Which Car Companies are Tops in Digital Marketing?

Ford, Jeep, Chevy Top Digital Auto Brands

Written by Mark Walsh

On the digital proving track, Detroit is beating out the competition. Ford, Jeep and Chevrolet were the top three auto brands based on an analysis of their Web site, digital marketing, social media and mobile efforts over the last year.

 

Each of the 42 brands assessed in the "L2 Digital IQ Index: Auto" study was scored against more than 350 qualitative and quantitative data points and assigned a Digital IQ ranking of Genius, Gifted, Average, Challenged or Feeble. Web site marketing is given the most weighting  at 35%, and social media, the least at 15%.

 

Only Ford earned a "Genius" rating, with a score of 142. "Strong digital fundamentals combined with a willingness to experiment set the brand apart," stated the report authored by Scott Galloway, L2 founder, and NYU Stern clinical professor of marketing.

 

In particular, it cited initiatives including Ford's connected car platform Sync, iPad catalogs for different models, strong customer support and dealer inventory search via its Web site, and a social media hub through its Ford Social site.

 

Jeep was cited for its retargeting efforts to send consumers to a microsite linking to local dealers, and its "Badge of Honor" community for off-road enthusiasts. Chevrolet received high marks for its active presence on YouTube, including competitive ad purchasing on the video site, as well as segmented email marketing across 24 models.

 

Among other auto brands in the "Gifted" category were Toyota, Nissan, BMW, Honda, Cadillac, Chrysler and Mercedes-Benz. Toyota was credited especially for having a strong commitment to mobile with its touchscreen mobile site, "striking" iPad app and Entune suite of mobile apps and data services for in-car use.

 

At the other end of the spectrum, the "Feeble" category was populated by ultra-luxury brands, including Rolls-Royce, Ferrari, Bentley and Lamborghini.

 

What about Tesla Motors, the electric car startup that has seen its stock nearly double in the last two weeks after being rated the best car by Consumer Reports since 2007? It fell into the "Challenged' bucket, given the lack of a mobile site and low traction on YouTube, among other factors. 

 

Beyond ranking specific brands, the L2 study offered several broader findings about digital efforts in the auto category. For one, search advertising has gone mobile. Automakers are nearly four times more likely to rely on paid search in mobile than on the desktop, reflecting the desire to reach potential buyers while they're out shopping.

In the mobile realm, companies are also doing better work with smartphones than tablets. Nearly nine out of 10 (86%) auto brands had mobile-optimized sites on smartphones, while almost one in four had missing or broken components on tablet sites. On a third featured touch-and-swipe functionality versus 75% on mobile sites.

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Mobile Marketing: Speed Essential as 55% of Conversions Occur in First Hour

55% of mobile search conversions happen within an hour

Written by Claire Brinkley for EConsultancy 

When consumers search for things on their mobiles more than half usually intend to buy it, according to new research from Google and Nielsen.

The Mobile Search Moments report looks at why and when people use smartphones to search, the actions that result from these searches and how marketers can capitalise on every moment of the process.

Participants in the study were asked to log their mobile searches over a two week period in Q4 2012, which resulted in more than 6,000 mobile searches being recorded, and then follow-ups were conducted by Nielsen to see what actions resulted from these searches. 

There are many interesting findings from the report but perhaps the biggest takeaway is that more than half of the searches that resulted in a conversion - whether this was going into a store, calling a business or making a purchase - happened in just 1 hour, showing that mobile is possibly the most critical channel for search marketers and business owners. 

The power of mobile search

Of the searches conducted by participants, three out of four triggered actions, which ranged from additional research (36%) to a website visit (25%) to a store visit (17%) to a purchase (17%) to a phone call (7%).

And, on average each mobile search triggered at least two of the above actions, although product and shopping searches were more likely to have higher numbers of outcomes. 

Conversions also happened quickly after a search, with 55% occurring within just one hour of the original search. 

Ben Chung, Marketing Manager, Mobile Ads at Google, suggests that the reason for this speed could be due to the fact that 45% of mobile searches are conducted to help make a decision, this figure jumping to 66% when the search is conducted in-store.

We see this immediacy effect with mobile because not only are people potentially closer in physical proximity to a purchase, but they're also close to the crucial decision moments. 

And when people use mobile search to help make a decision, they're more likely to convert. So it's important for marketers to be present during these searches, while also creating ads and experiences that are relevant to this immediacy. 

Quick and easy

Many people would assume that mobile searches are done on the go, like on a bus or train when a desktop is not readily available, but it seems the exact opposite is true. 

Almost 8 out of 10 mobile searches happen at work or home when a desktop could be easily accessed.

And according to the report, the reason for this is that consumers find mobile search quick and easy. In fact, 81% said that they were driven to mobile search because of the speed and convenience of it.

Remember, context is key

Another important takeaway from the research is that the types of searches people conduct is strongly tied to their specific context, such as the time of day they are searching and their current location.

Shopping searches, for example, were twice as likely to be conducted in-store and the report highlights that this is a key opportunity for marketers to reach someone who is already ready and prepped to take action. 

Claire Brinkley is Econsultancy Australia's news and insight reporter. Follow her on Twitter, Google+ or connect with her on LinkedIn. 

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Online Video Advertising Powered by Social Sharing with Automotive in Top 5

Video Advertising is Empowered by Social Sharing across Multiple Retail Segments with Automotive showing plenty of room for growth!

Digital video has viral potential, and advertisers are increasingly trying to tap into the social-sharing instinct among viewers. Unruly Media Inc., a video technology company, studied social shares worldwide and found that the fast-moving consumer goods and consumer products category (FMCG) made particular strides in the first quarter of 2013, capitalizing especially on Super Bowl placements and increasing the number of social video shares by 78.2% over Q4 2012.

In total, entertainment garnered the most social video shares in Q1 2013, which is unsurprising given the adeptness of the industry at creating video content. Impressively, the FMCG sector was right behind. The two industries accounted for over half of total video ad shares.

Looking specifically at social video ad shares around the Super Bowl, the study also found that the auto sector—a major Super Bowl advertiser—performed fairly poorly.

The Super Bowl is where auto advertisers devote a significant percentage of their yearly budget, and that allocation showed in the increased shares the auto sectors' videos received in the first quarter of this year—377% more than in Q4 2012. But that didn't help boost auto above fourth place in the percentage of total shares garnered during that period. It seems auto manufacturers have more work to do to bring their TV ad-spot know-how to the web.

While creating unique, compelling video is critical to getting social shares, there is also a bit of science behind the phenomenon.

Unruly Media looked at social video sharing during 2012 among the 200 most-shared brand videos and found that the first three days after an ad's debut determined a lot about its success: 10% of total shares occurred on the second day after debut, the apparent high point for video ad sharing. And the first three days saw one-quarter of total shares.

Social networkers are ready and willing to share video; they are simply waiting for content worthy of their attention and endorsement. Online video sharing was a top internet activity among US web users, according to a December 2012 study from NetBase, especially among younger consumers. It was the No. 2 online activity among those between 18- to 34-years-old. And even among those in the 35-to-54 age group, more than half reported sharing video.

Read more at http://www.emarketer.com/Article/Video-Ads-Success-Hinges-on-Social-Sharing-Early-Days/1009852#J8Rmtmo0LSFGXso5.99 

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Twitter; More Customer Engagement on Weekends

Setting Up Best Chat System Ever Developed; Apple iOS Devices

• Apple
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• Overview
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• What is iOS

If you're a texter, you'll love Messages on iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. Now they all come with iMessage, a service that's an even better kind of texting. Because it's free for you and anyone texting over Wi-Fi using an iOS device or Mac with iMessage. And it's unlimited.* So say as much as you want.

Exchange words. Or photos. Or videos.

iMessage lets you send messages back and forth with anyone on iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, or a Mac running Mountain Lion. Send photos, videos, locations, and contacts, too. If you have more than one Apple device, iMessage keeps the conversation going across all of them. And you can text and send photos and videos via MMS to other mobile phones over cellular networks. Even ask Siri to text for you. Just say "Tell Peter I'm on my way" and Siri writes your message and fires it off.

Text one. Text all.

Send a message to one person or to many friends at once — along with photos, videos, or links you like. When someone replies, everyone sees it. With more people you'll get more texts, but remember, it's iMessage, so every text is free over Wi-Fi.*

Get the message?

It's reassuring to know your text was read — or even received. iMessage tells you if your text was delivered. If the recipient has read receipts enabled, you'll see that your message was read, too. And iMessage shows you when someone's in the middle of a reply, so your conversation can continue naturally.

Blue is best.

On iPhone, when your text bubble is blue instead of green, you'll know you're using iMessage instead of SMS. You'll know that you can get a quicker response. You'll know that the text session is free. You'll know it's been sent to all your recipients' Apple devices. And you'll know they received the text. SMS texters will be green with envy.

1. 

   Go to Settings and tap Messages.

   Turn on iMessage and tap "Use your Apple ID for iMessage."

   Note: iPhone screens shown. On an iPad and iPod touch, you won't see the screen on the right, you'll go straight to the Sign In screen below.

2. 

   Enter your Apple ID and password.

   • Learn more about Apple ID

   Tap "Sign In"

   Any phone number and all email addresses associated with your Apple ID will be displayed.

   Note: A phone number will be displayed only if you are setting up your iPhone, or if you are setting up another iOS device after you've set up your iPhone

   Tap Next.

3. 

   Tap Send & Receive.

   Choose which email addresses and phone numbers you want people to use to send you messages.

   Under "Start new conversations from," choose the email address or phone number you'd like to use to send outgoing messages.

   If you've already set up other devices for Messages, they'll alert you that a new device has been set up for Messages.

   Note: iPhone screens shown. iPad and iPod touch screens have the same options shown but differ in appearance.

• *Messages may be sent as SMS when iMessage is unavailable; carrier messaging fees apply.
• Some features may not be available for all countries or all areas. Click here to see complete list.

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Ben Freedman: Auto Industry Young Gun To Speak at http://AutoCon2013.com

Enterprise Automotive Marketers Use 16 Content Marketing Tactics

The most successful automotive marketing professionals use an average of 16 different types of content marketing tactics...

The Top Three most widely adopted content marketing tactics are:

1. Videos (87 percent)

2. Website articles (86 percent)

3. In-person events (85 percent)

B2B enterprise marketers use all tactics more frequently than their B2B peers overall do. Like those peers, they find in-person events to be the most effective tactic.

Marketing professionals, including those specializing in automotive use an average of four social media platforms, with Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube being the most popular

B2B focused automotive marketers use Facebook (80 percent) as often as their B2B peers overall do; however, they use YouTube more often (74 percent vs. 61 percent), and Twitter and LinkedIn less often (76 percent vs. 80 percent, and 71 percent vs. 83 percent, respectively).

Nearly half plan to increase their content marketing budgets

Forty-six percent of B2B enterprise marketers, including those specializing in the auto industry plan to increase the amount of budget they allocate to content marketing over the next 12 months, compared with 52 percent of their B2B peers overall.

Sixty-five percent of automotive marketers responding to the survey report outsourcing their content creation tasks...

B2B automotive focused marketers outsource content creation more frequently than their B2B peers overall do (65 percent vs. 43 percent).

Their biggest challenge is producing the kind of content that engages targeted automotive decision makers and consumers...

While their B2B peers overall cite producing enough content as their biggest challenge, B2B auto industry marketers are more challenged with producing content that engages. They also are three-times more likely than their B2B peers overall to be challenged with a lack of integration across marketing.

Just 32 percent believe they are effective or very effective at content marketing

Like their B2B peers overall (36 percent), enterprise marketers struggle with their effectiveness at content marketing. However, B2B marketers across companies of all sizes appear to believe that continued investment in content marketing will pay off: Approximately half of those who rate their organizations as least effective are planning to increase their content marketing spend by nearly as much as their more successful peers are.

Want to learn more? Download our full report to get answers to questions like:

• What goals do B2B enterprise marketers have for content marketing?
• How do they measure content marketing success?
• How do they tailor their content?
• What does the profile of a best-in-class B2B enterprise content marketer look like?

What do you think of the findings? Are they consistent with what you are experiencing? Let us know in the comments!

Special thanks to MarketingProfs for their participation in the annual survey on content marketing and the overall B2B North America comparisons made here.

• First Things First – Content Strategy Before Social Strategy
• Landing Page Basics: Making Your Content Marketing Convert
• 2013 B2B Content Marketing Benchmarks, Budgets and Trends [Research Report]
• 10 Must-Have Templates for Content Marketers

 

Follow Author: Joe Pulizzi

Joe Pulizzi considers himself the poster boy for content marketing. Founder of theContent Marketing Institute, Joe evangelizes content marketing around the world through keynotes, articles, tweets and his books, Managing Content Marketing and Get Content Get Customers. If you want to get on his good side, send him something orange. For more on Joe, check out his personal site or follow him on Twitter @juntajoe.

Other posts by Joe Pulizzi

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Automotive Digital Training Featured on cover of AutoSuccess Magazine http://AutomotiveDigitalTraining.com

AutoMarketing Pros Know Content Drives Car Buyer Engagement

For Driving Engagement, B2B Marketers Put a Premium on Content

Segmented, personalized content and more of it are top content marketing strategies

Since the days of company newsletters sent via snail mail, business-to-business (B2B) marketers have used content marketing as a lead generation and customer relationship technique.

Digital makes content marketing easier—but not easy, according to a new eMarketer report, "B2B Content Marketing: Best Practices for 2013." eMarketer defines content marketing as using content that is not, at its core, promotional material, but which is interesting or valuable for its own sake. B2B marketers should add one qualifying sentence: It is content geared to help businesspeople do their jobs better.

An August 2012 Content Marketing Institute (CMI) and MarketingProfs survey, sponsored by online video platform Brightcove, found that more than nine out of 10 B2B marketers in North America used content marketing. CMI is a consultancy that walks marketers through the process of content marketing.

And surveys of B2B marketers suggest content marketing is only getting more investment. For example, the CMI and MarketingProfs study also found that the majority of respondents had planned to increase content marketing spending for the last two years. Fifty-four percent of B2B marketers in North America said they planned to increase spending in 2012, with 60% reporting the same in 2011.

On average, B2B marketers planned to spend 33% of their marketing budgets on content marketing this year, according to the study, up from 26% in 2012. Ideally, B2B marketers can use content marketing effectively throughout the customer lifecycle. These marketers endeavor to not only attract customers' attention but also engage them.

A survey by content curation software provider Curata found that engagement was the most frequently cited objective of content marketing among US B2B marketers.

As marketers put more time and energy into content creation and dissemination, there are certain best practices that B2B brands can apply across digital channels.

B2B marketers that care to keep the conversation with the customer vibrant and flowing craft content for particular segments. The more personalized the content is, the more helpful and necessary the content—and therefore the brand—becomes to the customer.

Mobile brings new opportunities for B2B content marketing as well. Marketers can bridge offline marketing with mobile by, for instance, creating mobile apps that direct prospects through an industry trade show.

And content marketers must also keep the content flowing. A customer community is like a pump that one must prime. The marketer must remain an active part of the conversation.

 

---

©2013 eMarketer Inc. All rights reserved. www.emarketer.com

Source: http://www.eMarketer.com 

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Appointment Reception Process with Agenda Review PART 1 of 2

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