As of 2018, Statista reports that 3.7 billion people were accessing the internet through a mobile device. That’s more than half the world’s population.
Many countries are witnessing an astonishing increase in mobile usage, with people purchasing smartphones first and bypassing PC ownership as their primary means of internet connectivity. And marketers need to adapt.
Inbound marketers use the mobile device to provide a personalized experience for the user while not intruding on their day-to-day lives. The solution is to not view the mobile device as an additional PC, but instead as an extension of your busy, active customers and prospects.
Here is a list of tips that every marketer should know in order to be successful in mobile marketing.
What Is Mobile Marketing?
Mobile marketing is a type of marketing that uses digital, social, and other types of content to reach an audience through their mobile devices. A marketing strategy that is optimized for delivery through a smartphone or tablet is one that takes its messaging, design, and target audience into account.
While you might focus more on marketing channels outside of mobile, mobile marketing also presents several new ones. – SMS – MMS – In-app messaging – Push notifications – Social media – QR codes – Location-based services – Geofencing – Beacons There are several marketing channels you can use in a mobile marketing strategy, which we will go over in more detail in this guide. These include SMS, MMS, in-app messaging, push notifications, social media, QR codes, location-based services, Geofencing, and beacons.
Mobile Marketing Strategy
A mobile marketing strategy uses a combination of marketing channels to connect with an audience through a mobile device and generates leads through these channels. The channels you use for marketing depend on where your buyers spend their time and what type of content they consume on their smartphones.
Responsive Website
A website that has been designed to work well on a mobile phone or other small device. This “responsive design” means that users can see buttons, text, and webpages on a mobile screen that they might not have been able to see otherwise.
If you make your website responsive, it will still be an important marketing channel even when your audience starts using mobile devices instead of computers. This guide provides tips on how to make your website more mobile-friendly.
Mobile Search
A majority of Google searches are now taking place on mobile devices rather than on computers. A large proportion of searches are now done on smartphones, so mobile marketing strategies should include Search Engine Optimization (SEO) to the same extent as broader digital marketing strategies. This article discusses some of the most important factors influencing Google rankings.
Email Marketing
Mobile users check their email three times more than non-mobile users. The data that Campaign Monitor collected shows that at least 50% of all email opens are from mobile devices. Make sure to optimize your email newsletters for viewing on most mobile email platforms for the best experience for your subscribers.
Social Media
Not only is social media enjoyed on mobile devices just as much as it is on personal computers, but some social networks are designed specifically for mobile devices. Around 1 billion people use Instagram each month and they all have to upload photos onto the platform from their phones. An Instagram presence should be implemented into your mobile marketing strategy (if your audience is on Instagram).
SMS Marketing
SMS marketing is a type of marketing that uses text messages to reach an audience. The messages usually have to do with the business. When you get a text from an unknown number, it can be difficult to know whether or not the person is someone that you should trust. texts from brands are not typically something that people think of, so it can be tricky to know what to do when you receive one. There are some types of SMS messages that are appropriate for businesses to send. I’ll elaborate later in this blog post.
Mobile App Development
It may sound like a lot, but you can use a few engineering resources to get your audience through various app stores on their smartphones. What sorts of apps should you create, you ask? That depends on what your goal is. Got an event coming up? Make sure attendees have the event schedule by delivering it through a mobile app. Are you in the software business? Your customers might want a mobile version of your product–you just don’t know it yet.
Virtual and Augmented Reality
Virtual reality and augmented reality are both new opportunities in digital marketing that can be experienced using just a smartphone.
AR “augments” what is in front of a user when they look at their mobile screen. VR simulates entire environments through a smartphone. Companies have used this technology to create branded experiences for their customers and help them make better purchase decisions. The home decor vendor Wayfair created an AR feature for its mobile shopping app that lets customers see what an item might look like in a certain spot in their home.
How to Launch a Mobile Marketing Strategy
To launch a mobile marketing strategy through the channels outlined above, you’ll do three things right off the bat:
- Identify your mobile users. See if site visitors are indeed using mobile devices to visit your site and what devices they are using most frequently. Knowing the devices used to visit your site most frequently, such as an iPad, Android, Blackberry, or iPhone, will help you prioritize optimization efforts toward those devices.
- Set measurable and realistic goals. If you’re just getting started with mobile marketing, this will help you determine if your tactics are working. For example, if you’re looking to start an SMS campaign, a good first goal would be to build your opt-in database. If you’d like to optimize your site for mobile, consider starting with the content assets that drive the most leads to your site as a way to dip your toe in the mobile waters.
- Create a test base. Identify some loyal customers on which to test new mobile campaigns. Mobile requires customization, and a short test phase in which users can give you feedback will help catch glitches and create a better user experience before a large-scale rollout.
Mobile Marketing Channels
Any channel that a consumer can access from their phone or tablet can be used for mobile marketing, however, the main channels used specifically in mobile marketing are:
SMS or Text Messages
SMS marketing is a quick and easy way for consumers to receive notifications, updates, personalized promotional offers, and time-sensitive deals.
SMS marketing allows companies to reach consumers no matter where they are or what they are doing. The open rates for SMS marketing are incredibly high, close to 100% within the first 20 minutes.
Push Notifications and In-app Messaging
business that have an app can send offers, suggestions, notifications, and reminders to users’ home/lock screens, even when the users are not currently using the app. If done correctly, push notifications can be an effective way to market your product on mobile devices!
Messages that are sent within an app do not need to be approved by the users in order to be received, meaning that everyone who uses the app will get the message. In-app messaging provides an effective way to collect information, identify customer preferences, and notify users of additional promotional opportunities.
If your app has an inbox, you can use it to send longer and more in-depth messages to your users. App inboxes give you a lot of data about how people are using your app, as well as letting you decide what goes in those messages, even after someone has received them. You can further improve the user experience by personalizing offers.
Mobile Optimized Email Marketing
Since most people use their phones to check email, it’s important to make sure your email marketing campaign can be easily viewed on a mobile device. Making your website design responsive to mobile devices and having branded mobile apps makes it easier for email recipients to go directly to your site and take the desired action.
Advantages of Mobile Marketing
Mobile marketing offers some unique advantages that make it a highly effective component of digital marketing:
Easily Accessible to a Large Audience
You can contact your audience immediately and in real-time by using their phones. This method of contact is instant and reaches the majority of all internet users.
By the year 2027, there will be more than 7.6 million smartphone users globally. 72.6% of internet users will access the internet via smartphone by 2025.
And that is just smartphones. This does not include people who use tablets and other mobile devices.
An SMS or text marketing campaign has a 98% open rate, making it an effective mobile marketing method.
Highly Cost-effective Marketing.
There are many different ways to reach your audience through mobile marketing, and it is one of the most cost-effective methods. This comes down to several factors:
- Your existing content and messaging can easily be re-purposed and optimized for mobile
- Screen sizes are smaller, which means the new content you create for mobile is inherently smaller and simpler, which takes less time and costs less money
- Precise targeting and location-based marketing allow you to focus your marketing efforts on the right segments of your audience, reducing wasted ad spend
- Mobile-only channels like push notifications, in-app ads, and SMS or text marketing are some of the cheapest channels available
Mobile marketing is more effective and has a higher ROI than other marketing techniques.
Mobile Marketing Allows You to Make the Most of Location and Personalization
Most people have their phones with them all the time, no matter where they are. With mobile marketing, you can communicate with your audience no matter where they are.
Location-based marketing allows you to collect a lot of data about your target audience, including their habits, preferences, purchase history, and current location.
The information in this text is extremely useful for people who want to be very specific with their marketing goals, and who want to create marketing that is personalized to each individual. You can target specific groups of your audience with tailored offers at opportune times and locations!
Mobile Marketing is Immediate and Allows for Instant, Impulse Transactions
Sellers have a great opportunity when people are bored and use their phones to kill time. Mobile marketing can be effective in reaching people when they are not thinking about anything else and are looking for something of interest.
This company takes advantage of people’s boredom by tempting them to make spontaneous purchases, almost as if it’s a form of entertainment. There are not many marketing channels that allows you to connect with your audience like social media marketing does.
Sharing, Referrals, and the Potential for Viral Campaigns.
People like to share things with their friends, especially if the things are interesting, entertaining, or offer some value.
Mobile marketing makes sharing easy, which increases the chances of customers referring each other.
This also has the potential to make your content go viral, which would in turn gain attention for your brand and spread awareness, all without costing you anything.
Disadvantages of Mobile Marketing
While mobile marketing offers great advantages, there are also some pitfalls to be aware of when you’re planning your mobile marketing campaigns:
Immediacy Means There is No Wiggle Room to Fix Errors
Mobile marketing is a method of communication that is immediate and real-time. There is no time to fix mistakes in your message before recipients see it. Sending out an error followed by a correction notice is not the first impression you want to make!
Easy Sharing and Viral Potential Can Backfire
If your content is shareable, it has the potential to be quickly circulated to a large audience. If used in the wrong way, this can be a very negative thing. If people are sharing your content for reasons that make your brand look bad, it can do a lot of damage to your brand’s reputation, which can be difficult and expensive to fix. Be sure that your content is well-thought-out and will be received as intended before sending it to anyone’s mobile phone!
Costs to the User
Some mobile marketing channels, like email or SMS marketing, might be costing your audience in terms of data or text message charges, even though they can be some of the most cost-effective marketing for you. When you are planning your mobile marketing campaign, it is important to remember that you will need to tailor your message to reach different segments of your target market. Different segments of the population will respond to different marketing strategies, so it is important to choose the right ones to reach your desired audience.
Limited Accessibility for Non-Smartphone Mobile Users.
While the majority of your target audience uses smartphones, there is still a portion that does not, and cannot be reached through mobile marketing channels that require an internet or data connection. Approximately 80% of all mobile phone users in the United States have smartphones, while the other 20% do not. When planning your marketing strategy, be sure to include a focus on SMS/text marketing for those who do not have smartphones.
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