reavie at vance@instantlocal.com to take advantage of their special members only offer.

 

About the HATC

The Hotel Association of Tarrant County advocates on behalf of our members through idea exchange, community involvement, government interaction and resource development, and we give our members the platform to get their voices heard, no matter how big or how small. Learn more about the HATC www.staytarrant.com.

About InstantLocal

InstantLocal app hosts the largest local business marketplace in Austin and DFW, Texas featuring only real-time location relevant posts from local businesses. The app supports local businesses connecting with consumers at the moment they are looking on their phones for something to eat, do and buy with location relevant posts. Learn more about InstantLocal at www.instantlocal.com

Press Inquiries

Hotel Association of Tarrant County

(817) 238-3232

Instant Local Inc

Gabriel Killian

(214) 674-3211

gabriel.killian@instantlocal.com

Original URL http://instantlocal.com/blog/hotel-guests-want-local-experience-heres/

INSTANTLOCAL NAMED THE STARTUP TO WATCH

By on April 23, 2017 in News

This week CultureMap Dallas featured the 6 startups to watch in Dallas right now including InstantLocal! The timing could not be better.

With InstantLocal’s latest update we have rolled out to the Dallas/Ft Worth area with hundreds of local businesses already listed. Plus you’ll fine some awesome InstantLocal boards to help you find the best cocktails and craft brews, vegan eating options and local cafes.

Shopping locally is a global trend, and everyone is looking for options to help them discover, engage and promote locally. InstantLocal is thrilled to be recognized for its efforts to make acting locally as easy as checking your phone.

Check out the CultureMap Dallas article here.

 

Original URL http://instantlocal.com/blog/instantlocal-named-startup-watch/

#RETAILCRISIS IS TRENDING, DON’T FALL FOR IT

By on April 10, 2017 in Business, News

I have been reading articles today on the #retailcrisis, trending on Linkedin and elsewhere. The stories are new but the theme is the same, week after week. It seems verdict is in, bricks and mortar businesses aren’t just facing a crisis but are about to cease to exist. The headlines are written, and all that remains is to board up the last shop and we can all go home.

But before you lock up, and head home, it might be worth having another look.

Something else is happening and it is happening everywhere around the world. The #retailcrisis is not what it seems.

At InstantLocal we see two trends at play that are changing the retail landscape everywhere.

1) Everything is the same everywhere

The articles proclaim the online giants have won. They have made shopping online easy, and with fast fulfillment, more convenient. Their sites feature thousands of brand name products in every size and color.

And, this is the problem. The big box retailers feature largely the same products, same brands, the same store layouts and promotions everywhere you go.

The result… there is no need to go to these big box stores. They are being replaced and are now closing stores, laying off staff and losing money.

Their ubiquity has made the shopping experience generic and boring. It’s more of the same. With little to no differentiation consumers simple engage based on the best price for the least effort. There is no need to be loyal.

2) Everyone wants to act locally

Today, consumers, especially millennials, are demanding engaging experiences that correspond to their identity and values. While these identities may share some characteristics from location to location, the underlying commonality is the desire to be connected locally. Local brands, farm to table, concept shops and pop-ups, seasonality, and local differentiation are in demand by savvy consumers everywhere.

Many local businesses, large and small, have figured this out. Sometimes it is simply offering a wide selection of locally sourced products, or making their own products. Others are changing their marketing strategies to offer experiences that appeal to locals in tune with local culture and trends.

Changing #retailcrisis to #retailsuccess

Local strategies lead to success for local businesses. Everyone wants to act local, this is a mega-trend that is reshaping local business around the world. The businesses that recognize what this means and deliver a local experience can succeed in this fiercely competitive retail environment. They will have local and loyal customers, they’ll even have a line-up at the cash register or a waiting list to get seated!

We are witnessing the change

Many local businesses from Austin and DFW on InstantLocal understand #retailsuccess. They are succeeding, attracting local and loyal customers with products and services that are aligned and appeal to their local markets. We are witnessing a change.

These businesses understand the need to feature, connect, and promote local to stand out. They get that consumers want to express their identity, satisfying their desire to connect to what makes their community interesting and special.

Let’s not turn the lights out and lock the door. Take another look at the innovation and #retailsuccess happening everywhere. The places with the line-ups to get a table, selling out locally designed clothes, buzzing with customers, and getting the most attention are the ones that offer a unique local experience.

 

Original URL https://www.instantlocal.com/retailcrisis-trending-dont-fall/

CONSUMERS AREN’T PSYCHIC, YOU HAVE TO CAPTURE THEM IN THE MOMENT!

By on March 23, 2017 in Business, News

Consumers, especially millennials, are driving impulse buying. It’s “in the moment” and overwhelmingly through a phone.

Consumers already have a high awareness of big brands and online giants. It’s easy to see why. Social media, online advertising, and paid search results mean they are bombarded daily by ads.

So how do you capture their attention?

It’s all about being Mobile

Today, 94% of consumers search on their phones for something local to eat, drink, do or buy. Consumers are using their desktop less, with 61% using only their phones now. This means for all the effort you put into your designer website or print ad, you are still missing out on impulse buys.

To get more foot traffic, leads, and sales your marketing has to be real-time and location relevant.

Capture Consumers in the Moment

Gone are the days of the weekly shopping list. Today, consumers don’t need to plan in advance. Technology, online giants and to-your-doorstep fulfillment frees them of the cumbersome need to plan and organize everything in advance.

But for local businesses without big tech budgets or nation-wide awareness this makes it hard to survive. Being front of mind when consumers are making that purchase decision means being in front of them as they search on their phones for something they want.

Successful marketing for your local business needs to focus on getting discovered by consumers on their phones.

So what do you do?

Social media timelines are cluttered, consumers cannot remember what they saw earlier in the day, and when they need it, they cannot find it. Trending algorithms ensure ads get priority and popular big brand posts are on top.

The good news is consumers want to act locally, and acting locally means they can connect and engage with local businesses wherever they are with their phones. To connect your marketing must capture impulse buys with location relevant real-time content.

  1. Real-time Content – Being real-time means posting photos of your products and services at the times most likely to capture consumers’ attention. If it’s Friday afternoon, capture the after work drinks crowd with a post about specials that afternoon. Market to this consumer in the moment, right when they are looking for somewhere to go.
  2. Location relevant – Being location relevant is easy for local businesses. If a consumer can discover your content, and realise you are nearest them, you will win their business. Your post about a lunch special needs to target the people looking for lunch in your area.

Being Present Isn’t Hard

With InstantLocal you can take advantage of an app designed to connect consumers to local businesses on their phones.

InstantLocal provides a simple-to-use app for your businesses to post photos of products and services in real-time, based on your location.

Consumers can discover local business offers newest and nearest them. There are no ads, sponsored content and fake reviews on InstantLocal.

It really is that simple. Generate leads from marketing in the moment to consumers on their phones as they search to discover something to eat, drink, buy or do. You don’t need to spend a fortune on big tech or big budget ads.

Get started today. Download InstantLocal on Google or Apple, list your business and start posting.

(photo credit: Rob Bye)

 

Original URL http://instantlocal.com/consumers-arent-psychic/

DAVID DIDN’T HAVE TO FIGHT AMAZON’S DELIVERY FLEET

By on March 1, 2017 in Business, Moment Marketing, News

You think big tech and same day delivery gives the online giants an advantage?

With the huge budgets for tech, fulfillment systems, warehouses and fleets of planes it might seem impossible to compete with them.

Even Target, Macy’s, and other big box retailers are struggling to compete. But local business have the advantage, even in this “David and Goliath” struggle.

You Have Something the Giants Don’t

The big online giants have invested heavily to overcome your natural advantage – your location. One of their biggest costs is to ship orders. Amazon spent over 12% of revenue on shipping in 2016, and these costs are rising rapidly as they move to same day and 2-hour shipping.

They know consumers are making spontaneous purchase decisions. They are making online ordering and delivery as convenient and as fast as possible.

So how does a local business, big or small, compete?

While the online giants spend billions they cannot replicate your most important advantage easily, but your location alone isn’t going to win the battle. Consumers still expect more advanced digital services than what’s generally on offer at most local businesses.

To win you are going to need to get discovered, offer location relevant content and be innovative in using on demand and share economy services to engage  consumers, in store, by phone and online.

Being Locally Discoverable

With 94% of consumers searching to buy locally, and 85% preferring to purchase locally, being locally discoverable can help you win these sales.

You need to focus your local strategy on connecting with consumers in the moment, when they are making purchase decisions. This means posting about your products and services in real-time and making sure they are discoverable to local consumers where and when they are searching.

Local discovery apps, social media and social sharing are all critical to building up a web of relevant content to capture consumers. You need to be proactive, pushing out content in real-time to meet consumer demand in the moment.

Capturing consumers in the moment, and in their location, doesn’t mean big expensive technology. Nor does supporting their engagement needs.

You don’t need your own app and you don’t need your own own delivery fleet. Technology disruption has already provided a wide selection of services that are easy and cost effective for local businesses, and consumers. With only minimal effort you can tap into this network to ensure consumers know where you are, how they can find you and what fulfillment options you support.

With InstantLocal, and on-demand and shared economy services local business can compete and win.

Where do you start?

Compelling content that is location relevant at the moment consumers are searching for something to eat, do or buy must be part of your digital marketing. A print ad or static website is not enough in today’s mobile market.

With Instantlocal you can quickly and easily create, publish and share photo based posts about your products and services. Using the app you can post immediately or schedule to publish at the moment you want to engage consumers.

By combining your posts on InstantLocal with information featuring on demand services for ride share and local delivery options you can extend your reach all from your location. You can grow your sales incrementally while adding little in new operating costs.

It might feel like a David and Goliath struggle for local business, but using simple and cost effective innovative services available today  you can slay the giants. InstantLocal can help, sign up today for your free account and get your posts in front local consumers making purchase decisions right now.

 

Original URL http://instantlocal.com/david-didnt-fight-amazons-delivery-fleet/

LOCAL BUSINESS HAVE THE ADVANTAGE OVER ONLINE GIANTS

By on February 20, 2017 in Business, Moment Marketing, News

What does it take to beat the online giants? You need a local strategy that targets your community’s consumers in the moment they are making a purchase decision.

To thrive and grow in today’s on-demand economy where consumers reach for their phones to act on impulse purchase decisions, local business can turn the table on the online giants. With as much as 94% of consumers using their phones to search locally, the opportunity is enormous.

How does this give local business an advantage? You are location relevant, the “nearest me” concept that no online retailer can replace, and you can connect in the moment with real-time content about products and services to capture spontaneous purchase decisions.

To do this local business already have all the advantages.

It’s about real local engagement

The squeeze is happening all around us. Businesses that do not offer a credible reason to engage locally can easily be replaced by online retailers.

Many big enterprise bricks and mortars, alongside local businesses, are losing the battle because they do not take advantage of their best natural advantage – their local connection.

But it takes more than an occasional print ad, flyer or online ad. It’s more than sponsoring an event or donating to a charity.

Businesses that want to stand out and demonstrate a value to shopping locally understand they need to “talk the talk and walk the walk”. This might include featuring local suppliers, serving locally focused specialties, offering services online cannot, being accessible to the community, and encouraging direct human engagement.

Making these part of a local strategy gives businesses an advantage that cannot be replicated online and is not credible without a true physical connection to the community.

Making your Products and Services Location Relevant Makes the Difference

Apple and Google dominate mapping, and Google Places and others provide the replacement to the Yellow Pages. This is a great start, but it is not location relevant and does not offer real-time content that will capture the impulse buy. With the intense clutter of ads, sponsored content, and fake news/reviews it seems impossible to break through without a big tech and big advertising budget.

This is a challenge, but if big tech and big budgets were the answer then big box enterprises would not be feeling the squeeze. Using the “in the moment” and viral power of mobile marketing can be a more simple and direct way to sell 10 more pizzas a month, move 10 more pairs of shoes, or sign up 10 new yoga memberships.

The Answer Doesn’t Have to Be Big, Hard and Expensive

A local business strategy to capture impulse buys can be simple and cost effective.

At InstantLocal we believe that local businesses need to:

  • take control of their brand online and post their own product and service content,
  • get their own content in front of the consumer without third party advertising distractions
  • offer a simple nearest/newest approach to local searching without trending algorithms and out-of-date search results
  • improve visibility of local listing and local offers

With InstantLocal local business can post content about their products and services. Locals can find and discover offers, and local advocates can promote their favorites – all in real-time, location based and without the distraction of competing ads from the online giants.

This is how local business can capture the market and take the advantage from the online giants.

Right now, in your community, 1000’s of consumers are on their phones looking for something to eat, do or buy. If you are not getting your products and services in front of them you are missing out.

Get started today for free on InstantLocal – now live in Austin and Dallas-Ft Worth, Texas.

Original URL http://instantlocal.com/blog/local-business-advantage-online-giants/

DISCOVER AND CONNECT WITH MORE IN YOUR COMMUNITY

By on February 14, 2017 in Business, News

Building a thriving local economy is all about connectedness. Locals, local advocates and local businesses need one another to make it happen. We all want to act locally but sometimes we don’t know what’s right on our doorstep.

InstantLocal is making that connection easy and instant.

With the world at our fingertips it seems smaller with every advance. Technology today has placed in the palm of our hand the ability to discover, connect and learn like never before. As our reach grows, we want to know about the experiences at home and where we travel.

We are local wherever we are with our phone; each place we find ourselves is filled with locals and local businesses – stories to be experienced, and engaged.

We want to act local, but to share in the most immersive and unique local experiences we need to connect with those “in the know”. Local experts or guides, whatever you’d like to call them, broaden our horizons and expand our ability to connect locally.

“The fundamental law of human beings is interdependence. A person is a person through other persons.”- Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

People build and shape communities, and communities build and shape people. There are no solo-artists. Everyone’s a local, but some are local advocates, and some are local business owners. Regardless of our role, or roles, we’re interdependent. We rely on each other. Local businesses especially need local, loyal customers and local advocates to thrive.

We at InstantLocal understand the special connection between locals, local advocates and local businesses. Connectedness. That’s what this is. That’s what we’re about. Our app is connecting all of those who are vested in seeing their local community and economy grow and prosper, to build a thriving local scene.

We’ve created an amazing way for locals and local businesses to directly connect, and even more, we’ve empowered local advocates with the ability to connect others with their most loved places.

InstantLocal Boards are a powerful tool for those advocates to partner with and promote local businesses.

How can we help you? From chambers of commerce to social marketers, community markets and coffee shop bloggers InstantLocal Boards empower local advocates, bringing value to businesses they promote.

InstantLocal Boards are different. Your Board is always up-to-date with real-time, relevant photo posts easily created by the local businesses you’re promoting. It’s a win/ win. You’re able to provide real value to the locals and local businesses you care about, and be seen as the go-to person for your audience to find what they want when they want it.

We know how important this is – that’s why they’re free!

Are you a local explorer? A local advocate? The InstantLocal app is the one tool you need to discover, engage and promote what you love. It’s easy, instant and awesome!

Download it today on the Apple App store or Google Play store!

 

Original URL http://instantlocal.com/blog/discover-connect-community/

YOU WERE MEANT TO EXPLORE – DISCOVER EVEN MORE CLOSE TO HOME WITH INSTANTLOCAL

By on February 4, 2017 in News

We are natural explorers. It’s what we do.

“Exploration is really the essence of the human spirit.” – Frank Borman

Our exploring might mean climbing a new mountain peak, immersing ourselves in foreign cultures, or swimming the depths of the oceans.

When we hear the word exploring, we don’t often consider how much of it can be done close to home.

Our drive to explore is to discover something, someplace or someone new. Those can be found right in our own backyard as often as anywhere else. Our communities offer an incredible range of diverse options and opportunities, new people and places to discover and local favorites to enjoy.

Exploring and discovering today is most often done spontaneously. We don’t map things out; we’re in the moment. We want what we want when we want it…wherever we’re at.

At InstantLocal we place the ability to explore and discover right in the palm of your hand. Wherever you might find yourself our app allows you to engage with and enjoy the local experience nearest you!

Using InstantLocal, businesses can quickly and easily post photos of what they have to offer, local advocates can create boards to promote favorites and you can discover new local experiences (or rediscover old ones), instantly!

Our communities are brimming with great local options, businesses that need locals to grow and prosper, who want you to be a loyal customer. InstantLocal’s app saves you time finding those local treasures. Now you can fully experience what’s on offer around you.

“A person does not grow from the ground like a vine or a tree, one is not part of a plot of land. Mankind has legs so it can wander.” Roman Payne

The discovery of something new, and even rediscovery of old finds in new ways is exciting. With InstantLocal as your roadmap you’ll discover and engage in a truly local experience wherever you find yourself.

We are bringing locals, local advocates and local businesses together like never before.

“I wandered everywhere, through cities and countries wide. And everywhere I went, the world was on my side.” Roman Payne

Keep exploring, and keep discovering. Do it now with InstantLocal! Download our app today on the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store as we launch in Austin.

Original URL http://instantlocal.com/blog/discover-local-businesses/

FULL STEAM AHEAD – FROM THE JUNGLE TO SILICON VALLEY

By on January 31, 2017 in News

It’s already one month into 2017! The saying goes time flies when you are having fun, so I guess Ricky, the team and I had a really fun year.

Our journey just keeps picking up speed as we go. During 2016 we hit our milestones, adjusted when needed, learned a lot and engage many intelligent, interesting and very supportive people. InstantLocal has moved from something we talked about and we worked on behind the scenes to now being live on both app stores with over 70 businesses signing up for our beta launch in Austin.

It doesn’t get better than that!

We also feel vindicated. Our approach has always been that consumers need real-time information that is location relevant. We feel strongly that the key to a profitable local digital marketing strategy for businesses is to be present at the moment a consumer is making a purchase decision, no matter where they are. Now as we enter 2017 this approach has its own term and is attracting attention as “moment marketing”.

This is exactly as we hoped the market would unfold, today we are local wherever we are with our smartphones. And InstantLocal is the tool local businesses can use to ensure they are at the forefront of this shift.

Some notable highlights from the past year:

  • Finished our test prototype in April
  • Engaged a near shore dev company and redeveloped the app for market release Jun-Nov.
  • Accepted for release on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store in December.
  • Signed up 70+ local Austin businesses for our beta launch (to test and get feedback).
  • Grew our team including Nat on social media, Cassandra on sales and customer success and Gabriel on business development.
  • Connected with 1000’s of business, advocates and locals outside of Austin who are eagerly awaiting our expansion to their communities.
  • Met with many supporters who have helped shape our direction and strategy.
  • Delivered sales to several local Austin businesses over Christmas from some of our test users from around the world, who cleverly used to app to discover local Austin businesses and went on to buy gifts.

This year is already shaping up to be incredible. Already we have kicked off new campaigns in Austin and started meeting key contacts in Dallas. We have updated our logo, app icon and tag line “Discover. Engage. Promote.” to respond to feedback we received and to more clearly target our brand.

We have an ambitious agenda ahead of us, and we are confident we will achieve our goals. Our team may not be in the headlines everyday, but we are all doers who focus on what really matters – getting the job done.

With that in mind here’s what’s on the agenda for 2017:

  • Post beta, public launch, in Austin in Feb.
  • Dallas rollout with the app live for DFW locals in March/April.
  • Bringing in new investors into the company.
  • Launching the web version of the app.
  • Rollouts to Houston and San Antonio.
  • New app releases every 2-3 months with new features focused on ensuring local businesses, advocates and users realize the maximum benefit.

There is a lot more on the schedule, we will continue to write about our journey “From the Jungle to Silicon Valley” as we grow InstantLocal in 2017.

Original URL http://instantlocal.com/blog/full-steam-ahead-jungle-silicon-valley/