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It doesn’t matter what your industry is, or what products and services you offer - digital marketing trends cannot be ignored. Not so long ago, companies needed little more than a website and a Facebook page, but now, the digital landscape is evolving so quickly that it’s hard to keep up. By now, there aren’t too many successful businesses that don’t have an online presence. In 2020, new technologies and tools will come to the fore, forcing marketers to adapt in order to keep their organizations at the top. After all, Digital Darwinism is an unforgiving reality. If you don’t adapt, you’ll surely be left behind. Read on to discover the digital marketing trends to be ready for in 2020. 1. Facebook May Be Peaking. Really. Facebook is no longer the kingpin in the social media world. According to Forbes, 41% of its users are over the age of 65. While it is by no means struggling, it’s clear that Facebook is losing ground with the younger demographics, who tend to prefer the more visual, interactive experiences offered by Instagram, Snapchat, and the rising star, TikTok. After the data breach scandal in 2018, Facebook has lost significant credibility, with many people growing frustrated and resentful with the platform's proliferation of fake news, political propaganda, and cyberbullying. The once-dominant force is continuing to drop in popularity with younger demographics, with TechCrunch speculating that Facebook may be dead to Gen Z. It's essential for future digital marketers to really look at who their target market may be because Facebook may be very unsuitable for some campaigns, especially as it continues to trend downwards with younger people. Facebook is still massive, and many Americans continue to check in on it. Still, marketers should be more cautious with who they are trying to connect with and make sure their target audience is still on Facebook. If not, you could be wasting your marketing budget, targeting the wrong social media platform. 2. Instagram is a Hit with the Kids Instagram’s meteoric rise has already seen it pass one billion users, an impressive achievement. That means it's one of the most rapidly growing social media platforms and, perhaps more importantly, much of its user base is the coveted younger demographic, especially under 30. Facebook is losing much of that cohort, due to its reputation as the social media platform for "old people." One potential problem that marketers should keep in mind is that Instagram recently decided to remove the likes feature from the platform. Many influencers have voiced concerns about this move, and therefore, companies should keep a close eye on the impact this will have in 2020. While it could lead to an uptick in content quality, many users may drift away from the platform in search of vanity metrics elsewhere. 3. Chatbots Will Dominate Customer Service Chatbots are artificial intelligence (AI) software that acts as a virtual "concierge," communicating with users and assisting them in completing their goals. Chatbots interact with humans in a natural way, primarily through the use of text chat windows, but verbal interactions are also possible. Over time, as the system collects more data insights, the AI learns more about the customers, making it possible to offer a continuously-improving service. Throughout 2018 and 2019, chatbots carved out a regular role on Facebook, by the tens of thousands, for different tasks. Everything from providing weather reports to automating some basic customer support functions can be easily handled by sophisticated software. Bots allow users to get personalized, focused interactions without pulling too much from limited human resources. 80% of businesses claim they want to start using chatbots this year. When you consider the benefits, it’s easy to understand why: • 24-hour service • Instant responses to customer queries • No need for breaks, vacations, or overtime pay Tidio research from January 2020 found that 43% of consumers prefer to message an online chatbot rather than to phone customer service centers when communicating with a brand. So, with businesses and customers keen for more involvement with chatbots, this is sure to be one of the fastest-growing digital marketing trends in 2020. 4. Video is No Longer an Option If your business isn’t already using video marketing, you should get on board this year. Text-based content simply can’t compete with the power of video, especially when it comes to trying to sell products and services online. In a mobile-mad world, people are watching more video than ever before, using smartphones to watch and share videos about everything, learning more about brands, and what they have to offer. Think about these stats from ImpactBND: • 70% of consumers have shared a brand’s video. • 52% of consumers claim that watching product videos makes them more confident and guides their online purchasing decisions. • 72% of businesses believe video content has improved their conversion rates. Video marketing is highly-engaging, especially if it's live video. Live streaming is a powerful method of digital marketing when combined with influencer marketing. Whether it's the new generation of social media influencers or traditional sources, such as celebrities, athletes, and musicians, having a live stream with an influencer who is interacting directly with comments is a huge draw for an audience. Twitch has over 15 million daily active users, most of whom tune in just to watch live streaming videos from influencers like Ninja. Arguably the world's most popular gaming influencer, Ninja, recently signed an exclusive deal with Mixer, which was a power play by the Microsoft-company in recognition of the expected value of live video streaming in the year ahead. 5. Good Content Still Matters (and Now Context Matters More!) Content marketing continues to be an essential component of digital marketing, although there's an increasing emphasis on nuance in content. The quality is always going to matter, but now there's more emphasis on the context and targeting. Google is developing a deeper, more sophisticated understanding of online content, and so, marketers must think carefully about their target market and how they can tailor content more precisely in 2020. Much of this boils down to the BERT update, released on Google in November 2019. The new algorithm helps the search engine giant get a better understanding of the natural language in user search queries. Advice from Google is that “rather than chase the latest SEO trends, it’s more important to ensure a site has fast speeds, useful links, and well-written content.” Make no mistake: Content marketing is going nowhere. That being said, Google is getting smarter, and it gives preference to in-depth, accurate, current content that is closely aligned with user intent. Companies must keep this in mind as they create new content in 2020. 6. Email is Getting More Personalized Email continues to be a major channel of communication, with billions still using it for personal, commercial, industrial, legal, scientific, and academic purposes. In other words, email is here to stay, and email marketing itself continues to be important. However, email marketing is evolving, and generic marketing emails aren't as effective as they once were. It is now a combination of automation and, more importantly, personalization that makes email marketing important for 2020. When you can trigger your email marketing to something specific, such as a user browsing a particular product, and then follow up with a promotional price or demo video in a personalized email, this can be very effective. Email is often the final trigger to motivate an action, especially when combined with your remarketing techniques. That leads us to one of the most exciting digital marketing trends in recent times... 7. Interactive Content Will Become Mainstream Interactive content is anything that people can click on, swipe, or interact with online. According to Outgrow, 93% marketers rate interactive content as highly effective at educating the buyer. In 2020, more companies will experiment with interactive content types, such as: • Quizzes and polls • Augmented reality ads • 360-degree videos These formats leverage cutting-edge marketing technology, such as augmented reality and video content, to offer people a more immersive, engaging experience. Nowadays, consumers want this type of memorable, fun content from brands, as it helps them feel more connected to the company. 8. Voice Interaction Continues Upward Thanks to Siri, Google, Alexa, and a host of other ‘smart’ devices, verbal interaction with devices is continuing to rise. The real lesson for us is that people like to talk and that is a preferred way of interacting. And now, machines are finally catching up to the way people want to search, shop and discover new things. However, this presents some interesting challenges. Conducting a voice search, for example, is very different from typing a query, particularly in the results. When a person performs a text-based search, the screen displays the results one page at a time. But when someone asks a device to conduct a search and the device replies verbally, it may only give a few choices at most, and frequently supplies just one choice. We’ve said it once about voice search, and we’ll say it again: Adopting a voice search strategy isn't just about remaining relevant – it’s also about creating a unique and optimized customer experience that will foster relationships and build brand loyalty. Marketers targeting voice search users should remember to write in a conversational tone, using keywords that people will speak rather than type. Doing this will help you get the coveted position zero or featured snippets on Google. 9. Marketing in Messaging Apps Will Level-Up Social messaging apps aren't just for staying in touch with friends and family. Businesses in all industries have taken a significant interest in apps like Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp in recent times, and it's no surprise when you consider the opportunities: • 1.3 billion monthly users are active on Facebook Messenger, sending more than 10 billion messages every month. • WhatsApp has 1.6 billion active users, sending over 55 billion messages every day. While traditional channels like email and social media are far from dead, there’s no denying that people are more active on instant messaging apps. In the next 5-7 years, messenger marketing is expected to be the number one marketing channel in the world. Therefore, it’s a logical step for brands to start connecting with people on these platforms. Marketing through Facebook Messenger generates 10 to 80 times more engagement than organic posts on the Facebook News Feed. Messaging apps allow companies to reach a broad audience with short, personalized texts. 63% of online consumers are more likely to return to a company website if it has a live chat option, hammering home the need for companies to take this channel seriously. In 2020, you can expect to see much more marketing in messaging apps, with many companies, including video and interactive content to engage users. 10. Omnichannel Marketing is Now Vital Omnichannel marketing is the practice of marketing across multiple platforms, including email, apps, social media, and your website blog. This approach enables businesses to connect with customers on more digital touchpoints, effectively offering a better user experience. By delivering a seamless, consistent voice and cohesive brand message across all channels, you can generate much better results. ClickZ reports that omnichannel marketing drives over three times as much engagement than a single-channel approach. Better yet, customer retention, average order value, and purchase frequency are all higher when you have multiple channels. As AI technology improves, companies can leverage data insights and machine learning to get a better understanding of customer behaviors, and then personalize it at the highest-level. Ultimately, a focus on omnichannel marketing is the road to an enhanced customer journey that keeps people coming back for more. Get Involved, or Get Left Behind MOBILE MARKETING So, as you can see, things are moving fast in the digital marketing world. In 2020, AI technology, video, voice search, and interactive content will be among the most prominent trends. This is no time for a business to stand still, as the younger demographics and more tech-savvy consumers of today want brands to connect with them in new and exciting ways that make the customer journey easier and more enjoyable. It’s time to dive in. Which of these digital marketing trends will you try first? “If your plans don’t include mobile, your plans are not finished.” Wendy Clark, DDB Worldwide We live in a mobile world. At present, mobile devices generate 70% of web traffic worldwide and this appetite for hyper-connected consumer convenience isn’t going anywhere. Indeed, recent studies confirm that the smartphone market is worth $355 billion, with 6 billion devices projected to be in circulation by 2020. We’ve already established that to thrive in today’s (and tomorrow’s) world, adopting a mobile-first approach to your marketing efforts is essential. But, as you know, the digital landscape is in constant flux and what works today might not resonate tomorrow. That said, to help you maintain your mobile marketing success for the rest of 2019, and beyond, here are four emerging trends you need to know about. 1. The rise of programmatic In-app advertising Mobile applications are an integral part of today's mobile experience. Not only do mobile apps empower brands to communicate their values with prospects on a deeper, more meaningful level, but they also offer a direct means of offering practical value in an ultra-competitive digital landscape. However, with almost 8 million apps currently sitting in the Google Play store and 2.2 million in the Apple App Store, cutting through the noise is vital if you want to enjoy a solid return on investment (ROI) for your in-app marketing efforts. As mobile app usage increases, more brands are leveraging in-app advertising opportunities to appeal to a wider target audience. And, in an increasingly competitive arena, many marketers are turning to programmatic advertising to optimize their in-app marketing efforts. In fact, 90% of advertisers plan to invest more in programmatic in-app advertising over the next 12 months. To understand this advertising methodology in more detail and to get one step ahead of the pack, explore our practical guide to programmatic advertising. 2. The fight for mobile video domination As humans, we are visual creatures, so it makes sense that video-based content is extremely digestible, particularly on a mobile device. Marketers have harnessed the power of mobile video to inspire and engage consumers for some years now and the space has become somewhat saturated. In fact, mobile video set records last year, with further growth predicted. Speaking to Mobile Marketer, Creatv Media's Peter Csathy shared his thoughts on the state of mobile video: "Major brands will continue to invest significantly in mobile video and perhaps step up the game in production, quality and budgets." With this in mind, the key to mobile video success will lie in comprehensive competitor research, rigorous testing and a commitment to experimentation. The value of mobile video is certainly there, it’s simply a matter of optimizing your efforts, targeting your content precisely and being bold with your creative choices. For mobile video, another aspect to consider is the rise of rewarded video ads. Mainly utilized in mobile gaming, where users can, for instance, gain a reward in the form of a game-based item if they view a video, this emerging brand of incentivized advertising format earns solid view-through rates and is likely to expand into other sectors in the not-so-distant future. 3. The migration of Augmented Reality (AR) Immersive technology is fast becoming a regular part of our everyday existence. While AR has been present in the mobile world for some time, with innovations like IKEA Place leading the way, this year we’re likely to see augmented reality migrate from native apps and into the mobile web space. Immersive technology has served to enhance the consumer experience exponentially and as its popularity continues to boom, wider adoption is inevitable. While big names will continue to dominate AR at first, a move into the broader web will see forward-thinking brands breaking away from the established augmented reality facilitators (Facebook, Snapchat, Shazam, etc.), and instead launch campaigns that transcend boxed-in apps alone and reach out into the broader mobile web. In short, mobile-based AR is maturing and as it moves to the wider mobile web, there will be ever more opportunities to leverage its powerful immersive capabilities. 4. The evolution of social commerce The notion of social commerce is by no means a new one, but recently its popularity has risen in a big way, making it a pivotal item of any mobile marketer's toolkit. This evolving promotional channel is driving more consumers to convert from social media interactions, dipping into various stages of the funnel, from awareness and all the way through to conversion. As social commerce continues to flourish and platforms like Instagram and Facebook launch new, mobile-optimized functionality centered around selling products, we expect to see more brands hosting the entire sales journey natively rather than generating awareness through social media and driving consumers to their online store. Not only will this help marketers maintain engagement throughout the journey but this shift towards in-platform social commerce will also offer brands additional, standalone mobile-centric revenue streams. Moreover, with the recent launch of Amazon Ads, marketers will be able to use this new advertising platform (in addition to existing avenues like Facebook and Google) to develop targeted promotions that appeal to highly-engaged mobile shoppers. Another noteworthy string to the mobile marketing bow. Mobile is a world-dominating force and as worldwide adoption continues to rise, it’s down to today’s marketers to use this most portable of mediums to their advantage. A failure to do so will result in professional or commercial extinction. Take heed of these emerging trends and you’ll ensure you win with your mobile marketing efforts this year and long into the future. And for more inspiration, read our guide to mobile marketing strategy.   OPTIMIZE YOUR DIGITAL BUDGET Whether your business uses traditional means to determine marketing budget, follows current trends or has a custom formula based on specific needs, there is a good chance that more of it will be allocated to digital marketing with each passing year. In fact, our new research revealed that 98% of marketing leaders believe digital marketing is important to their organization's success, with 90% expecting to increase their digital marketing budgets by 2020. Depending on factors such as business type, size and industry, the actual monetary amount of your digital marketing budget will vary, but you can learn from tips and techniques to optimize spend. In this article, we provide eight useful tips on how to optimize your company's digital marketing budget to get results that meet business objectives. 1. Determine What Falls Under the Digital Marketing Umbrella If you are going to optimize your budget, you need to know which elements are considered 'digital marketing' and which are not. For many companies, if it's online, then it's considered digital marketing, but not every activity or service may fall under the marketing umbrella. By deciding what’s included and what’s not, you can focus on the right platforms. Some of the activities to consider include: SEO (search engine optimization) – Some senior marketers may not consider SEO or organic traffic a marketing activity, but it is a valuable tool when it comes to driving traffic and producing qualified leads. Social Media – The people in your target market likely frequent platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn, and social is becoming a massive source of qualified prospects for many companies. PPC (pay-per-click advertising) – This is often thought of as the gold standard when it comes to online marketing, since you only pay when someone clicks on your ad, and you can target based on tight demographics. Email Campaigns (inbound marketing) – A 'pull' rather than 'push' type of strategy and emails continue to be a valuable way to market to people online. Digital Display (banner ads, online video etc.) – Modern banner ads are non-intrusive and targeted, and video is emerging as the marketing wave of the future. Content Creation including Website Pages and Blog Posts – It’s easy to neglect content creation when thinking of your marketing budget, but it’s a critical part of the overall picture. 2. Find Out Where Your Target Audience Spends Time Online In order to optimize your digital marketing budget, the first step is knowing where your customers and prospects spend time online. This way, you can direct your resources in the appropriate places and maximize the return on your spending. The results of this kind of investigation often surprise marketers, as they might have assumptions as to where their ideal customer is active online. For example, if your company puts a lot of the digital marketing budget into LinkedIn, only to learn that an inordinate percentage of your customers spend most of their time on Facebook, that's not an efficient use of marketing dollars. By using analytics and advanced metrics, your digital marketing team can track where your target audience spends its time, how long they stay, and what typically causes them to leave. Of course, to gather this information it's also necessary to create a persona of your ideal customer, so you know what you are looking for. If you have a digital marketing budget, then you should also have buyer personas to work with. However, if for some reason that hasn't happened, create detailed personas of your ideal customer or client that include age, gender, job title, income, family life, hobbies, interests and anything else that is relevant. 3. Test Multiple Channels Digital marketing can be a fickle activity, and what works for one marketer may not always work for another. Early in the budgeting process, your company should have established key performance indicators (KPIs), and by testing across several channels and comparing performance against your KPIs, you'll get a better sense of what is working and what isn't. You may find that you're getting a noticeably higher conversion rate on one channel over all the others or your cost per conversion is quite a bit lower or higher on one channel. Testing across multiple channels allows you to capitalize on opportunities and avoid areas where you're not getting worthwhile results. At this point, you can optimize your digital marketing budget by focusing on those channels that are providing the highest return on investment (ROI). In all likelihood, the 80/20 rule can be applied or possibly even 90/10 depending on your industry. 4. Cross-Channel Remarketing Remarketing is an activity that’s easy to let slide, but also one that can provide a good return for minimal investment. For those who don't know, remarketing or retargeting allows you to show ads to web surfers who have visited your site or clicked on one of your ads but didn't convert. They have already shown an interest, and now your ads will show up as they surf on other sites and platforms. In the past, remarketing didn’t follow web visitors to different channels. But with cross-channel remarketing, someone can click on a Google ad and then see follow-up ads in Twitter or Facebook. Your organization can optimize budget by giving prospects second and third chances to interact with your brand after their initial contact. And as with any PPC ad, you will only pay if the ad gets clicked on. 5. Examine Trends to Stay Competitive Research about what other senior-level marketers in your industry are doing will help give you an idea of the best ways to optimize your digital marketing budget. In a survey of senior marketing executives and CMOs, 66% expect the competition for customers to intensify over the next year and expect to increase their online marketing budgets. That's not to say you should follow the competition precisely, but keeping in touch with what your competitors are doing online will give you a better idea of where you need to make adjustments to remain competitive. If they have captured a significant market share or you want to capture it from them, learning where they allocate digital marketing dollars and how they optimize their budgets will help optimize your own budget. The research also pointed out that many marketers are not particularly adept at factoring associated costs of digital marketing into their budgets. Added costs such as software, online marketing tools, analytics tools, and training employees in new methodologies all need to be included when determining the budget and the overall digital plan. 6. Reallocate as Needed Many marketers may view allocation and optimization as separate things, but in the digital world, a key element of optimizing your marketing budget is being able to reallocate as conditions change. For this reason, having a certain degree of flexibility in budgeting makes sense. Since results are often seen instantly, you'll want to be able to take advantage of opportunities as they present themselves or cut losses if a particular strategy is proving ineffective. 7. Continually Test and Refine Optimization is an ongoing process, especially when it comes to digital marketing. With so many tools available to test and measure results, it’s important to keep testing even after you have decided on specific channels to focus your efforts. Even the smallest tweaks in a campaign can yield wildly different results. As an example, an email campaign could be producing a favorable ROI, and then a simple switch in the email sequence or a different type of subject line may boost it even more. If the goal is to always get the most out of your digital marketing dollars, then your marketing team needs to keep refining the campaigns across all platforms and testing new ideas, strategies and concepts. Most of the time, a slight change in a campaign won't result in higher expenditure, so if it produces a greater ROI than before, you have effectively optimized your marketing budget with improved results. 8. Ensure Sales and Marketing Are Aligned Because optimizing your digital results will also help you to maximize your budget, it's essential to have the marketing and sales departments working together to accomplish your goals. With many online marketing initiatives, there is no direct contact with a member of the sales team, and purchases are made online. But if your sales funnel includes the sales team, then these must be aligned to convert leads into paying customers. It is only with a collaborative effort that sales and marketing can form a cohesive unit and get the results you need. Conclusion There are many variables at play when it comes to setting and optimizing your organization's digital marketing budget, and these variables can change quickly and without warning. However, using these strategies should help to ensure your budget stretches further and is being used on the platforms that get results.   EMAIL & AUTOS The automotive industry is a colossal beast. In fact, recent studies suggest that 81.5 million new vehicles have been sold worldwide so far this year alone. However, as an industry that is in constant flux – with technologies, concepts and consumer demands evolving at a constant rate – to enjoy a sustainable level of success in the automotive world, marketing your brand or business effectively is a vital component of success. Despite some industry commentators dismissing email marketing as an antiquated activity, this couldn’t be further from the truth. On the contrary: if you get email marketing right, you stand to reap great rewards, propelling you into a bright and prosperous digital future. In this guide, we consider why email marketing is important and explore a selection of essential tips geared towards sustainable success. Why is Email Marketing Important and Valuable? At present, nearly 75% of adults state that email is their preferred means of communication. At its core, email marketing offers a non-intrusive, engaging and personal way of delivering valuable content and sharing deals or promotions with highly-targeted consumers looking to purchase, lease or rent an automobile. It’s dynamic, strategic and, as mentioned, the preference of the majority of today’s digital consumers, so email marketing should be a pivotal part of your brand or dealership’s digital marketing arsenal. To put this notion into full perspective, here are some additional email marketing insight you should know: • For every dollar spent on email marketing, you can expect an average return of $38. • According to 80% of business professionals, email marketing drives real customer acquisition and retention. • 61% of consumers enjoy receiving weekly promotional emails. Moreover, 38% would like to read branded emails more regularly. Email Marketing Tips for the Automotive Industry It’s clear that email marketing has its merits and for those operating within the automotive industry, it’s a marketing channel worth a significant amount of time and investment. To help steer you on your journey to automotive email marketing success, here are some invaluable practical tips and techniques. Understand Your Audience and Know the Competition: We live in an age that’s rich in digital data. By using this wealth of insight from various analytics tools such as Google Analytics to understand demographic information, as well as the browsing behaviors of your customer base, you can build segmented lists of email recipients. Then you can create particular types of email content that engages, inspires and ultimately results in more conversions. Moreover, by signing up to your competitors’ email lists, you’ll be able to see what deals they’re offering your target audience, while gaining inspiration for your various email marketing campaigns. Build a Solid Email List: Expanding on the previous point, to enjoy automotive email success, you will need to build an email list of recipients that is likely to yield a healthy return on investment (ROI). While a little under a third of your subscriber list will come from your current consumer base, building a strategy to reach out to new prospects is essential. There are several ways to increase your subscriber base and build a strong list of potential vehicle buyers, and these are among the most effective: • Offer a subscriber-only discount and promote it across your most active social media channels. • Create a referral discount, bonus or incentive and offer it to your existing subscribers. • Run web-based or in-store contests or competitions where providing a name and email address is an entry requirement. • On the most popular pages of your website, offer opt-in email boxes to encourage people to subscribe to your list. • Offer your current and target customers a choice of the kind of content they would like to receive from you – this will make opting in a far more personalized and potentially rewarding prospect. By using these organic methods to grow your email list, you can build up a subscriber base who will respond and connect with the content that you send to their inboxes, rather than regarding it as spam. Create Effective Content: While using data to understand your audience is helpful for strategies aimed at building your email subscribership, this level of insight is also incredibly effective when it comes to creating content that gets results. After you’ve identified what your audience considers valuable, you’ll be able to create insightful content centered on these various topics. By answering questions your customers may have or helping to solve specific automotive-related issues through compelling email content, you’ll increase email engagement, boost click-through rates and ultimately enjoy a significantly healthier ROI. Here are some topics to help give you ideas, inspiration and direction for your email content: • Taxing and insuring a new vehicle. • Questions to ask when buying a used car. • Features to look for in a brand new vehicle. • How to safeguard your vehicle for the winter period. • Various automotive DIY tutorials or project advice. • Car comparisons, including family cars, commercial vehicles, commuter options, fuel efficient or low emission cars. To help you with your email content writing efforts, explore our guide to crafting copy that sells. Optimize for Mobile: Studies show that 65% of all emails are currently opened via a mobile device. Moreover, when an email doesn’t respond or render correctly on a mobile device, 42% of consumers will hit the delete button. To prevent your carefully crafted email content from going to waste, it’s vital that all of your emails are fully optimized for mobile. To do this, you should ensure that your web development/design team take measures to optimize all of your email content before it’s sent out. You should also test every email on both desktop and mobile to get rid of any typos, errors or functionality discrepancies before delivering the content to your target inboxes. Some 89% of marketers lose leads because their emails are unresponsive or poorly designed for mobile – so this is an area that you should never overlook. Response and Automation To foster engagement, build trust and nurture leads, you should aim to personally respond to each and every inquiry you receive as a result of your email marketing efforts. According to Cobalt Group’s National Automotive eShopper Experience Study, automotive dealers fail to respond to almost 25% of all email-generated leads and, of those that do, 30% fail to provide a follow-up. If you do take the time to respond to these inquiries and spark up a personal dialogue with your subscribers, you will gain an all-important edge on the competition which is likely to lead to more brand loyalty and an increase in email-related profits. In addition to this manual approach to communication, triggered email campaigns can prove particularly effective. Utilizing email campaign automation will streamline the process of engaging and converting your customers, as these emails are triggered according to consumer behavior. It’s possible to develop dynamic content – or content that autonomously adapts to the interests of the subscriber – to feature particular levels of customer information, such as names and birth dates. These various segments of insight allow car dealers or manufacturers to connect with their customers on a more personal level, encouraging positive response as a result. Some 77% of today's email marketing ROI derives from segmented, targeted and triggered campaigns, so leveraging behavioral or personalized content should be essential component of your company’s email marketing strategy. Winning Automotive Email Marketing Approaches The automotive industry is one of the most innovative on the planet, with the cutting-edge designs and progressive concepts of leading manufacturers thrust into the public consciousness on a continual basis. In this respect, as an automotive dealer or manufacturer, there’s colossal scope for crafting compelling, niche and personalized content for the audience. To inspire your email marketing efforts, here are two notable approaches from two of the world’s leading motoring manufacturers. Volkswagen A subscriber welcome email from Volkswagen Boasting a balanced blend of branding, inspiring imagery and emotive content, iconic automotive manufacturer Volkswagen (VW) have produced a subscribership welcome email that helps to drive its loyal and ever-growing customer base. By welcoming new subscribers to the ‘Volkswagen family’, VW creates a personal warmth with its welcome email. With a clear call-to-action inviting recipients to gain exclusive knowledge by reading past newsletters, the content also offers immediate value. BMW An email from BMW focused on referral This savvy referral-centric email from automotive powerhouse BMW showcases a level of personalization that helps a brand cut through the noise, forge valuable new relationships and encourage a level of brand advocacy that can help grow a business exponentially. This personable, visually-striking and heartwarming ‘thank you’ letter is an excellent example of personalization in action and strong email marketing communication. Key Takeaways • Email marketing is one of the most powerful tools of any modern automotive brand’s digital marketing arsenal. • Leveraging data to understand your audience and build your email list organically are the foundations for email marketing success. • Crafting engaging, dynamic and inspiring content is a fast track to showcasing your value and earning more conversions. • For inspiration, explore our compelling on the rise, fall and subsequent rise of enduring automotive manufacturer, General Motors. Email marketing remains a potent force when it comes to nurturing existing customer relationships and attracting new consumers to your brand or dealership. Follow these tips, let your creativity be your guide and you will enjoy email marketing success in no time. What is Content Marketing? What separates digital content marketing from traditional marketing is its focus on bringing value by educating and engaging customers rather than “selling” products outright. As companies offer content that is of genuine interest, users have the opportunity to actually learn and use bits and pieces of information, thereby getting to “know” a brand before they commit to a purchase. Great content marketing is targeted and genuine, offering products and services that speak to an audience in a real way. Marketers can choose to do this through a number of formats, some of the most effective being videos, email marketing, social media, and even webinars. The beauty of content marketing today is that, with so many incredibly accessible tools out there, we have the opportunity to be more and more innovative at a fraction of the cost that we would have back in the day with traditional marketing. 5 Top Content Marketing Companies 1. HubSpot HubSpot has positioned itself as a giant in the content marketing world. Brian Halligan and Dharmesh Shah originally created the company after they met as grad students at MIT. Ten years later, they have nearly 2,000 employees and are true leaders in the field of digital marketing. One reason that HubSpot stands out is that they offer so much information and even a few services for free. This free online tool can give you a taste of how quality content marketing can turn site visitors into paying customers. Other free online tools include services such as Lead Flows, Contacts Database, Integrations, Kickback Emails, and more. As a SaaS (Software as a Service) clients can log into the customer portal in a centralized location rather than having to purchase software that needs to be installed locally. Their blog receives over one million hits per month and therefore clearly is a leader in SEO standing. Their secret to success is creating content that optimizes the potential of transitioning users into customers. It is estimated that 70% of a customer’s journey has been completed by the time they seek out a salesperson to help them with a purchase. HubSpot has become successful by helping to steer and influence a consumer’s decision-making during that first 70% of the time. 2. TED Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock, you’re most likely familiar with TED talks. TED hosts conferences around the world where influencers and experts give short, timed talks about their area of specialization. These often engaging and informative videos are shared all over social media and in blog posts. But, did you also know that TED is a major player in the world of content marketing? It isn’t that they provide marketing services in the way that HubSpot does. But they are certainly leaders to the extent that they’ve leveraged in-person events to create high-quality educational material and made it available and accessible to anyone who wants it. They now have over 9.5 million YouTube subscribers on just their main channel alone. With five million people receiving a notification every time a new video is uploaded, it’s easy to see the value of good content marketing, as well as the influence TED now enjoys. TED’s main platform is YouTube, of course, where they upload a new video nearly every day, and even offer videos about content marketing itself. It is estimated that their videos have been viewed over a billion times. Want to learn more about what makes TED talks so special and why they’ve been so successful? Check out founder Chris Anderson’s book that explains exactly how he did it. 3. Hawke Media Hawke Media is a brand-focused agency based out of Santa Monica, California that offers a full range of digital marketing services for businesses of all shapes and sizes. Their content marketing specialities include email marketing, Facebook advertising, SEM, paid acquisition, design, influencer marketing, media buying, affiliate marketing, and more. One way that Hawke Media differentiates itself is that offers a la carte CMO-level marketing solutions, making it more affordable for smaller businesses and startups. They strive to provide each business with the highest return on their investment by customizing their services to the unique needs of their clients. Hawke is a small but fierce up-and-coming player in the industry and they’ve worked with several major brands including Verizon, Raleigh, and Fjallraven. Check out founder Eric Huberman’s digital marketing and PR advice in Entrepreneur. 4. KISSmetrics KISSmetrics is a leader in data collection and analytics and has many services to support businesses of various sizes in their content marketing systems and strategy. They are focused on helping clients access the right information to help develop meaningful strategies that are brand-focused and truly meaningful. They’re also known for their own excellent content library, of which they offer plenty out for free to the public in the interest of digital marketing learning and education. KISSmetrics is one of the Top 10 Conversion Rate Optimization Software products. By delving deep into customer behaviour, the metrics provided by this company are extremely valuable. This information tells businesses how they are doing, and shows where they can impro 5. Influence & Co. Influence & Co. helps companies connect via truly engaging and innovative content. Their key offerings include Executive Branding, Content Marketing Strategy, and larger scale specific Content Projects such as Infographics and ebooks. Influence & Co has grown from two employees to over 75 in the past two years and has offices in Columbia, Kansas City, and St. Louis. The company has become a thought leader for various media and online publishing companies. Influence & Co. believes that content is the strongest tool for driving business, generating leads and sales and establishing truly sustainable customer relationships. They pride themselves on being experts in the field who can deliver your company the best quality, most impactful content to help your business maximize it’s ROI. Key Trends in Content Marketing Using Big Data for Personalization Always looking towards new ways to customize and personalize is an integral part of a content strategy. In addition, the incorporation of data and analytics should focus on value and step away from product and sales. So, while content marketers certainly need to keep an eye on the sales funnel, they should really be always on the lookout for new and unexpected ways to offer customers an authentic experience. Influencer Marketing Influencer marketing can offer huge opportunities for businesses across all spectrums to improve their engagement, conversions and ROI without necessarily spending a lot. Sometimes all it takes is getting a celebrity hooked on your product. Other times, it might mean collaborating on an innovative campaign that hits home for both the influencer’s audience and your own. The great thing about influencer marketing is that it can give you the opportunity to think outside the box and focus on actions or events (for instance, sustainability or charity initiatives) to get audiences thinking beyond product. Video Video is extremely popular these days and it’s not about to go away soon. But the age of the “viral” video may be disappearing -- or at last, businesses need to ensure that they focus on new ways of creating amazing stories through video and focus less on how much it may or may not be passed around on Facebook. A cat playing the piano is cool, after all, but what does it have to do with your brand? New tools like Instagram Stories Ads are inexpensive and effective ways for businesses to expand their video marketing. Final Thoughts Businesses hoping to succeed in 2020 and beyond need to get clear on the purpose of content marketing and keep up-to-date on the various facets of it in order to stay up-to-date with the competition. They need to not only have a grasp on the changing nature of technology but also be constantly on the lookout for new ways of engaging with customers in truly valuable ways. Barry Feldman of KISSmetrics may have said it best: “Content marketing took off and continues to flourish for one very simple reason: it’s what the people want. They don’t want intrusive banners, ads, and popups. They don’t want irrelevant messages and products that have nothing to do with them shoved in their face. They don’t want spam clogging their inbox. People want high quality, useful, relevant, and engaging content about things that matter to them.”