Spokes & Strategy Ep 20: How Customers Actually Choose a Local Business with Mike Blumenthal

Most businesses see their analytics. Only Google sees what a customer does before they ever click. In this episode of Spokes & Strategy, Brandon Morphew talks with Mike Blumenthal, co-founder and analyst at Near Media. Mike has spent over two decades studying local search and consumer behavior, and built and sold multiple companies along the way, including Gather Up and Local U. He and Brandon talk about what actually drives a customer's decision to choose one local business over another, and what that means for a bike shop or brand trying to earn trust. What You'll Learn Why Mike closed his family's five million dollar retail business, and what that experience taught him about trust and business partnerships How Mike's user behavior research shows people making decisions differently by category, and what that reveals about the role of reviews Why brand recognition acts as a hidden ranking signal Google uses, even before a customer clicks anything What a "lifestyle business" model could look like for a bike shop beyond fitting and selling bikes Why build quality and buyer education matter more than ever as e-bikes bring in a new kind of customer Why Mike believes it's never too late to start riding, at any age Mike Blumenthal is co-founder and analyst at Near Media, where his research focuses on local market behavior, including how consumers search for and choose businesses like personal injury attorneys. He previously co-founded Gather Up and Local U, and ran his family's retail business for over two decades before moving into local search and consumer research. Learn more about Mike Blumenthal and Near Media: Website: https://www.nearmedia.co/ LinkedIn (Near Media):   / nearmediaco   LinkedIn (Mike Blumenthal):   / mblumenthal   Twitter/X: @mblumenthal Spokes & Strategy is brought to you by Miso Partners. Follow Miso Partners: Instagram:   / misopartners   Facebook:   / misopartners   Website: https://misopartners.com/