By Debbie Kirlew

Digital marketing has been around for quite a few years, but according to the American business news organisation Forbes, this year will see  the emergence of a new breed of marketer who can tie digital and traditional channels together via the latest technology.

The ‘marketing technologist’ will be as tech-savvy as they are social media aware, overseeing the smooth integration of all marketing platforms while mastering the tools for management and measurement and understanding the latest tactics to build a brand that engages, attracts and retains the customer.

So what superpowers should the marketing technologist have and how will car dealers benefit?

 

Email

Email is still a strong communication tool, but personalisation is paramount, according to Marketing Delivery’s managing director Jeremy Evans. With more than 50% of recipients using a smartphone to access emails, mobile optimisation is a must.  

“It’s irrelevant to think you are deciding between email or SMS, it’s just about mobile,” said Evans.

 

Big data

Dealers need to use their extensive data to make communications meaningful and more compelling to customers. Neil Addley, managing director of Trusted Dealers, says dealers should draw on PCP information, in particular, to send timely and accurate offers as a customer nears the end of their finance agreement. Dealers have to move away from what Addley refers to as “lazy marketing” and make contacts relevant.

 

Paid search and display

Global advertising media company Group M’s research shows paid search advertising will grow to £4.2 billion in 2015. Almost a third of that (29%) will be spent on mobile devices and most with Google, which accounts for more than 90% of the UK market. Internet display advertising will be the fastest-growing segment this year, predicted to grow by a fifth and worth £2.7bn, 39% of which will come from mobile display advertising.

 

Mobile

There were 2.2bn mobile internet subscribers in 2013, approximately 30% of the global population, according to worldwide mobile

operators’ association, the GSMA. This is predicted to grow by 1.6bn people by 2020, taking the total to 3.8bn users, about half the world’s expected population.  

Whether websites are optimised for mobile already forms part of Google’s search criteria, taking a mobile-first approach to marketing, understanding how consumers engage with a brand on mobile and delivering content accordingly is crucial.