Search engine marketing (SEM) and search engine optimization (SEO) are topping the “most effective” chart among what Borrell calls “Local Marketing Masters” — survey respondents the research firm identifies as having the greatest amount of experience. 

In its recently-released report called “The 2021 Mindset of Local Marketing Masters,” the company found many digital marketing channels outperforming traditional ones, with the old standby “print directory listings” coming in at the very bottom. 

Other findings show that Social Media is the most commonly-used marketing channel among these masters, with 95% of them employing it, followed by email marketing (79%), SEO (70%) and web design/development (69%). Interestingly, OTT/Online Video appears to be set for big growth, as respondents reported plans to increase budgets dedicated to the medium by 25% this year. 

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The must-have, much-hyped customer data platform (CDP) appears to have its eyes on B2B marketers, promising to handle vast amounts of data to deliver highly-personalized customer experiences. Adobe’s Real-time CDP announced new features aimed at B2B brands in November 2020, which include a pre-built connector to its B2B Marketing Automation Platform, Marketo Engage. Dun & Bradstreet, with its D&B Lattice CDP, also understandably has a primarily B2B focus.

Though CDP platforms are still relatively new, adoption has been rapid and these tools could eventually pose a threat to marketing automation platforms as they provide some of the same tools and functionalities.

Read more about Marketing Automation Platforms>>

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Virginia’s Consumer Data Protection Act (CDPA) has been signed into law by Governor Ralph Northam, and will come into effect on Jan 1, 2023. It’s already being compared with Europe’s GDPR and California’s CCPA, but trying to establish whether it is more lenient or more stringent than those attempts to protect consumer data is almost beside the point. It’s a singular piece of legislation with its own quirks and confusions.

For one thing, it gives consumers no right of private action — only the state’s Attorney General will be able to bring lawsuits under the provisions of the Act. For another, it withholds its protection from individuals “acting in a commercial or employment context.” That appears to mean that your data is not protected if you are browsing for work purposes; or from the marketer’s perspective, B2C marketing efforts need to be in compliance with CDPA; B2B campaigns, perhaps not.

Perhaps strangest of all, while Virginia consumers are entitled to opt out of having their personal data processed for the purpose of targeted advertising, the following is not considered targeted advertising: “Advertisements based on the context of a consumer’s current search query, visit to a website, or online application.”

It’s early days for making sense of this legislation, and figuring out how brands marketing to Virginians should comply in practice.

Read more here.

“Building a following doesn’t guarantee you build a community!” Gabriela Cardoza, corporate and personal brand consultant