Everything users do on their smartphones and tablets leaves a digital footprint. Savvy marketers are collecting that information to benefit their customers and prospects and, hence, their brands. Such opportunities are expanding exponentially these days as the mobile audience surpasses the desktop audience, now representing 65 percent and 35 percent, respectively, of all digital media time.
Marketers who continue to treat the desktop as the primary focus of their campaigns are out of alignment with customer behavior. For another thing, the mobile growth indicates an audience demand for relevant content, as opposed to content created largely or exclusively for PR or SEO purposes.
Effective mobile marketing today means understanding your mobile audience, designing content with mobile platforms in mind, and making strategic use of SMS/MMS marketing and mobile apps. Mobility is about fulfilling consumers’ desire to stay constantly connected and helping people to get tasks done on the run. It goes beyond mobile advertising to adding mobile functionality and targeting across your marketing efforts. Think of restaurant mobile apps that allow patrons to order before they arrive, facilitating dining on the go.
Mobility that utilizes the data it collects is creating more-intelligent marketing. For example, once you know that your mobile customers buy more beer when the summer temperatures dip below normal three days in a row, you can better plan and forecast beer sales. Mobility could inform an entire marketing communication strategy.
Just as mobile technology is all about customization and personalization, your mobile marketing strategy should be as well. So, start by creating mobile buyer personas by detailing your target audience’s mobile habits. Do you know how much of their Web usage occurs on mobile devices, or how often they complete purchases on a smartphone? Do research to find valuable statistics derived from big data reports, such as: Fifty-three percent of all email is first opened on a mobile device.
Map your mobile marketing strategy by defining goals with key stakeholders. Start with an assessment of what you’re currently doing and how those initiatives are performing. Define expectations for including mobile marketing to your overall strategy.
Prepare to test and optimize your mobile marketing efforts by determining measurable KPIs for your mobile campaign’s success. If your goal is to engage customers, for example, provide mobile-friendly content to support searches for information about your industry or product. Make sure your website is mobile-responsive. For acquisition, make sure your emails are mobile-friendly with clear calls to action. Include easy-to-locate buttons near the top of the message to facilitate click-throughs. Make it simple to fill out a form on your mobile-optimized landing page. For customer service, allow your customers to easily reach you through any platform; include a click-to-call button for smartphone users.
Monitor mobile metrics, such as behavior data, to determine how well your mobile content engages your audience, and conversion data, to understand whether your key landing pages are fully optimized for mobile browsing.
Mobile marketing to match mobile usage is critical for reaching your audience where they live. Make sure your website and emails are optimized for mobile devices, use SMS and MMS channels, and build a native app—according to where the majority of your target audience spends its mobile time. An optimal mobile marketing strategy will maximize your brand’s efforts to engage customers.
As with her writing and editing, Peg brings her finely honed attention to detail and her adherence to high-quality standards to bear in her role as managing editor of Content Boost. As team leader, she encourages her staff to strive for excellence in the copy they craft and in the relationships they forge with clients, striving for an optimal customer experience. She caught the marketing bug after seven years as an editor and supervisor at Gartner Inc., the world’s leading IT research and advisory company, and was drawn to the spirit and talent exhibited at Content Boost. Tracing back to her early days working local beats as a journalist, Peg consistently digs deep for insights that bring value to her writing. Outside the office, Peg loves to read when she’s not trying to keep up with her cycling buddies or the weeds in her garden. She can be found enjoying the local scene in her hometown of Fairfield, Connecticut.