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April is Digital Printing Month here on Digital Marketing Briefing – Here’s how to get involved!
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Each month on Digital Marketing Briefing we’re shining the spotlight on different parts of the marketing sector – and in April we’ll be focussing on Digital Printing solutions.

It’s all part of our ‘Recommended’ editorial feature, designed to help marketing industry professionals find the best products and services available today.

So, if you specialise in Digital Printing and would like to be included as part of this exciting new shop window, we’d love to hear from you – for more info, contact Kerry Naumburger on k.naumburger@forumevents.co.uk.

Here’s our features list in full:-

April 2025 – Digital Printing
May 2025 – Social Media
June 2025 – Brand Monitoring
July 2025 – Website Analytics
Aug 2025 – Conversion Rate Optimisation
Sept 2025 – Digital Signage
Oct 2025 – Printing
Nov 2025 – Creative & Design
Dec 2025 – Online Strategy
Jan 2026 – Content Management
Feb 2026 – Lead Generation & Tracking
Mar 2026 – Email Marketing

EMAIL MARKETING MONTH: Navigating data privacy regulations in 2025
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Staying compliant with evolving data privacy regulations is more critical than ever when it comes to email comms. Brands must navigate the complexities of GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation), the UK Data Protection Act, and emerging digital privacy trendswhile ensuring their email marketing strategies remain effective. With stricter opt-in requirements, zero-party data collection strategies, and heightened scrutiny on email tracking, brands must adapt to stay compliant and maintain customer trust. Here’s how marketers are successfully managing email compliance while optimising performance…

1. Strengthening Consent and Opt-In Strategies

One of the fundamental aspects of GDPR compliance in email marketing is ensuring explicit, informed consent before sending marketing emails. To comply with UK regulations in 2025, businesses are:

✔ Using double opt-in mechanisms – After users sign up, they receive an email requiring them to confirm their consent, reducing the risk of non-compliance.
✔ Providing clear opt-in checkboxes – Pre-checked boxes are no longer allowed; instead, brands must ensure customers actively opt-in to receive emails.
✔ Segmenting and documenting consent – Keeping detailed records of when and how a user gave consent helps in the event of an audit.

By implementing transparent and ethical opt-in practices, brands build stronger customer relationships and reduce the risk of GDPR violations.

2. Adapting to Changes in Email Tracking and Data Collection

With privacy regulations evolving, tracking user behaviour via open rates, link clicks, and location-based data has become increasingly complex. Apple’s Mail Privacy Protection (MPP) and similar privacy measures mean that brands must:

✔ Shift to engagement-based metrics – Instead of open rates, focus on click-through rates (CTR), website visits, and conversion rates.
✔ Leverage zero-party data – Collect voluntarily shared data from users through preference centres, surveys, and interactive email content.
✔ Offer clear unsubscribe options – Ensure recipients can easily opt out with a one-click unsubscribe option to stay compliant with GDPR and PECR (Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations).

3. Strengthening Data Security and Compliance Audits

GDPR mandates strict data protection policies, meaning brands must take proactive steps to secure customer information. Best practices include:

✔ Regular compliance audits – Conduct periodic reviews of data storage, processing, and deletion policies.
✔ Data minimisation – Store only the essential personal information needed for marketing campaigns.
✔ Encryption and secure email delivery – Protect customer data by using TLS encryption for email communications.

Email marketing success is closely tied to GDPR compliance and data privacy best practices. By prioritising explicit consent, privacy-friendly tracking alternatives, and robust data security, UK brands can enhance customer trust, reduce legal risks, and maintain a competitive edge in the evolving digital landscape.

Are you searching for Email Marketing solutions for your organisation? The Digital Marketing Solutions Summit can help!

Photo by Windows on Unsplash

EMAIL MARKETING MONTH: How brands are overcoming spam filters and reaching inboxes
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Email marketing remains one of the most powerful channels for customer engagement, but ensuring that messages actually reach inboxes is becoming increasingly challenging. With advanced spam filters, AI-driven detection algorithms, and stricter email authentication standards, brands must adopt best practices and cutting-edge solutions to maintain strong email deliverability. Here’s how leading marketers at the Digital Marketing Solutions Summit are navigating email authentication, sender reputation management, and engagement-based strategies to ensure their messages land where they belong – in the inbox…

1. Strengthening Email Authentication with DMARC, SPF, and DKIM

Email authentication is critical in preventing phishing attacks, email spoofing, and domain abuse, which can significantly impact a sender’s reputation. To improve deliverability, UK brands are adopting:

✔ Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance (DMARC) – Helps businesses prevent email fraud and provides visibility into how their domain is being used.
✔ Sender Policy Framework (SPF) – Allows organisations to authorise specific email servers to send messages on their behalf, reducing the likelihood of spoofing.
✔ DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM) – Adds a cryptographic signature to email headers, helping email providers verify that messages haven’t been altered.

These authentication protocols ensure better inbox placement and stronger brand trust, particularly as email security policies become more stringent.

2. Managing Sender Reputation for Higher Deliverability

Email providers like Google, Microsoft, and Yahoo now evaluate sender reputation scores to determine whether an email reaches an inbox or is flagged as spam. Key strategies to maintain a positive sender reputation include:

✔ Keeping bounce rates low – Regularly cleaning email lists to remove invalid, inactive, or spam-trap addresses.
✔ Avoiding spam trigger words – Overuse of phrases like “free trial,” “urgent,” or excessive exclamation points (!!) can lower deliverability rates.
✔ Using dedicated IP addresses – Separating transactional emails from marketing emails helps maintain a stable sender reputation.

A strong sender reputation ensures that ISPs and email clients recognise a brand’s emails as legitimate and trustworthy.

3. Engagement-Based Deliverability: Moving Beyond Open Rates

With Apple’s Mail Privacy Protection (MPP) and other privacy-focused updates, open rates are no longer reliable indicators of engagement. Instead, email providers prioritise:

✔ Click-through rates (CTR) – Encouraging interactive elements, such as surveys or CTA buttons, improves engagement scores.
✔ Reply rates – More conversational, user-friendly emails that encourage replies can boost deliverability rankings.
✔ Inbox placement testing – Using tools like GlockApps or Litmus helps brands understand where emails are landing (inbox, spam, or promotions folder).

Conclusion

In 2025, overcoming spam filters requires a proactive and data-driven approach. By strengthening authentication protocols, maintaining sender reputation, and optimising engagement-based metrics, brands can significantly improve email deliverability. With these best practices in place, email remains a high-performing channel for customer engagement, retention, and revenue generation.

Are you searching for Email Marketing solutions for your organisation? The Digital Marketing Solutions Summit can help!

Photo by Brian J. Tromp on Unsplash

Research highlights how gamers are using YouTube in 2025
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Video game marketing agency Big Games Machine has released its latest industry report, ‘How Gamers Use YouTube in 2025,‘ providing insights into the habits and motivations of 1,000 US-based gamers on the platform.

The survey reveals that guides and tutorials reign supreme as the most popular form of gaming content on YouTube, with viewers showing a clear preference for mid-sized channels. These insights provide valuable guidance for developers and marketers seeking to engage gamers through video content. 

Key findings: 

  • Content type: Guides and tutorials are the most popular (47%), followed by reviews and funny moments (40%). ‘Core viewers’ (those watching more than 2 hours per week) are twice as likely to engage with long-form content, like video essays. These responses highlight the importance of diversifying content to cater to varying levels of engagement
  • Channel subscriber size: Mid-sized channels with 100k-1 million subscribers (39%) are the most popular, followed by micro-influencers (10k-100k) at 26%. Casual viewers are more likely to favour micro-influencers
  • Genre and channel size: While medium-sized channels lead across all genres, larger channels (over 1 million subscribers) are more prevalent among those who favour action games compared to other genres 
  • Shifting streaming landscape: Gamers embrace a multi-platform approach to live stream viewing. While YouTube remains the clear leader amongst the respondents (79%), the significant audiences engaging with live content on both Twitch (43%) and TikTok (40%) underscore the need for a diversified live streaming strategy
  • Indies and esports fail to attract: YouTube content from indie developers (5%) and esports organisations (10%) ranked the lowest in terms of viewer preferences, indicating that these organisations are failing to develop content that appeals to viewers

James Kaye, co-founder of Big Games Machine, said: “Following on from our game discoverability report last year, lots of people wanted to better understand how gamers use YouTube. What our survey makes clear is that gamers have very varied tastes and preferences depending on demographics and game genre, and the good news is that Creators don’t need millions of subscribers to succeed on the platform. It also shows that indie developers and marketers investing in YouTube can spread their time and budgets across a broader range of channels rather than betting the farm on one of two huge influencers.” 

The full report is available for download here.

Photo by Sara Kurfeß on Unsplash

Registration is now open for this July’s eCommerce Forum!
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The next eCommerce Forum will be taking place on July 10th 2025 at the Hilton London Canary Wharf: It could be the most productive day you spend out of the office this year, so act swiftly if you want to join us!

The eCommerce Forum is a focused event that brings key ecommerce and digital managers together with leading solution providers, for focused one-to-one meetings.

The event acts as a valuable source of professional development enabling you to expand your knowledge and stay updated on the latest industry offerings.

Don’t delay! Register here.

You’ll have the opportunity to:-

• Meet with innovative suppliers for a series of face-to-face, pre-arranged meetings based on your own requirements.
• Network with like-minded peers.
• Attend a series of insightful seminar sessions.
• Enjoy complimentary lunch and refreshments.

Would you like to join us? Register today!

LEAD GENERATION & TRACKING MONTH: How AI and automation are lending a helping hand
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AI and automation are transforming lead gen processes. Digital marketers are turning to machine learning-powered solutions to streamline the prospecting process and enhance lead quality. AI-driven tools such as chatbots, predictive analytics, and automated email campaigns are making lead generation more efficient, personalised, and data-driven. Here’s how AI is reshaping lead prospecting and what businesses need to know to stay ahead…

1. AI-Powered Lead Identification and Scoring

Traditional lead generation often relies on manual prospecting and guesswork, leading to wasted time on low-quality leads. AI eliminates this inefficiency by:

✔ Identifying high-intent prospects – AI algorithms analyse search behaviour, engagement patterns, and demographic data to pinpoint leads most likely to convert.
✔ Predictive lead scoring – Machine learning ranks leads based on real-time interactions, previous conversion patterns, and customer profiles, ensuring sales teams focus on high-value prospects.
✔ Data enrichment – AI pulls insights from multiple sources (social media, web activity, CRM data) to create detailed prospect profiles, enhancing personalisation.

AI-driven lead identification boosts accuracy and efficiency, allowing marketing teams to allocate resources effectively.

2. Chatbots and Conversational AI for Lead Engagement

Modern consumers expect instant, personalised engagement, and AI-powered chatbots are meeting this demand. In 2025, chatbots are:

✔ Qualifying leads in real-time – Conversational AI engages visitors on websites, collects data, and determines interest level before passing leads to sales teams.
✔ Personalising responses – AI chatbots adapt their communication based on past interactions, offering tailored solutions that align with customer needs.
✔ Operating across multiple channels – From social media DMs to website live chat, AI-powered assistants ensure consistent engagement 24/7.

By automating initial interactions, chatbots reduce response time, improve lead conversion rates, and free up human agents for complex queries.

3. AI-Driven Email Campaigns for Lead Nurturing

Email marketing remains a powerful lead nurturing tool, but AI has elevated personalisation and timing. In 2025, AI-powered email platforms:

✔ Analyse recipient behaviour to determine the best time and content for engagement.
✔ Generate dynamic email content tailored to individual preferences and past interactions.
✔ Automate follow-ups, ensuring consistent communication throughout the lead nurturing process.

AI-driven email automation increases engagement and conversion rates, making prospect nurturing more efficient and effective.

4. The Future of AI in Lead Generation

Looking ahead, AI will continue to refine lead generation through:

✔ Voice and image recognition for deeper customer insights.
✔ AI-generated content for personalised ad campaigns.
✔ Predictive trend analysis to anticipate consumer needs before they arise.

AI and automation are reshaping lead generation, providing businesses with smarter, faster, and more personalised ways to engage prospects. By adopting AI-driven lead scoring, chatbots, and automated email campaigns, UK marketers can increase efficiency, improve conversion rates, and stay ahead of the competition.

Are you searching for Lead Generation & Tracking tools? The Digital Marketing Solutions Summit can help!

LEAD GENERATION & TRACKING MONTH: Choosing the best solutions to boost conversions and improve efficiency
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With multiple touchpoints across websites, social media, email, and paid ads, businesses need robust lead tracking solutions that provide real-time analytics, seamless CRM integration, and automation capabilities. However, selecting the right tool requires careful consideration of functionality, scalability, and compliance with data protection laws like GDPR. Here’s a guide to choosing the best lead tracking solution for your business in 2025…

1. CRM Integration: Ensuring a Unified Sales and Marketing Approach

A strong lead tracking solution should integrate seamlessly with your Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system to ensure real-time visibility into lead activity and smooth handover between marketing and sales teams. Look for a tool that:

✔ Syncs lead data automatically between marketing platforms and CRM systems.
✔ Enables lead scoring and segmentation to prioritise high-quality prospects.
✔ Offers bidirectional data flow, ensuring sales teams can update lead status while marketing continues nurturing efforts.

Platforms like HubSpot, Salesforce, and Zoho CRM offer deep integration with lead tracking tools, allowing for efficient pipeline management.

2. Real-Time Analytics for Smarter Decision-Making

Today’s digital landscape demands instant insights into lead behaviour and campaign performance. A good lead tracking system should:

✔ Monitor website activity, tracking which pages leads visit and how long they engage.
✔ Provide multi-channel attribution, showing which marketing touchpoints contribute to conversions.
✔ Use AI-driven analytics to predict lead intent and suggest follow-up actions.

Real-time dashboards help marketing teams quickly identify successful lead sources and optimise budget allocation for maximum ROI.

3. Automation Capabilities for Lead Nurturing

Automation streamlines the lead tracking process, ensuring that potential customers receive timely and relevant engagement. Key automation features include:

✔ Automated email follow-ups triggered by lead activity.
✔ AI-powered chatbots that qualify leads in real time.
✔ Lead routing workflows that assign leads to the right sales reps based on behaviour and intent.

Automating repetitive tasks saves time and improves conversion rates, allowing teams to focus on high-value interactions.

4. GDPR Compliance and Data Security

With strict GDPR regulations, UK businesses must ensure their lead tracking tools adhere to data privacy laws. Essential compliance features include:

✔ Explicit consent management for lead data collection.
✔ Secure data encryption and access controls.
✔ Audit logs and transparency in data processing.

Choosing GDPR-compliant lead tracking software protects your organisation from legal risks while maintaining customer trust.

Conclusion

Selecting the right lead tracking solution in 2025 requires a balance of CRM integration, real-time analytics, automation, and GDPR compliance. By investing in a system that offers seamless data flow, AI-powered insights, and automated lead nurturing, digital marketing leaders can boost conversions, improve efficiency, and drive long-term success.

Are you searching for Lead Generation & Tracking tools? The Digital Marketing Solutions Summit can help!

Photo by Austin Distel on Unsplash

The global e-commerce market set to pass $11 trillion milestone
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The global ecommerce market is on a trajectory of rapid expansion, set to reach $11 trillion in 2028, driven by technological advancements, seamless delivery services, and rising internet penetration.

With China and the US dominating the landscape, companies must continuously innovate to meet evolving consumer expectations, embrace ESG compliance, and leverage data-driven strategies to maintain competitiveness in an increasingly dynamic sector, says GlobalData.

Its latest Strategic Intelligence report, “Ecommerce,” reveals that the global value of transactions for the ecommerce market  is set to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 11.1% between 2023 and 2028, driven by improved technology and delivery services and wider internet adoption.

Aisha U-K Umaru, Strategic Intelligence Analyst at GlobalData, said: “The global ecommerce industry is dominated by China and the US, with market shares in 2023 of 33% and 30%, respectively. These countries are home to some of the world’s biggest tech companies, including Alibaba and Amazon, which benefit from the huge troves of data generated by user activity on their platforms.”

Subscription-based services are a growing ecommerce segment. Beauty brands like Estrid and Harry’s started with subscription services and have enjoyed great success. Both are now available in physical stores, further boosting sales. Harry’s filed for an IPO in March 2024 after reaching nearly $1 billion in revenue. However, some subscription services have struggled after a rapid rise. Once valued at almost $2 billion, meal-kit subscription service Blue Apron was bought for about $100 million by food delivery company Wonder in 2023.

Umaru continued: “Consumers are also concerned with the social and governance factors of ESG. As a result, it remains high on the agenda for ecommerce companies, both to comply with relevant regulations and to meet consumer demands. ESG regulations such as the EU taxonomy for sustainable activities are also a method of clamping down on greenwashing, the practice of inflating a company’s ESG performance for marketing purposes.”

Other terms such as carbon neutral, green, and environmentally friendly are being regulated, and ecommerce companies must ensure they comply with relevant guidelines to mitigate the risk of litigation.

Umaru conlcuded: “Initiatives like the Fifteen Percent Pledge, which urges US retailers to allocate at least 15% of their shelf space to Black-owned businesses, highlight the increasing emphasis on social equity within the ecommerce sector. Additionally, issues such as supply chain transparency and diversity remain critical, as brands strive to align with the evolving ESG priorities of Gen Z and Millennial consumers.”

March 2025 is Email Marketing Month on Digital Marketing Briefing: Here’s how to get involved!
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Each month on Digital Marketing Briefing we’re shining the spotlight on different parts of the marketing sector – and in March we’ll be focussing on Email Marketing solutions.

It’s all part of our ‘Recommended’ editorial feature, designed to help marketing industry professionals find the best products and services available today.

So, if you specialise in Email Marketing and would like to be included as part of this exciting new shop window, we’d love to hear from you – for more info, contact Kerry Naumburger on k.naumburger@forumevents.co.uk. Here’s our features list in full:-

Mar 2025 – Email Marketing
April 2025 – Digital Printing
May 2025 – Social Media
June 2025 – Brand Monitoring
July 2025 – Website Analytics
Aug 2025 – Conversion Rate Optimisation
Sept 2025 – Digital Signage
Oct 2025 – Printing
Nov 2025 – Creative & Design
Dec 2025 – Online Strategy
Jan 2026 – Content Management
Feb 2026 – Lead Generation & Tracking

LEAD GENERATION & TRACKING MONTH: B2B vs. B2C – How marketers are adapting strategies for different audiences
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The lead generation strategies used for B2B (business-to-business) and B2C (business-to-consumer) audiences continue to evolve. While both sectors aim to attract and convert potential customers, their lead generation tactics differ significantly based on buyer behaviour, decision-making processes, and customer journey length. Understanding these differences is crucial for marketers looking to optimise their approach and maximise ROI…

1. The Key Differences Between B2B and B2C Lead Generation

B2B Lead Generation

  • Longer sales cycles – B2B buyers conduct extensive research before making decisions, often involving multiple stakeholders.
  • Relationship-focused – Success depends on trust, credibility, and long-term partnerships.
  • High-value leads – Fewer leads but with a higher lifetime value and larger contract sizes.
  • Educational content is key – Whitepapers, case studies, and webinars help nurture prospects.

B2C Lead Generation

  • Shorter decision-making process – Consumers tend to act quickly, often based on emotions or impulse.
  • Volume-driven – A higher number of leads are needed to drive conversions.
  • Brand loyalty and emotional appeal – Personalisation and brand engagement influence purchasing decisions.
  • Multi-touchpoint approach – Social media, influencer marketing, and targeted ads play a larger role.

2. B2B Lead Generation Strategies for 2025

To effectively capture and nurture B2B leads, marketers are focusing on thought leadership, trust-building, and data-driven personalisation. Key strategies include:

  • LinkedIn and professional networking – Leveraging LinkedIn Ads, sponsored content, and personalised outreach to connect with decision-makers.
  • Account-Based Marketing (ABM) – Targeting specific high-value accounts with tailored content and engagement strategies.
  • Webinars and virtual events – Offering in-depth insights and industry expertise to educate potential buyers.
  • AI-powered lead scoring – Identifying and prioritising high-intent leads to optimise sales efficiency.

3. B2C Lead Generation Strategies for 2025

For B2C marketers, success depends on engaging, personalised experiences that drive immediate action. Key tactics include:

  • AI-driven personalised recommendations – Using machine learning to serve targeted offers and content based on user behaviour.
  • Influencer marketing and social commerce – Collaborating with influencers to generate trust and brand awareness.
  • Conversational marketing – Using AI chatbots and live messaging to engage and convert leads in real-time.
  • Optimised mobile-first experiences – Ensuring seamless mobile interactions, as most consumers browse and purchase via smartphones.

4. The Overlapping Trends in B2B and B2C Lead Generation

While B2B and B2C strategies differ, they share some common trends:

✔ AI-powered personalisation – Data-driven content customisation enhances engagement.
✔ Omnichannel marketing – Integrated campaigns across multiple platforms improve lead acquisition.
✔ Automation and chatbots – Streamlining lead nurturing and customer interactions.

Marketers must tailor their lead generation strategies based on their audience. B2B marketers should focus on trust-building and education, while B2C marketers should emphasise engagement and seamless purchasing experiences. By adopting the right approach, businesses can attract, convert, and retain valuable leads more effectively.

Are you searching for Lead Generation & Tracking tools? The Digital Marketing Solutions Summit can help!

Photo by Desola Lanre-Ologun on Unsplash