What is Mobile Marketing?
Mobile marketing refers to the use of mobile devices such as smartphones, tablets, and smartwatches to promote products or services. Mobile marketing encompasses a wide range of tactics, including SMS marketing, mobile apps, mobile-optimized websites, location-based marketing, and social media marketing. The goal of mobile marketing is to reach customers wherever they are and provide them with a personalized and engaging experience on their mobile devices. With the increasing use of mobile devices worldwide, mobile marketing has become an essential tool for businesses to connect with their customers and grow their business.
Why is it important?
With 6.7 billion people (and counting) carrying a smartphone with them practically everywhere, mobile content and advertising has plenty of opportunities to be discovered.
It’s important to note that the majority of web traffic is actually from mobile devices. That trend has increased rapidly over the years, stabilizing around 52-54%for the last few years. Since 2011, mobile internet traffic has shot up dramatically from 6.09% to 53.98% in 2021.
Compared to other marketing methods, mobile marketing has the most viral potential. People generally use their phones for sharing. They share photos, videos, memes, and everything else with a few quick taps on their screen. With some testing, you are better able to create viral content that appeals to your audiences. When you strike a chord with mobile marketing, users find it easier and are more inclined to tap the “share” button or tag someone who might be interested.
What this means for your business is that regardless of which audience you’re appealing to, you’ll need to reach them on their smartphones or mobile devices. As mobile searches grow, they’ve provided businesses with a new way to find the exact audiences they’re looking for and provide personalized communication everywhere they go.
Mobile marketing strategies
A mobile marketing strategy has to consider different regional regulations for mobile, different device and hardware types, new generations of digital cellular networks, different operating systems, and the layers of data and partners between a customer and a business. Keep this in mind and let’s dive into the strategies you can employ for your business.
Build a mobile-friendly website
The first step in leveraging mobile marketing is to have a mobile-friendly website, which is optimized for small screens and touch interfaces, making it easy for customers to navigate and interact with the website on their mobile devices.
Having a mobile-friendly website can also improve a business’s search engine ranking, as Google prioritizes mobile-friendly websites in its search results. In other words, businesses with mobile-friendly websites are more likely to appear at the top of Google’s search results pages when people search for related products or services on their mobile devices. This can lead to increased visibility, traffic, and ultimately conversions for businesses.
Furthermore, a mobile-friendly website enhances the user experience for customers, making it more likely that they will engage with the website and ultimately make a purchase or take another desired action. Here are some factors to consider when building a mobile-friendly website:
- A mobile-friendly website should have fast load times and simple navigation
- It should be optimized for touch-based interactions
- It should be designed with mobile-specific features, such as click-to-call buttons and mobile-friendly forms, to make it easy for customers to take action on the website
If your business does not have a mobile-friendly website yet, it is essential to invest in one to stay competitive and relevant in today’s digital landscape.
Use SMS marketing
SMS marketing is the practice of sending messages by text message.
It’s a form of opt-in marketing that requires contacts to subscribe. This differentiates it from social media marketing, where the marketer posts public content that people can choose to like or follow.
Common types of SMS marketing examples include:
- Personalized promotions
- Offers or discounts
- Remarketing
- Surveys
SMS marketing can be targeted to specific customer groups based on their location, interests, or previous purchase history, making it an effective tool for personalized marketing.
Use mobile apps
A mobile app is a software application that is designed specifically for mobile devices and offers a unique and immersive user experience.
Businesses can use mobile apps to offer exclusive discounts, rewards, or other promotions to customers who download and use the app. This can incentivize customers to download the app and provide businesses with a new channel to reach and engage with customers.
For example, a retail business can offer customers a discount on their first purchase when they download the app or provide them with exclusive access to new products or promotions.
Furthermore, mobile apps can be used to create a community around a brand or product and increase customer loyalty, allowing businesses to connect with their customers in a more meaningful way. For that reason, a mobile app should be built after thorough market research and the development of a buyer persona in order to create a personalized experience for them.
It goes without saying that a high quality app should be built with an eye-catching user-friendly design. But worry not: Things are not as complex as they sound. Nowadays, you don’t need to hire a large development team to achieve this. Outsourcing has long been the go-to tactic in such cases. Companies hire outsourcing teams to cut costs, boost productivity, and have a team of tech specialists on hand without having to “provide” for them in-house.
Use location-based marketing
Location-based marketing is an effective mobile marketing strategy that uses GPS technology to target customers based on their location.
This strategy allows businesses to send targeted messages to customers who are in the vicinity of their business, offering them discounts or other promotions to encourage them to visit. This type of marketing can be particularly effective for brick-and-mortar businesses that rely on foot traffic to drive sales.
By sending targeted messages to customers who are nearby, businesses can entice them to visit and potentially make a purchase. For example, a restaurant can send a mobile message to potential customers who are in the vicinity, offering them a discount on their next meal. This can be a powerful incentive for customers to visit the restaurant and potentially become repeat customers.
Location-based marketing can also be used to gain valuable insights into customer behavior and preferences. By tracking customer location data, businesses can gain insights into how customers move around and interact with their physical environment. The data collected will helpp improve marketing strategies and tailor messages to specific customer segments.
It is important to incorporate obtaining customer’s consent to data sharing as part of this strategy to ensure that your business doesn’t violate user privacy.
Use social media
Social media marketing is a critical component of mobile marketing, as it provides businesses with a powerful way to connect with customers on the go. It is researched that nearly 71% users access social media on mobile devices.
To maximize the effectiveness of your mobile marketing strategy, you first need to choose the right social media platform.
Let’s say you want to target 40-50-year-old males who are interested in logistics solutions, Tiktok and Snapchat are not the ideal platforms for your target audience because you won’t find many of them there.
Make sure you know who your target audience is and what social media platforms they’re on. Once you choose one or more networks to focus on, it will be much easier to create a winning mobile strategy for social media.
What’s crucial for utilizing social media in your mobile marketing campaigns is that you optimize all content you post. Not only does the content need to be mobile-friendly, but it also needs to follow format guidelines for each social media platform.
For tailored strategies for each social media platform, check out Social Media Content Optimization: Dos and Don’ts
Future proof your business with mobile marketing
With the majority of web traffic now coming from mobile devices, businesses need to have a mobile-friendly website that is optimized for small screen and touch interfaces.
By having a comprehensive mobile marketing strategy that incorporates these tactics, businesses can enhance their customer engagement, boost sales, and stay competitive.
At Advesa, we have a team of web and mobile specialists, we can help you develop a tailor mobile marketing strategy for your business that will help you connect with your customers in a more meaningful way and drive business growth.
Contact us today to learn more about how we can help your business thrive in the digital landscape.
