2020 marks 30 years since the beginning of the World Wide Web as we know it. As the never-ending evolution of tech keeps digital marketers on their toes, fourteen 2020 digital marketing trends are likely to impact every marketing leader’s deliverables this new year.

Here is a condensed look at the top 14 ways digital marketing will evolve in 2020, uniquely impact customer connections and relationships.

 

Fourteen 2020 Digital Marketing Trends

 

  1. Goodbye, cookies!

    GDPR is now moving into year three of ratification. As more countries and states enact similar laws, the digital advertising industry will need to start identifying some targeting capabilities beyond the cookie. Contextual advertising has started emerging as a viable answer, but we can expect more focus on this question in 2020.  

  2. Mobile-first web design.

    The percent of webpage visitors on mobile has hovered just under 50% for the last two years. But this year, mobile is expected to become the no. 1 device type for internet browsing. This will make having a responsive web design critical to success.

  3. Consumer expectations.

    More and more people are expressing their growing concerns about how the data they share online is used. Expect to see a stronger push from consumers to understand how and when data is collected and used, from social media giants and from company websites.

  4. 5G opportunities.

    The biggest telecom companies are planning a 2020 rollout for their 5G networks, which will open up lots of opportunities for connected devices, with reliable mobile data and more.

  5. Customer data analytics.

    The days of trusting your gut are long gone. Companies will increasingly move toward complex customer data analytics to drive marketing programs. Cross channel analytics view the complete customer journey to identify opportunities to adjust and optimize for a better ROI.

  6. Dynamic content.

    Your website will learn more about you and predict what you’re looking for using dynamic content. Dynamic content changes based on your past browsing history, how you arrive at a website and more.

  7. BERT.

    Google rolled out its newest algorithm at the tail end of 2019. An estimated 15% of all searches are impacted by this update, which means now is the time to review your keywords research and SEO work.

  8. Conversational AI.

    Artificial intelligence is advancing, which means the ability to have realistic conversations with bots is increasing. We’ve seen a few prime examples in 2019, but this will be the new frontier of customer service in 2020.

  9. Voice search.

    This isn’t new, but voice search is continuing to play a larger role. More and more homes are getting voice assistants (Google Home, Alexa), and they’re getting smarter.

  10. TikTok.

    The app exploded in 2019 and may become one of the mainstay social media platforms in 2020. As it continues to grow, expect advertising efforts from TikTok to start generating a profit. Get the 411 before you get started.

  11. Micro-influencers.

    2019 was the year that the influencer bubble burst. With fake influencers, purchased followers and poorly executed promotions, the mega-influencer market has taken a hit. Plus, Instagram removed like counts from individual posts. But influencers can still be an effective tool for marketing, and working with micro-influencers will hold fast through 2020.

  12. VR + 360-degree video.

    As this technology becomes more accessible and Oculus makes a play for in-home use, more brands will take this on and create unique, immersive video experiences.

  13. Interactive content.

    Consumers want to have an answer that matches their exact use case, so it will be key to have calculators, quizzes and other interactive content on your website and social media.

  14. Hyper-local targeting.

    We are now able to target ad reach down to the building or block, so expect to see more ads specific to the sporting event you’re attending. or the store you’re about to walk into.

 

No one can predict the future, which is why constantly researching these 2020 digital marketing trends and new technologies this year and every year, is our team’s priority. What trend most excites you?

 

Well, well, well — look who’s back. Thanks for returning for part 2 of our newsletter blog, you newsletter junkies! Missed part 1? Get caught up. Today, we will be diving into how to continue your work as masterful newsletter experts so that your sends are consistently churning out favorable results. But to get there, we’re going to have to talk about some of the numbers behind the scenes that you need to pay attention to. Buckle up for a crash course on newsletter metrics.

Part 2: Understanding Newsletter Metrics

You’ve sent your newsletter and now it’s time to see how it performed. A general understanding of percentages and averages is going to make your post-send results analysis a lot easier, I promise. There are a couple of numbers that you should definitely be paying attention to and then some that are just neat, if you’re a closet number nerd.

 

Open rate

Not too hard to comprehend. Out of total recipients, who opened your send? This number is typically expressed as a percentage, but if you’re really into fractions for some reason, then by all means convert ‘em. Either way, this statistic is big — there’s absolutely zero chance that recipients are going to click through content if they don’t open your email at all. Zero is a number we can all understand, I think.

 

Optimize it:

In our experience, open rate is really reliant on the creativity and urgency of your subject line(s). Another aspect that contributes to open rate long-term is your sends’ history of valuable content — or lack thereof. Shameless self-promotion only works for the first 1-2 sends when your audience is learning who you are.

 

Click rate

Click rate is a tad more complicated than open rate, but stick with me. The reason is because click rate is broken down into multiple facets versus open rate, which is one number. Get it? Got it? Good. Click rate refers to the number of clicks on particular pieces of content within the newsletter. Overall click rate is also calculated using the total number of recipients, but you can get deeper than that if you want. Within the base click rate, you can typically view which content was served the most clicks and their adjoining click rate — factored out of the total click rate. To diffuse your confusion, let’s talk through an example.

 

Optimize it:

Say your total click rate was 4.5%. That means that out of your total number of subscribers, 4.5% clicked on content in addition to opening your email in the first place. Depending on your email manager, there may be a further breakdown of each unique click and which content it went toward. Out of 40 clicks, maybe your first content section saw 10 clicks. That means that section’s click rate was 25% or 10/40 clicks. Try experimenting with the highest click rate sections. Did they click here because they enjoyed this type of content the most? Was the graphic really eye catching? Do a few A/B tests to see if you can pinpoint the reason it performed well.

 

Why is A/B testing important?

If you’re looking to shake things up but are a little timid, stats are still your friend. A/B testing features use of a control and variable version of your newsletter — we’re basically in the STEM field. A/B testing is a great tool because it puts your goals into practice to see if they’re even practical before you commit to a change once and for all — whether it’s in formatting or scheduling. Gather the data, look it over and decide which version was more successful.

>>> Watch this quick video for a deeper dive into A/B testing from the Data Science Dojo.

 

Industry averages

It’s great to use industry averages for starting benchmark goals. For example open rates within the marketing and advertising industry, MailChimp reports the industry average to be around 13.9%. For click rate, the industry is seeing about 1.9% engagement. So, if you identify with this industry and are personally averaging a 2% click rate — you’re above industry average but you have plenty of room to grow.

 

Other numbers

If you have time, take a look at stats like successful deliveries to make sure your contact list is up to date and free of old email addresses. Total opens is also a neat number, which ropes in all the instances that your email was opened, unique or not. It’s a great stat to use when you want to see how many people return to your email later on.

 

Subscribers galore

Also, if you haven’t yet, I strongly recommended embedding a sign-up form on your company or organization’s website to grow your organic subscriber count. Make the form as straightforward as possible so that you’re maximizing follow-through — the more tedious the form, the less people want to subscribe (sad face emoji). As far as location is concerned, we recommend sticking your form at the bottom of relevant landing pages. This signals to the average visitor that after scrolling through your site’s existing content, you still have more value to offer.

 

Need more help? Have a question? Drop us a line!

 

Get your dose of digital news with this month’s Digital Download — just what the doctor ordered.

How prone are you to digital privacy issues?

You may need to brush up on your digital knowledge basics. According to the Pew Research Center, many U.S. adults struggle with certain cybersecurity and privacy issues. But not everyone is in the dark. Two-thirds of U.S. adults are aware of phishing scams and the role of cookies in one’s browser — not the edible kind, unfortunately.

>>See where you stack up against the complete survey results.

Instagram removes likes to promote self-love

Where do you stand on Instagram removing visible likes? If you’re a brand or agency, you may have some concerns. Influencer marketing brought in big dollars in 2018 — we’re talking in the billions. And most of that money was allotted based on an expected number of likes per post. Non-influencers, however, have publicly praised the app for its attempts to preserve the mental health of its users. As 2020 inches closer, it may be time to brainstorm new ways to gauge the effectiveness of influencer marketing.

>>Find out what digital success looks like without likes.

The Americans With Disabilities Act has a new precedent 

The Supreme Court revisited the Americans With Disabilities Act this month, allowing blind people to rightfully sue retailers if they find websites to not be accessible by American Disability Association standards. The initial lawsuit was filed against Domino’s Pizza three years ago after a customer, who was blind, complained that they were unable to order a pizza because Domino’s website lacked the necessary software.

>>Read up on the court’s proceedings and the relevant legislation. 

New targeting tools make for merry marketing

Tis the season to be a digital marketer. Google announced that they will be implementing two new features to Google Search to help narrow target audiences. For starters, affinity audiences — audiences that have shown a particular interest in a certain topic — will be able to be layered on top of keywords, a relevant tool for year-round. And just in time for the holidays, Google will roll out seasonal event segments, which will help target consumer who have already begun researching for upcoming holidays.

>>Navigate your holiday marketing strategy’s next steps with help.

Finally, sign up for our newsletter below to get digital news, LF news and more delivered right to your inbox once a month. It’s so much fun!

When the concept of email newsletters first began, it was a mere vessel to send out humble brags,  generic information and boring company updates. If that content strategy sounds like your company’s newsletter: 1) well, this is a tad awkward, 2) please stop doing that.

While this old newsletter content strategy is useless, successful marketers know that quality email marketing is still one of the best tools available, especially for service-based businesses. This reinforces the fact that, hands down, there’s nothing more valuable than direct access to someone’s attention. So let’s talk about how to create and send an effective email newsletter to your audience.

Newsletters Done Right – The Setup

Establish your content calendar (and be consistent).

Your newsletter should work towards these three things goals: staying on-brand in voice and style; providing rich, relative content; and being niche enough to stand out. Around 82% of B2B and B2C companies already use email marketing, so it’s important you stand out from the crowd.

And like we mentioned previously, don’t be too self-serving. A good rule of thumb is to only use 10% of the newsletter’s content to promote yourself.

 

Give it a cool name.

This is arguably the most fun part. Remember, subscribers should get excited to see your newsletter in their inbox. Catch their attention and capture their hearts with a name that sums up who you are in a professional-yet-personal way. Are you a reusable water bottle company that wants to start a newsletter that promotes sustainability? Congratulations: Your newsletter is called “From the Tap.” You can use that if you want, but not for free. My check better be in the mail.

 

Choose your layout wisely.

Layout is important. Newsletters may be a marketing industry standard, but each is different depending on what kind of content you’re wanting to include.  If you’re a startup photography business that solely wants to promote your work, it would make sense for your layout to have more imagery and less copy. But if you’re looking to share industry trends with your reader — like top 5 equipment trends this season — then the copy deserves a bit more room. That being said, a newsletter isn’t a blog. If anything, it’s just teasing the blog you already have, so be be stingy. Links to long-form is better than actual long-form.

 

Craft the perfect subject line.

Hate to break it to you, but “Here’s my newsletter!” isn’t going to prompt anyone but your grandma — who loves you very much — to open your email. I know; it’s heartbreaking. Luckily, subject lines aren’t too big of a beast to tackle as long as you remember one little acronym: CTA.

Call-to-actions (CTAs) are proven to increase a newsletter’s number of opens. They’re typically written as a command or action phrase because you want the reader to act in a certain way. Using the word ‘you’ in your CTA will also increase number of opens because the reader will feel like it’s personal and necessary to read. Example: “The ag industry needs you to speak up” — the CTA is clear, addresses the reader directly and references a piece of content featured in the actual email. I would know — I wrote it. It doesn’t hurt  to incorporate questions, numbers and the occasional emoji either.

 

Send a test email.

Some email marketing services allow you to send out a preview of your newsletter to a group of your choice before the actual scheduled send. This is an essential step, so don’t skip it! You’ll be able to see how everything looks from a subscriber’s point of view without having to solicit outside insight. This also gives your leadership team a chance to sign off or suggest final edits.

BONUS: Testing emails gives you the opportunity to see how your newsletter appears on a mobile device, which is of MEGA importance. Why? The most common device that people open emails on is an iPhone, according to Experian Marketing Services. And people who open an email on both their mobile device and computer are 65% more likely to click through to the actual content. That means the extra time it takes to optimize your newsletter for mobile is going to be well worth it. Yay, accessibility!

 

Schedule successfully.

This step may take a couple tries to get right, and that’s okay. Different people open their newsletters at different times of the day, and that is most likely the case with your batch of subscribers. Look to see if your email marketing tool of choice offers schedule optimizing. You don’t have to use it, but it’s a nice tool to have, especially if your number of opens has been dismal lately.

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>>Check out part 2 to make the most of your newsletter metrics. 

Hungry? Get a taste of the latest and greatest digital news with this month’s Digital Download. We think you’ll enjoy it.

 

Goodbye, Google Average Position. Hello, new metrics!

Google will get rid of the average position metric soon, which has been a stalwart of ad reporting since Google Ads was Google AdWords. They’ll replace it with several new metrics that will tell you how frequently your ads rank absolute top (meaning you are ranked no. 1). They’ll also tell you when you rank top (meaning you’re ranked in the top 3 before organic results). This is the biggest change Google has made to their metrics in years — a move to help align with the shifting state of search engine marketing.

>> Navigate the new metrics here.

 

Brands navigate 9/11 remembrance

When it comes to posting on 9/11, more and more brands are choosing to stay silent. There have been plenty of cringe-worthy remembrance posts, but going about business as usual can backfire as well. Those posts can be met with accusations that you aren’t honoring those lost. As the first major event of the social media era, it’s been interesting to watch media managers navigate how to (and if they should) post on 9/11. We hope your feeds were respectful this year and absent of the Ledo’s Pizza blip.

>> See what experts say about posting on 9/11 here.

 

Facebook ditches Discover

Last year, Facebook moved brand messages to their own Discover tab in the Messenger app. But this month, they’ve decided to kill the effort off. Facebook says the decision to get rid of Discover was made in order to make it more seamless for people to communicate with businesses in Messenger. For companies that aren’t using Facebook’s Messenger tools, this might be the time to start — users are spending a larger portion of their time in Messenger rather than in Newsfeed.

>> Dive into Facebook’s decision here.

 

Instagram influencer’s ghostwriter tells all

The influencer bubble may have burst in light of the Caroline Calloway story. The floundering Instagramer’s former friend published a tell-all essay on her experiences as Calloway’s ghostwriter and business partner. The pair frequently purchased followers to boost engagement numbers and appear more influential and failed to fulfill multiple agreements for events and a book deal. As influencer marketing takes off, it’s important to keep stories like this in mind — fame doesn’t always equal dependability.

>> Catch up on the Caroline Calloway story here.

 

“Dumbed down” Alexa has users voicing concerns — literally

Amazon has released a new Alexa Answers program. The program allows crowdsourcing for questions Alexa doesn’t have an answer for. This program has been in beta for almost a year but will now be available for the masses — meaning literally anyone can contribute answers. There are some concerns that this will result in a dumbing down of Alexa since the answers provided may not necessarily be accurate or well-researched. How will you be able to tell who answered your question? Alexa will add “according to an Amazon customer” to the end of her answer if crowdsourcing was used. As voice search continues to evolve, this move will certainly be watched by other smart device manufacturers.

>> Get answers to your Alexa Answers queries here.

Oftentimes when people think of digital ads, they default straight to Google Ads. But there are many instances when the targeting and placement opportunities on Facebook are just as relevant, if not more so. Facebook Ads can do so much more than just boosting your posts (and no, I don’t mean influencing presidential elections). So, let’s break down the different targeting and placements opportunities of each platform and go over guidelines on when to use each.

 

Targeting:

Google Facebook
Keywords X
Geography X X
Demographics X X
Interests X X
Education / work X
Life Events X
Parental status X X
Behaviors (ex. technology early adopter) X
Event attendance X
Prior engagement X
Website visits X (with Pixel installed) X (with Pixel installed)
Custom audience X (on select placement types) X
Lookalike audience X
Affinity audience X
In-market audience X

Digital ad placements + types:

Google Ads

Google Ads come in many different formats, with different targeting methods available to each. Based on the ad type selected, the ad creative can include text, banner, video and Gmail ads.

Facebook Ads

All Facebook Ads allow graphics/video with a link or a lead form no matter the placement.

A note if you’re a B2B business: Your contacts and prospects are people too! Facebook isn’t just for B2C brands. It is actually a great tool to use for B2B advertising as well. With the target capabilities, you’re able to hone in on your audience and reach them wherever they are: at work or at home. 

When to use Google Ads:

When to use Facebook Ads:

Why you should consider using both:

At the end of the day, there is a time and place for both platforms. But they are both important to a comprehensive media plan and can play a vital role in meeting your organization’s KPIs. Don’t be afraid to dip your toes in the digital advertising waters — you’ll see there are plenty of opportunities!

 

It’s hotter than a fire cracker lit at both ends — it’s your digital download.

 

Who will come out the streaming champion and what does this battle look like for marketers? 

The over-the-top (OTT) landscape is changing quickly as the streaming industry goes through a drastic shift. Although Netflix has been the unrivaled streaming champion for many years, with the anticipated launches of Disney+, Apple TV+ and more, the new champion will be determined by their ability to best understand the three key things about OTT. MarketingTech emphasizes the need to focus on understanding how mobile is changing the way viewers watch television, broadcasters’ desire to reap the benefits of their content, and rich insights on consumers making OTT services a fertile ground for marketing.

 

>> Read more about the key to OTT services here

 

 

Facebook adds Instagram scheduling to Creator Studio

Instagram scheduling has never been easy for social managers, but Facebook’s new addition to Creator Studio may be the cure to the ongoing headache. This new option allows users to see exactly what their posts will look like, similar to posting on a Facebook page natively. Social managers will choose whether they want to post to their Instagram feed or IGTV, however scheduled story posts are not yet available. Although the new addition will certainly reduce frustrations of social managers, it is too early to know whether or not scheduled posts will impact post engagement.

 

>> Learn how to schedule Instagram posts here

 

What makes a high-performing story (according to Instagram)

Instagram stories are on the rise, creating an opportunity for any brand looking to connect with a social audience. With over 500 million active daily users, brands are always looking to make their Instagram stories as engaging as possible. A recent Facebook webinar reported 58% of story viewers become more interested in a brand after seeing them featured in a story, and shared the key elements to consider before posting your next story. Though many elements may seem obvious such as quality creative, Facebook provides more key insights such as the impact of sound and the importance of a mixture of static and motion.

 

>> Discover ways to make your stories more engaging here

 

 

AT&T rolls out a plan for Free Spotify Premium

As a direct response to Verizon’s new offer of free Apple music for its customers, AT&T rolled out a promotion of its own. Free Spotify Premium. That’s right, AT&T is offering free premium subscriptions to both new and existing customers. Customers with the unlimited and more plan will qualify for a full premium subscription, while other plans may qualify for six months of Spotify Premium. Better yet, if Spotify isn’t your thing, AT&T offers many other subscriptions to customers on an unlimited plan including HBO Go, Pandora, Showtime and more. With increased audience sizes to these streaming services, we’re left wondering if advertisement rates will fluctuate in the in-term.

 

>> Read more about how to get free Spotify Premium and other offers here

It’s hot off the presses — it’s your digital marketing news update. Let’s dive in.

 

AT&T is the first to block spam calls by default

An ever-increasing influx of robocalls has pushed both the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and phone carriers to prioritize killing spam calls. AT&T recently announced that it will now offer free and automatic fraud blocking and spam warnings to customers in order to reduce the number of robocalls customers are receiving. This new service is expected to roll out over the next few months and will be enabled by default. AT&T is also working to make sure helpful robocalls such as appointment reminders will not be missed, while still permanently blocking harmful — and downright annoying — spam. Once executed, this will make AT&T the first carrier to offer default spam call blocking, unlike any of their competitors.

>> Read more about the initiative.

 

Instagram says enough is enough

Instagram is putting its foot down on bullying. Cyberbullying has become a prominent issue among young, impressionable users of the app. According to a survey conducted in 2017, Instagram is regarded as “the worst social media network for mental health and well-being.” But help is on the way in the form Instagram’s new anti-bullying tools including the addition of a new, automated warning. This warning will prompt users to review their own potentially offensive comments before they are posted. In addition, users may also use “restricted mode” to lessen the impact of offensive users. Although there may be some flaws in the current plans, Instagram is definitely taking steps in the right direction in order to limit offensive material and promote an inclusive platform.

>> Learn more about how Instagram is fighting back.

 

Recent Pinterest updates encourage more video content

Not only has Pinterest recently gone public, but it also has incorporated features that make it easier to post videos and drive engagement. Since rolling out the changes, Pinterest says it has observed a lot of positive feedback including a 31% increase in searches for inspirational videos. Videos posted on Pinterest have also been proven to have a longer shelf life through resurfacing, allowing creators and brands to see more engagement. These statistics can be accredited to a new-and-improved video uploader, a video tab on business profiles, new analytics tools and the ability to schedule videos.

>> Check out the app’s new infrastructure.

 

Amazon may become your new internet provider

Amazon is getting ready to launch thousands of satellites into space in order to provide broadband internet service to the United States — is there anything Amazon can’t do? The goal of the 3,236 total satellites is to provide almost the entire United States (excluding Alaska) with broadband coverage. This would help to provide low-latency, high-speed connectivity to unserved and under-served communities around the country, serving tens of millions of people who lack basic internet access. These satellites may also be used by phone companies in order to provide better cell coverage in rural areas. Although there is no set timeline yet, once authorized, Amazon must launch at least half of the satellites within six years.

>> Get on board with Project Kuiper.

 

Make sure to subscribe to our newsletter to stay caught up until the next Digital Download!

We asked our in-house experts at Lessing-Flynn to part with a few marketing tips — consider it a free (mini) crash course in marketing strategy. You’re welcome.

 

Start with identifying your audience.

As much as we want every single person that happens upon our ad campaign to fall in love with it, that’s just not realistic. Identify a target audience to start with and, you may notice emerging audiences that you can cater to in the future. So how do we do that? First, look at your current customer base and ask yourself why they buy or use your services then look for common characteristics (age, location, gender, personal values, lifestyles etc.) and interests and cater your messages to those individuals.

 

“A lot of marketers like to create ‘personas’ for their target audiences and that’s great, just don’t use them for every tactic — they are best suited for individual campaign goals. I’d suggest starting with outlining a few of these general characteristics and speaking to your audience based on those findings.” — Rachel Wallace, Content Marketing Specialist

 

Take inspiration from anywhere.

Thomas Edison didn’t invent the light bulb. Seriously — hundreds of other prototypes were available at the time, his was just the best. And sorry Apple fans, but Steve Jobs didn’t invent the mp3 player, tablet or smartphone. These were all things. But again, Apple simply built the best versions of these products — making them iconic and 100% Apple in doing so.

 

“Don’t obsess over coming up with truly original ideas. Such things hardly exist these days. It’s okay to be inspired by the ideas of others. Like the font treatment you saw on a billboard or a certain video style that pops up on YouTube. Just don’t copy it. Make it 100% your own.” — Chris Hanson, Creative Director

 

Less is more when it comes to design and copy.

Both of these tricks stress the importance of simplicity. Sometimes we can overwhelm ourselves and try to force something that is too elaborate but doesn’t best suit the piece we’re working on. It’s good to take a step back and ask yourself if your key message is still the shining star. Consider your goals and the results you want to achieve. Don’t get distracted by a flashy new marketing trend that isn’t going to benefit your business.

 

>>> Read “3 Steps to Using Better Graphic Designs in Social Media” by Graphic Designer Kara Hoegh.

 

Identify short-term objectives for a long-term strategy.

From the client to the account team to the video team, everyone is operating on a time frame, and some are more grueling than others. That’s why it’s best to hash out short-term objectives that are part of a long-term plan. Not only can these appear more manageable to accomplish, but accomplishing short-term objectives can act as extrinsic motivation that will help fuel endurance to see the plan until the end.

 

“Let’s say we want to hit a certain number of new followers on a client social channel by the end of the year — that number may sound daunting at first but when you divide it up into a quarterly time frame and then create targeted campaigns and promotions it will be easier to achieve and work towards.” — Emily Nichols, Account Director

 

Stand out by being traditional.

We are in the digital age, and more and more businesses are making an impact using the internet as a marketing tool. That means overcrowding and burnout are not far behind. Stand out from the crowd by rolling out a physical magazine instead of an email blast, or run a unique print campaign in a popular magazine that shares part of your target audience as opposed to bothersome YouTube ads and pop-ups.

 

>>> Read “How to Make Print Ads Powerful on a Tight Budget” by Media Strategist Shannon Hughes.

 

BUT, don’t underestimate digital marketing.

Whether you find a certain comfort in traditional marketing techniques or you’re still in denial about the power of the internet, you need to recognize that the popularity of digital marketing is not unwarranted. Advertisers have the capability to place a link right to their product or service within the ad itself, boosting immediate engagement rate, an advantage over traditional marketing. That’s why research is such an important part of the process. Again, what is going to work best for you?

 

>>> Read “Making the Move to Digital Advertising” also by Shannon… she’s super insightful.

 

Collaboration makes everything better.

Whether you have too much on your plate or have reached a creative fork in the road, having team members to delegate to or bounce ideas off of is incredibly useful, even if your inner introvert protests. Don’t forget: Teamwork makes the dream work!

 

“Sometimes you’re your own worst enemy when it comes to creativity. Group brainstorms bring diverse thoughts and ‘idea nuggets’ to the table — one person might say something weird and it will send us all down a rabbit hole that eventually spawns a huge campaign.” — April Pearson, Senior Copywriter

Summer is in full swing and there’s no shortage of new digital marketing intel, let’s get right into it with our latest installment of Digital Download.

 

Emma app officially launches in the U.S.

Emma, the U.K. money management app has officially launched in the U.S. and Canada. The launch follows Emma’s partnering with Plaid, U.S. fintech that specializes in bank account aggregation. The Emma app connects to your bank accounts in order to help you budget, track spending and save money.

As your “best financial friend,” it is said to help you to understand how much money you have left to spend until your next payday, how much you are paying for subscriptions, and how to avoid overdrafting. After Emma’s U.K. launch in 2018, there were over 100,000 downloads in the first year without any marketing budget — impressive!

 

Read more on this new money management app.

 

2019 trends from the eyes of Mary Meeker

Did you know for the first time, more than half of the world’s population is online? That equals 3.8 billion internet users across the globe. Former Wall Street securities analyst and current Bond Capital general partner Mary Meeker, recently shared the latest internet trends report at Recode’s Code Conference. Meeker presented a 333-slide presentation that covered tectonic shifts impacting the digital advertising world like using artificial intelligence to leverage better user experiences and YouTube’s machine learning-powered editing software. Meeker also highlighted new trends in video games such as Fortnight.

 

Check out more observations from Mary Meeker’s report.

 

World’s no. 1 CRM platform purchases the no. 1 analytics platform

The deal is done. Salesforce, the world’s no. 1 customer relationship management (CRM) platform, is buying Tableau, a data visualization company, in an all-stock deal. Salesforce lost out on the opportunity to purchase LinkedIn in 2016 to Microsoft, but the purchase of Tableau may now help them bulk up against the internet giant. Marc Benioff, chairman and co-CEO of Salesforce stated: “Tableau helps people see and understand data, and Salesforce helps people engage and understand customers. It’s truly the best of both worlds for our customers — bringing together two critical platforms that every customer needs to understand their world.”

Tableau’s customer base includes a slew of large company names such as Verizon, Netflix and Charles Schwab, just to name a few.

 

Dive deeper into this $15.7 billion deal.

 

Amazon says goodbye to their restaurant delivery service

Amazon has announced its decision to shut down its Amazon Restaurant service. You may be thinking, “Amazon had a food delivery service?” Yes, and that widespread lack of awareness seems to be a reason it didn’t last long. The service launched in Seattle in 2015 and expanded across more than 20 U.S. cities and London. It allowed Prime members to have meals delivered to their door by using the Amazon Restaurants website or the Prime Now shopping app.

Although Amazon Restaurants invested serious time and money in the service, competition was just too fierce in the food delivery market. Companies such as Uber, GrubHub and DoorDash have experienced huge growth in users in recent years, and when combined, hold more than 75% of the market share. Whether or not Amazon plans to regroup and try again in the future remains a mystery.

 

Read more about Amazon’s plans.

Digital marketing news is the best kind of news — there’s drama, there’s pizazz and if you’re lucky there’s an innuendo or two to give you a laugh. Every month the Lessing-Flynn digital team meets to decide which current events you need to know about — see which stories made our shortlist…

 

2019 Google Event of the Year

Google Marketing Live is an event every digital marketer looks forward to each year. It’s a time to get the 411 on all the flashy updates that Google is planning to implement. The 2019 event took place in San Francisco, May 14-15 and it’s safe to say it did not disappoint with more than 10 different product and feature releases. This live broadcasting event brings about new ideas and concepts to digital marketers to help them gain better insight into their consumers. It’s also a great opportunity to see Google’s latest and greatest inventions and the ‘how’ and ‘why’ behind each one. To really help digital marketers reach their targeted audience, Google released six new ad formats including SEM gallery ads, expanded local ad functionality and updated shopping ads just to name a few.

>> Read more about the Google releases.

 

Google’s Next Big Thing – Podcast Indexing

Surprise! Google is on to its next big thing. We not only live in a world where we need to optimize for voice search for search engine result pages, but podcast episodes too. And no, we don’t mean they are going to be indexing the title of the podcast. Google announced that they will be indexing the actual content of podcasts to help listeners find relevant content that peaks their interest. Podcasts continue to become more popular — if they are part of your marketing plan, make sure your SEO specialist is up to speed on this tactic because it can bring higher traffic and better content visibility.

>> Find out more on podcast optimizations.

 

Apple Plans To Make Ads More Private, But Give Advertisers Data, Attribution

As the world becomes increasingly digital, user privacy will remain a highly discussed topic in the world of advertising. Today, users are becoming more savvy and thus highly conscious of the information they put online. Apple just recently announced they will be the “middleman” in terms of satisfying advertisers and consumers alike with the Privacy Preserving Ad Click Attribution (yes, it’s a mouthful). In short, this approach will still allow advertisers to measure the effectiveness of online ad placements, but will do so while the consumer remains more anonymous. Currently, technology allows for cross-site tracking of users, where companies can create a robust “persona” of the consumer they’re tracking. With this new approach, the user will go unidentified, which will give privacy back to the consumer, while still allowing advertisers to monitor click attribution.

>>> Read more from Media Post and Tech Crunch.

 

INSTAGRAM’S IGTV FINALLY GETS HORIZONTAL VIDEO, AND ADVERTISERS SEE THE POTENTIAL

IGTV, Instagram’s long-form video platform, has set themselves apart by serving solely vertical videos and also, being an ad-free platform. To stay ahead of competitors, Instagram recently announced they will soon be expanding their “vertical only” services, which will allow Instagramers to also upload horizontal videos. Users have since been limited to vertical videos and this change is believed to spark increased content creation. What does this mean for advertisers? IGTV may soon stray away from their ad-free streaming services. While there has been no definite say on if and when these changes are rolling out, it is definitely something to keep an eye out for.

>> Learn more about IGTV from AdAge.

 

Catch you next month — in the meantime be sure to subscribe to our Lessing-Flynn newsletter below for more digital news, client case studies and more!

 

We’re back at it again with another installment of Digital Download, providing you insights on all the latest digital marketing news and trends.

 

5 Digital Marketing Trends for 2019

As the digital marketing landscape is constantly evolving, it’s imperative for marketers to stay up-to-date with the hottest trends and best practices in order to stay competitive and improve their brand. According to Forbes, there are five key trends that marketers need to keep an eye out for this year. These trends can impact the way we market to consumers based on their geographical location and how we reach these individuals across social media platforms.

>> Read the full 2019 digital trends article by Forbes.

 

6 Things Marketers Should Know About Facebook’s App Interface

On January 25, Facebook announced its plan to fully integrate three platforms: Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram. What does this mean to users? People will now have the ability to message and share posts or videos with their friends and family without having to use all three platforms. For consumers, this means more convenience, as they only need access to a single platform. For marketers, this means new ways to integrate marketing campaigns and more ad space. Positively, this new ad space fosters new opportunities for things such as chat and text bot landing pages.

>> Discover the trend Search Engine Journal believes will be most important to focus on for Facebook in the near future.

 

Google Home Devices Now Have ‘Interpreter Mode’ Capabilities

Google Translate is now a feature in all Google Home devices, and it is amazing. It gives people and businesses infinite capabilities for what they can do with their technology. Whether you are trying to order something in a different language or attempting to check-in at a hotel, ‘interpreter mode’ has you covered in 26 different languages. Get your translation started today with a simple: “OK Google…”

>> Marketing Land explains this new feature, all it entails and where it has been tested.

 

Domino’s Points for Pies

Where do we begin with Domino’s? With so many successful marketing campaigns, it’s hard to believe their newest may have just topped them all. In an effort to increase brand loyalty and gain new users, Domino’s is utilizing artificial intelligence with their app to award 10 pizza points to each individual for every ‘pie’ purchased. After reaching 60 points, a user earns a free medium two topping pizza. Oh, and did we mention that ‘pie’ can be from a competitor or even a frozen, take-home pizza?

>> Read more about the “Points for Pies” campaign.

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