If there's one development that is forever changing the local market it's mobile. A number of years from now we'll look back on the period between 2007 and 2012 as a seminal one that transformed the Internet and how people use it. However there are a number of other related trends in local that will have a powerful and lasting impact as well. 

I recently gave a keynote address at the Local Social Summit in London (November 9-10). Now in its third year it's a unique local event that brings together North Americans and Europeans as well as various perspectives and disciplines in an uncommon, intimate setting. The quality of the discussion is extremely high.

The attached slides are a slightly modified version of my presentation at the event. While it doesn't have the benefit of my commentary they're fairly self-explanatory and seek to point out the "big trends" affecting and confronting the local marketplace right now. I identify and try to elaborate several key developments: 

• Growing awareness and demand for local marketing (especially among brands)
• The continued growth of mobile and the rise of tablets
• The importance of social media and the "now what? problem" for SMBs
• The proliferation of local data
• The arrival of mobile payments and "real world analytics"
• The movement from ads to "transactions" for SMBs

We'd be happy to discuss any of this in further detail with clients that are interested.