Lookup any marketing blog and you are bound to hear this one fact over and over again: Make sure that your website is mobile-friendly. Approximately 68.1% of websites are accessed with the help of mobile phones according to Perficient. Since mobile phones have clearly taken over the world by storm, how can we neglect the marketing aspect of mobile phones?
In this article, we will talk about:
- What is mobile marketing?
- Types of mobile marketing
- Common problems to avoid
- How to reach globally with mobile marketing?
What is mobile marketing?
Reaching your customers with the help of mobile devices is what mobile marketing is all about. Since more and more people are using phones on a daily basis, mobile marketing is becoming a more effective way for promotion.
Marketers showcase customized advertisements to prospective customers on their phones or tablets. Websites, apps, and social media are some of the ways this type of marketing can be easily implemented. Incidentally, mobiles have become an important part of a digital marketing plan. It has become easier to send important links to the consumers directly which leads to interactive landing pages and sites with the help of phones.
Here’s another interesting statistic: According to Salesforce, around 68% of companies invest in mobile marketing strategies with their other marketing strategies.
It is quite evident that businesses have now realized the overall potential of mobile devices. In fact, brands like Nike and Pontiac were one of the first ones to invest in this marketing strategy with their SMS marketing drive in the year 2005.
Types of mobile marketing
There are a number of ways that you can market your business using mobile phones. Here are a few of these strategies:
Location-based Marketing
Location is one of the biggest mobile tools that can enhance a marketing plan. Mobile phones make it easier to target customers with the correct ad at the correct time with their Bluetooth or location service.
By interpreting signals from the phones, marketers can send personalized ads to a customer when they are in proximity of a business.
Have you noticed how you sometimes get a special discount message or notification when you are around a certain eatery or restaurant? This is one of the examples of location-based mobile marketing.
Mobile applications
Applications like Instagram, Facebook, and Tik Tok are already playing big in the marketing game. In fact, businesses not only advertise themselves on various popular apps but also come up with their own personalized apps.
Apps help to build customer loyalty and create value. You can also engage your consumers with the help of special in-app discounts or loyalty points. Adding special features related to your business on your app also helps to build a strong customer base.
In-game marketing
Mobile games enjoy mass popularity, especially in the younger age group. Ignoring the massive marketing opportunity inside mobile games can be a huge mistake.
You might have noticed a variety of banner ads and interactive videos while playing a game. This is how marketers strategically place customized ads on these games to attract customers.
Social Media
Social media is another key player in the marketing domain. With more and more people spending time on social media, it is no surprise that brands try immensely to form connections with users with the help of social media.
Interestingly, apps like Instagram and Facebook also give the option to the customers to purchase directly from their platform without visiting a brand’s website. This option of shopping with a single tap is an important feature that can be promoted to boost the sales of many brands.
SMS campaigns
SMS marketing is one of the first techniques of mobile marketing which started in the early 2000s. SMS marketing involves sending interactive and persuasive messages, promos, and links to your customers via a text message.
Since SMS can be personalized, it helps to increase consumer engagement with the help of a strong call to action.
Common problems to avoid
Although mobile marketing boasts a plethora of benefits it also comes with its fair share of challenges that need to be tackled.
Wrong tools
It has become common for brands to jump the bandwagon without analyzing its effectiveness. For example, some brands build apps without a vision or aim. These apps remain unsuccessful to provide any value to their users which leads to a loss of investment.
Before building an app, it is important to decide whether your business is in need of one or not. A perfect marketing mix requires choosing the correct tools to your advantage.
Wrong timing
Timing is key to gaining attention. Although SMS enjoys a significantly higher opening rate, bombarding your users with excessive messages can lead to failure.
If you get the timing right, you can send a strong message with a persuasive call to action at an appropriate time. This will ensure a higher conversion rate than shooting blindly into the marketing abyss.
How to reach globally with mobile marketing?
The use of mobile phones is expected to increase which only goes on to prove that it will become vital for brands to understand mobile phone strategies if they want to touch the global market.
And not just the mobile strategies but also the consumer base. Without a strong buyer persona plan, your marketing strategy can lead to a disaster.
Different regions use different languages, as a result, the language used to send ads to people of different regions needs to be localized. For example, brands have started using local slang in their promotional messages which gains better traction and connection from local internet users.
Another tactic is using local influencers for promotions. This strategy has been shown to gain eyeballs and attract local consumers as these influencers can connect better with the domestic crowd.
Voice search is also a factor that needs to be incorporated into a good mobile marketing strategy. Voice search is expected to increase in the coming years, so to yield the results of this strategy it is essential to target long-tail keywords along with other voice search tricks into your plan.
Understanding your customer base is the ultimate factor that helps to build a strong marketing plan of any kind.