Coworkers who drink together, produce great work together. That’s our motto. (Well, I guess that’s not our official company motto, but for the sake of today’s topic, let’s pretend.)

I may not like country music, but boy, am I a fan of Nashville. This April, my husband and I visited Nashville to attend the third-annual Marketing United conference. Put on by the chic email marketing platform Emma, this marketing conference brings engaging speakers from the world’s best brands to educate and inspire. Since my husband Troy and I are both digital marketers — and since we’ve never been to Nashville — we thought it’d be fun to go together. (I’m grateful that 9 Clouds is willing to invest in my professional development in this way!) Needless to say, the trip was fun — and…

We’re ready to add to our team at 9 Clouds. 9 Clouds is currently looking for a motivated individual who is interested in inbound marketing and believes what we believe (as outlined in our manifesto) to join our team.

My first “real” job was as a professor, teaching political philosophy: Hobbes, Locke, and the like. My favorite part was taking abstract, complicated topics and translating them into real-world situations with a classroom of students from around the world. Today, I get to do that with 9 Clouds. I teach clients and readers like you how to leave your mark on the world, using tools like Facebook as your Archimedes lever. That’s why I’m excited to write this post. Over the past three months, we’ve been creating a comprehensive video course all about using Facebook ads. It’s called 9 Clouds Live,…

We have long argued that Facebook ads are reshaping the automotive marketing industry. In the 2017 State of Automotive Marketing, we discovered that dealerships that use Facebook ads are three times more likely to see higher ROI from their marketing. The main roadblock stopping many dealers from truly diving into Facebook ads for their store is knowing whether or not they’re working. Specifically: if very few people fill out forms, how can you know whether Facebook ads are driving sales? Enter Facebook Offline Events.

In an increasingly transparent world, car shoppers look for understanding, clear answers, and trust in any sales associate they work with. There has been a cloud over the auto industry for many years. It’s time to show customers that the car-buying process doesn’t have to be shady. In this four-part blog series, we’re exploring the six steps to building a digital sales funnel for auto dealers. Catch up on the first two posts: Improving your lead generation Increasing your number of appointments set and kept Today, we’re diving into part three: increasing your number of sales from appointments. Read on to learn how to improve…

Having a well-tended digital car sales funnel is increasingly what separates the powerhouse dealerships that are dominating their regions from the dealerships that are just getting by. Still, plenty of marketing managers are struggling to make their teams see the real-world value of strong online auto marketing. Don’t just describe it to them. To get your whole team on the same page, show them how clicks become sales.

No one in our office listens to more podcasts than I do. I could say my addiction to online radio comes from a desire to harken back to a simpler time, when families sat around the tuner listening together. I won’t give you that hipster nonsense, though: I started listening to podcasts because I cut the cord and got rid of cable. Podcasts are free. DirecTV isn’t.

Car buyers today are driving sales at dealerships to record heights. So much so that the automotive industry as a whole is experiencing its largest economic boom in recent years — while steadily expanding its market. For a dealership to build upon success like this, it must remain competitive with its digital marketing efforts. To help you increase your online exposure, we recommend our six-step digital sales funnel. Never heard of the digital sales funnel? Back up and develop a stronger understanding by reading this post written by our own Scott Meyer. Welcome to part two of our four-part series on the digital…

This post is the last in a series of articles exploring our 2017 State of Automotive Marketing report. Read the first, second, and third posts, or download the full report now.    The first excerpt post from our 2017 State of Automotive Marketing report explored the big-picture ideas, trends, and strategies embraced by dealerships throughout the U.S. The second excerpt post took a closer look at the current auto market trends as well as the auto marketing priorities and strategies used by dealers in 2016. It also pointed out the ways auto dealers can better prioritize their automotive marketing to increase return on investment (ROI). The third excerpt post…

It has been another thought-provoking month here at 9 Clouds. To celebrate all the knowledge we have gained over these past few weeks, this post will be dedicated to discussing one of my favorite subjects: the history of philosophical thought as it applies to ancient Greek literature. April fool! It’s just another roundup from a creative who doesn’t have the attention span for such a subject (it’s all Greek to me). If there’s any month that should leave you scratching your head, it’s April.

The automotive market is growing. To adjust, auto marketers have the crucial task of establishing themselves in a competitive landscape. Our own Scott Meyer mapped out the six steps to building a digital sales funnel to help you increase exposure for your dealership. Today, we’ll go over the first part in detail: generating leads. Your leads are the fuel for your digital sales vehicle — the entire operation can’t function without them. Before you can work toward maximizing your potential with leads, you must understand the ins and outs of your lead generation.