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Exploring the big stories for the week at the intersection of local business & marketing across the spectrum of search, social and commerce. With Greg Sterling, Mike Blumenthal & David Mihm.

PublishesWeeklyEpisodes271Founded5 years ago
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MarketingNewsBusinessTech News

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Latest Episodes

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Cyrus Shepard, founder of Zyppy, joins Greg Sterling and Mike Blumenthal for Part 2 of the Near Memo brand-building series — this time on the technical side: how Google and AI systems actually model a brand, and what a local busines... more

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 What separates a commodity local provider from a business that easily commands premium pricing? In this kickoff to our four-part brand series, Greg Sterling and Mike Blumenthal are joined by marketing pioneer John Jantsch.

John det... more

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Are traditional websites dying, or are they just changing shapes? Hosts Greg Sterling and Mike Blumenthal catch up with serial entrepreneur and Mozilla VP of Product Raj Singh to discuss how AI search friction is changing the local ... more

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 Local SEO strategy often gets stuck playing a quantitative numbers game with review counts and velocity benchmarks. But what happens when you treat the collective text of your market's customer reviews as an ongoing, free focus gro... more

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Recent Guests

Michael Atleson
Former FTC senior attorney; AI and consumer protection specialist
DLA Piper (AI and data analytics practice)
Episode: Ep. 262: Regulating the Digital Wild West: Inside the FTC’s Battle Against Review Fraud and AI Deception with Michael Atleson
Craig Burton
Guest from the greater Bangkok metropolitan area in Thailand, with local SEO and marketing background
Episode: Google Maps' AI Shift: Why Brand Building, Reviews & Social Presence Are the New Local SEO
Cindy Krum
Marketing expert and speaker
Mobile Moxie (as discussed)
Episode: What Does I/O Mean for Marketers with Cindy Krum, Gregg Gifford & Krystal Tang - Part 1
Krystal Taing
Marketing technology strategist
Spellbound Marketing (as discussed)
Episode: What Does I/O Mean for Marketers with Cindy Krum, Gregg Gifford & Krystal Tang - Part 1
Gregg Gifford
Local search and digital marketing strategist
Bluerain Consulting (as discussed)
Episode: What Does I/O Mean for Marketers with Cindy Krum, Gregg Gifford & Krystal Tang - Part 1
Mike Blumenthal
Co-founder of Near Media; godfather of local SEO
Near Media
Episode: From Keyword Rankings to Brand Reverence: The New Local AI SEO Blueprint
Garrett Sussman
Director of Marketing at iPoll
iPoll
Episode: How Google’s Personal Intelligence is Quietly Revolutionizing Your Search Results
Darren The Canadian Shaw
Panelist and industry commentator
Episode: Google Ask Maps Deep Dive: The Future of Local SEO & AI Search
Cyrus Shepherd
Founder at Zippy
Zippy
Episode: Google Lied About Click Data — Here’s What Actually Drives Rankings in 2026

Hosts

Greg Sterling
Host of The Near Memo; oversees local search discussions and provides long-standing industry perspective.
Mike Blumenthal
Co-host; local search veteran and co-host with deep insights into data signals, GBP, and local media.

Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars from 10 ratings
  • Unravel Local Business Marketing with The Near Memo

    Greg, Mike, and David masterfully navigate the convergence of local business, marketing, and tech in The Near Memo. It's a weekly must listen with of invaluable insights for anyone looking to stay on top of the latest in local digital marketing.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    TrackGeekMTL
    United States3 years ago
  • Relevant, timely insights on local search

    With this podcast, now it’s easier for me to stay up to date on the local search industry with its constant mergers, product updates, and evolving consumer behaviors. The hosts keep it fun and casual while explaining the history and context behind industry trends. I appreciate the different types of formats (email, podcast, blog).

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Caroline Ngu.
    United States5 years ago
  • For local digital marketing news/insight, put this on your shortlist

    It's a privilege to listen in as these three veterans of local digital marketing riff on a handful of cherry-picked industry news stories each week. The episodes are short but substantive. And the format brings both range and relevance. The Near Memo highlights some of the most interesting and important developments in local: moves by big tech monoliths, rising new entrants in the market, and just interesting new data that comes to light. If you're going to listen to one podcast in this space, ... more

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Jonathan C. Hall
    United States5 years ago
  • Great coverage of local digital landscape

    It’s hard to get better hosts than Mike, David and Greg for the topic of local search, social and commerce. All experienced industry thought leaders. Easy flow and great range of sources each episode. If you want to plug into the direction of local and digital, subscribe now.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    AaronWeiche
    United States5 years ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Three veterans riff on industry news with range and relevance.
Greg, Mike, and David masterfully navigate the convergence of local business, marketing, and tech.
A must-listen for staying on top of local digital marketing trends.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Apple Podcasts
#123
United States/News/Tech News
Apple Podcasts
#190
Australia/News/Tech News
Apple Podcasts
#24
Russia/News/Tech News
Apple Podcasts
#26
Ireland/News/Tech News
Apple Podcasts
#41
Israel/News/Tech News

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

The Death of Keywords: How Google’s Personal Intelligence is defining the future of Local Search
Q: What should marketers start measuring going forward in a world of personal intelligence?
Measure in layers: first ensure your own data is discoverable and accurate (Google Business Profile), then track visibility and citations across AI and traditional search, and finally tie everything to business outcomes like leads and revenue, recognizing that attribution will become more complex.
How Google’s Personal Intelligence is Quietly Revolutionizing Your Search Results
Q: How did the 12-month Profound study structure its experiments, and what were the key findings about explicit context?
The study created four personas and tested product recommendations across eight AI platforms for 12 months with over 100,000 prompts, showing that explicit context (income, job, etc.) significantly shifts recommendations and changes the tone of AI output, implying strong brand and audience implications.
How Google’s Personal Intelligence is Quietly Revolutionizing Your Search Results
Q: What was the highest-level takeaway from Garrett's presentation on personalization and AI search?
Personalization in AI search is growing rapidly, and explicit context plus implicit signals from a user's data shape outcomes in ways that require marketers to rethink content strategy and measurement, while acknowledging concerns about privacy and trust.
AI & Local Business: How AI Is Rewriting Location Management; Interview with Ana Martinez, P2
Q: How do you manage the uncertainty of AI-driven customer journeys and communicate ROI to clients?
Start with solid data hygiene and local SEO fundamentals, monitor AI performance, and use a decision-tree approach to adapt content and strategies based on the data and outcomes you care about.
AI & Local Business: How AI Is Rewriting Location Management; Interview with Ana Martinez, P2
Q: What is the current stance on AI adoption among clients and how do you demonstrate value before charging for usage?
The approach is to focus on adoption and value first, using early feedback from beta users to shape features and show tangible benefits before monetization.

Audience Metrics

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Frequently Asked Questions About The Near Memo

What is The Near Memo about and what kind of topics does it cover?

This program consistently centers on the intersection of local business, marketing, and technology, with a strong emphasis on local SEO, AI-enabled discovery, and platform dynamics. Episodes frequently dissect new features from major maps and search platforms, compare data signals like reviews and citations, and translate complex industry shifts into practical guidance for agencies and brands. Noteworthy is the blend of veteran perspectives, data-driven analysis, and real-world case anecdotes that help listeners understand how AI, local search signals, and governance changes reshape strategy and measurement for multi-location brands and local-focused marketers.

Where can I find podcast stats for The Near Memo?

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How many listeners does The Near Memo get?

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What are the audience demographics for The Near Memo?

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How many subscribers and views does The Near Memo have?

To see how many followers or subscribers The Near Memo has on Spotify and other platforms such as Castbox and Podcast Addict, simply upgrade your account. You'll also find viewership figures for their YouTube channel if they have one.

Which podcasts are similar to The Near Memo?

These podcasts share a similar audience with The Near Memo:

1. The Whitespark Local Update
2. Local SEO - The Expert’s Guide
3. What Now? with Trevor Noah
4. Better Offline
5. Planet Money

How many episodes of The Near Memo are there?

The Near Memo launched 5 years ago and published 271 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

How do I contact The Near Memo?

Our systems regularly scour the web to find email addresses and social media links for this podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the contact information that we could find in our podcast database. But in the unlikely event that you can't find what you're looking for, our concierge service lets you request our research team to source better contacts for you.

Where can I see ratings and reviews for The Near Memo?

Rephonic pulls ratings and reviews for The Near Memo from multiple sources, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Castbox, and Podcast Addict.

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What guests have appeared on The Near Memo?

Recent guests on The Near Memo include:

1. Michael Atleson
2. Craig Burton
3. Cindy Krum
4. Krystal Taing
5. Gregg Gifford
6. Mike Blumenthal
7. Garrett Sussman
8. Darren The Canadian Shaw

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

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