While marketing messages may fluctuate, most websites stay fairly static in terms of their offerings.  Different things may go on sale and different promotions may be featured on a site's home page or specials page, but rarely are those messages tuned for specific visitors.  However, it can pay to create custom onsite content intended specifically for each potential customer.

Personalising onsite content amounts to having a site's images and copy change dynamically based on a user's cookies and browser history.  If a user has been searching for "cheap" items, showing a special discount to them might be more helpful, while someone that's been to a site already might want to be shown the last thing they were looking at.  Right now, this can be achieved with software.  In marketing, personalized content can be indirectly achieved via SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and directly via SEM (Search Engine Marketing/Pay Per Click).

If a site isn't set up effectively to allow installing additional software to track and personalise the onsite content, the next best idea would be to work diligently on SEO, creating optimized pages that rank in search for specific types of needs.  These same pages could double as landing pages for SEM campaigns that are geared towards certain types of searches, or other awareness campaigns that are targeted towards certain types of users on their respective platforms.  Thus, users arriving on a website are likely to at least be seeing extremely relevant material, if not completely personalised.

Truly personalised onsite content can help deliver the right message to the right user at the right time to encourage a sale.  What are some ways you are all creating custom experiences for your potential car buyers?

Digital advertising has definitely increased it's effectiveness since the days of untargeted spam pop-ups.  Now, behavioral, geographic and demographic targeting have made digital marketing very effective - especially on mobile.  While marketing that actually brings in conversions en-masse was confined for the most part to only the most affluent advertisers, thanks to higher levels of targeting, even small businesses can now benefit from precise marketing.

Granularity is key when building campaigns on a small digital marketing budget.  Layering in multiple 3rd party segments helps refine customers down to only those that are most interested in a business' products or services.  For example, an auto dealer could layer in 3rd party data to find in-market buyers, and target directly to those users to make the most of their digital marketing spend.

The challenge for small businesses is to make sure that they eliminate anything that makes buying something on their website difficult.  Everything must load quickly and correctly, or the momentum created by digital marketing gets lost when the user hits a site or landing page. Calls to action must be obvious and easy to use, even on a mobile device.  Businesses should have a click-to-call option on the mobile version of their website.

Digital marketing has areas where it is acceptable to have a longer message, but companies should be aware that this doesn't work as well on mobile, and that a concise version of their message might be a better way to gain conversions.  Because most users browse and shop on mobile devices, campaigns should optimize for mobile first and work backwards to ensure a comparable experience on desktops and laptops, rather than the other way around.

Digital marketing is complicated, but with some targeting and mobile-optimized campaigns, a business can thrive regardless of advertising budget.  What are some other ways small businesses can get ahead in today's marketing climate?

Digital advertising has definitely increased it's effectiveness since the days of untargeted spam pop-ups.  Now, behavioral, geographic and demographic targeting have made digital marketing very effective - especially on mobile.  While marketing that actually brings in conversions en-masse was confined for the most part to only the most affluent advertisers, thanks to higher levels of targeting, even small businesses can now benefit from precise marketing.

Granularity is key when building campaigns on a small digital marketing budget.  Layering in multiple 3rd party segments helps refine customers down to only those that are most interested in a business' products or services.  For example, an auto dealer could layer in 3rd party data to find in-market buyers, and target directly to those users to make the most of their digital marketing spend.

The challenge for small businesses is to make sure that they eliminate anything that makes buying something on their website difficult.  Everything must load quickly and correctly, or the momentum created by digital marketing gets lost when the user hits a site or landing page. Calls to action must be obvious and easy to use, even on a mobile device.  Businesses should have a click-to-call option on the mobile version of their website.

Digital marketing has areas where it is acceptable to have a longer message, but companies should be aware that this doesn't work as well on mobile, and that a concise version of their message might be a better way to gain conversions.  Because most users browse and shop on mobile devices, campaigns should optimize for mobile first and work backwards to ensure a comparable experience on desktops and laptops, rather than the other way around.

Digital marketing is complicated, but with some targeting and mobile-optimized campaigns, a business can thrive regardless of advertising budget.  What are some other ways small businesses can get ahead in today's marketing climate?

Businesses can utilize social media even more in 2016 and actually see ROI from it.  Here are some social media objectives that can bring a company closer to it’s marketing goals.

Mobile-first is not a new idea, and many now follow this philosophy when designing websites and other elements around the web.  However, people only really browse the same few sites and apps - most times while on their phone. Most people generally won't download a new app or type in a new URL outside of this unless they are forced to.  So rather than build out tons of new mobile content, meeting the customer where they already are (social networking apps) should be among a business' prime social media objectives.

Native video is getting bigger on Facebook.  Rather than merely linking a YouTube video, social media objectives should include uploading media directly to each social networking platform.  These platforms design their native players to work quickly and easily in their apps, making the content easy to consume and among the most popular and response-generating content on these apps today.

Content creation strategies have spawned tons of new work that is constantly broadcast online.  However, the most opportunity comes from responding to users quickly.  So businesses should focus less on blasting out their own content (be it useful or sales-oriented) and increase focus on responding quickly to comments and discussions on their own social media page and throughout each network.
 
All in all, meeting and engaging customers on various social networks should be at the top of every business' social media objectives list for 2016.  What are some ways you all use social networks to engage customers?

Businesses can utilize social media even more in 2016 and actually see ROI from it.  Here are some social media objectives that can bring a company closer to it’s marketing goals.

Mobile-first is not a new idea, and many now follow this philosophy when designing websites and other elements around the web.  However, people only really browse the same few sites and apps - most times while on their phone. Most people generally won't download a new app or type in a new URL outside of this unless they are forced to.  So rather than build out tons of new mobile content, meeting the customer where they already are (social networking apps) should be among a business' prime social media objectives.

Native video is getting bigger on Facebook.  Rather than merely linking a YouTube video, social media objectives should include uploading media directly to each social networking platform.  These platforms design their native players to work quickly and easily in their apps, making the content easy to consume and among the most popular and response-generating content on these apps today.

Content creation strategies have spawned tons of new work that is constantly broadcast online.  However, the most opportunity comes from responding to users quickly.  So businesses should focus less on blasting out their own content (be it useful or sales-oriented) and increase focus on responding quickly to comments and discussions on their own social media page and throughout each network.
 
All in all, meeting and engaging customers on various social networks should be at the top of every business' social media objectives list for 2016.  What are some ways you all use social networks to engage customers?

I had the pleasure of sitting in at a seminar at the Google headquarters put on by Google and Carfax for car dealerships.  While much of the information could be deemed general knowledge, some of the ideas that Google had discovered via analyzing years of data and trends is surprisingly actionable for obtaining auto shoppers today.

One of the main differences between new and old auto shoppers is preparedness.  Shoppers can do all the necessary research - including what price they should be paying for a car - before they even physically enter a dealership.  The main way to handle this is absolute transparency with regards to the pricing and condition of a vehicle.  This allows an auto shopper to feel more trust with the dealership, which in many cases can be the only thing preventing a successful sale.

Auto shoppers are on mobile.  Sometimes this occurs while the shopper is at a dealership!  They could be reviewing inventory or price checking while being shown a vehicle.  Therefore, competitive pricing and accurate inventory on a dealership website is key to giving an auto shopper a good experience and getting a sale.

Car salesmen are stereotypically untrustworthy.  Auto shoppers need to have trust in a dealership before they will purchase a vehicle.  Also, shoppers visit 2 or less dealerships thanks to being armed with mobile phones that have all the information that they need to make a decision.  Thus, a salesperson should get out of their own way and focus on making the car purchasing experience a positive and transparent one.

The most eye-opening trait of today's auto shoppers, especially for digital marketing agencies specializing in auto, is that auto shoppers don't submit leads!  Almost 50% will never submit a form lead.  This goes back to trust.  Auto shoppers do not necessarily want to leave their information and be bombarded with spam or contacted by a pushy salesperson.  Some ways to get around this are to make lead forms easier to fill out, require less information and make sure that the customer knows what they will get when they submit the form (i.e. "we will not spam you, but will contact you within 2 hours to follow up").  Another must-have is call tracking, because as form leads decrease, phone leads increase.  Seeing as shoppers already have all the information they need to make a purchase, they are more likely to go straight to the dealership or call in and make an appointment.

All in all, auto shoppers today have all the necessary car buying info on their mobile device, they don't trust dealerships easily and they don't submit form leads.  This can be nightmarish for digital marketing agencies trying to prove that they are driving leads, but great for transparent dealerships with well priced cars that cater to a customer’s needs.  What steps are you all taking to make the most of the current customer behaviors of today?

I had the pleasure of sitting in at a seminar at the Google headquarters put on by Google and Carfax for car dealerships.  While much of the information could be deemed general knowledge, some of the ideas that Google had discovered via analyzing years of data and trends is surprisingly actionable for obtaining auto shoppers today.

One of the main differences between new and old auto shoppers is preparedness.  Shoppers can do all the necessary research - including what price they should be paying for a car - before they even physically enter a dealership.  The main way to handle this is absolute transparency with regards to the pricing and condition of a vehicle.  This allows an auto shopper to feel more trust with the dealership, which in many cases can be the only thing preventing a successful sale.

Auto shoppers are on mobile.  Sometimes this occurs while the shopper is at a dealership!  They could be reviewing inventory or price checking while being shown a vehicle.  Therefore, competitive pricing and accurate inventory on a dealership website is key to giving an auto shopper a good experience and getting a sale.

Car salesmen are stereotypically untrustworthy.  Auto shoppers need to have trust in a dealership before they will purchase a vehicle.  Also, shoppers visit 2 or less dealerships thanks to being armed with mobile phones that have all the information that they need to make a decision.  Thus, a salesperson should get out of their own way and focus on making the car purchasing experience a positive and transparent one.

The most eye-opening trait of today's auto shoppers, especially for digital marketing agencies specializing in auto, is that auto shoppers don't submit leads!  Almost 50% will never submit a form lead.  This goes back to trust.  Auto shoppers do not necessarily want to leave their information and be bombarded with spam or contacted by a pushy salesperson.  Some ways to get around this are to make lead forms easier to fill out, require less information and make sure that the customer knows what they will get when they submit the form (i.e. "we will not spam you, but will contact you within 2 hours to follow up").  Another must-have is call tracking, because as form leads decrease, phone leads increase.  Seeing as shoppers already have all the information they need to make a purchase, they are more likely to go straight to the dealership or call in and make an appointment.

All in all, auto shoppers today have all the necessary car buying info on their mobile device, they don't trust dealerships easily and they don't submit form leads.  This can be nightmarish for digital marketing agencies trying to prove that they are driving leads, but great for transparent dealerships with well priced cars that cater to a customer’s needs.  What steps are you all taking to make the most of the current customer behaviors of today?

Digital Marketing Agencies Must Stay Competitive

Digital Marketing Agencies Must Stay Competitive

The landscape of marketing has changed over the last couple of decades, and digital marketing continues to change almost daily.  ROI is getting easier to determine, and marketing agencies are being fired left and right by businesses looking to maximize benefit by having just one good agency rather than several mediocre, behind-the-times vendors.

As budgets shift, digital marketing agencies should strive to provide more personalized customer engagement.  This requires different competencies from marketers, including knowledge of data analytics and content creation to improve ROI.

Specialized knowledge is a huge benefit here.  Car dealerships should seek out digital marketing agencies as partners with knowledge specific to the automotive industry for best results, rather than an agency that covers multiple business verticals.  Some key skills these agencies should have include the ability to manage large amounts of data, the capability to create sales funnels for each marketing channel that truly reflect a shopper’s intent and of course the nimbleness to overcome financial barriers and still demonstrate ROI.

The world is becoming tougher for digital marketing agencies whose methodology includes generic or cookie-cutter approaches to generating leads.  How are you all staying absolutely up to date on all the latest ways to engage and retain business digitally?

Digital Marketing Agencies Must Stay Competitive

Digital Marketing Agencies Must Stay Competitive

The landscape of marketing has changed over the last couple of decades, and digital marketing continues to change almost daily.  ROI is getting easier to determine, and marketing agencies are being fired left and right by businesses looking to maximize benefit by having just one good agency rather than several mediocre, behind-the-times vendors.

As budgets shift, digital marketing agencies should strive to provide more personalized customer engagement.  This requires different competencies from marketers, including knowledge of data analytics and content creation to improve ROI.

Specialized knowledge is a huge benefit here.  Car dealerships should seek out digital marketing agencies as partners with knowledge specific to the automotive industry for best results, rather than an agency that covers multiple business verticals.  Some key skills these agencies should have include the ability to manage large amounts of data, the capability to create sales funnels for each marketing channel that truly reflect a shopper’s intent and of course the nimbleness to overcome financial barriers and still demonstrate ROI.

The world is becoming tougher for digital marketing agencies whose methodology includes generic or cookie-cutter approaches to generating leads.  How are you all staying absolutely up to date on all the latest ways to engage and retain business digitally?

With all the social media, content and pay-per-click marketing available at the push of a button, many forget the power of email marketing.  After all, who still uses email?  Turns out, most people do, and email still gets surprisingly high response rates.  The sole purpose of many campaigns is to build an email list.  For the uninitiated, here are some email marketing tips to get started.

Target markets are key to email marketing.  Make sure that the content of email marketing matches the audience it's being sent to.  It is therefore a good idea, given access, to split email lists into targeted markets so that the recipients will receive the most relevant messaging and be more likely to respond.

Do not send email marketing to someone who didn't opt in.  In the same vein, for those that did opt in, avoid sending spammy or extraneous messages.  Simply deliver what was promised when the user opted in.  Sending irrelevant messages or delivering messages to those that aren't interested is simply a waste of marketing time and money.

Other marketing channels such as social media, content marketing and pay-per-click SEM can help to get sign-ups for email marketing.  This is often better than buying an email list from a shady marketing company.  If a business is struggling to build a marketing list but wishes to do email marketing, it may be a benefit to try and get onto another related business' established email campaign until their own list can be built up.

The benefits have been widely talked about when it comes to classic email marketing.  How are you all finding success building up your email marketing lists?