You probably don’t need convincing that mobile marketing information is necessary to create a mobile marketing program. However, many companies are reluctant to start until the number of devices, market and approaches settle down. The unfortunate part is I don’t think that’s going to happen anytime soon. There are ways to maximize your investment by selecting the players with the largest market share (iOS and Andriod). Mobile plays an important role of providing people with information personally, immediately as well as in a location specific way.
The U.S. mobile environment is turbulent but full of growth and promise. The majority of mobile phones are now smartphones, many with larger screens and more sophisticated user options. Apps, tablets, and converging devices as well as the growing availability of good, useful, and functional mobile experiences have given consumers the opportunity to increasingly choose mobile over other digital connections. This ease of use and the attending dramatic adoption rates are largely responsible for the growth in mobile ads, mobile email, mobile websites, and mobile apps that follow and feed consumer trends. The impact is felt across channels and verticals but it need not be an all or nothing commitment for you. Only you can assess how important mobile viewing and interactions are to your business, and the “right” strategy will be dependent on many variables including your audience demo and smartphone or tablet adoption, your competitive environment, available budget, and digital goals.
Your minimum requirements may range from “putting your toe in the water” approach to a “jumping into the deep end” of the mobile waters. But what may be a small test for a large or mobile-critical organization may seem like a deep end dive to a smaller business or one less reliant on mobile marketing, viewing, or interactions. Keep that in mind as you look at some of the ways to stick your toe in the mobile water to doing a cliff dive into the deep end.
[title size=”3″]Sticking Your Toe in the Mobile Water[/title]Prior to embarking on a mobile project check your site stats to see how much mobile traffic you’re currently getting. What percentage of your audience is coming from a smartphone or tablet? Distinguish between the two. Set up your analytics to assess the behavioral characteristics of the various device types. How did they find you? Are they new customers for you? Are they good customers?
Check the experience a user has with the most popular mobile devices that hit your website. You’ll have to do some quality assurance (QA) across devices and platforms. Mobile-friendly sites don’t have to have every function or include all the content on your website. They should satisfy the mobile user’s needs and provide a positive, integrated experience that allows for more interaction with your brand.
Ensure that your email is readable and actionable from mobile devices and test segmenting mobile readers for a different messaging strategy. Test your email on various mobile devices.
If you’re running a PPC search program create a new ad group for mobile searchers that recognizes the different frame of mind of the on-the-go consumer. Their typically timely and location-based needs may vary sharply from other searchers and that should impact your ad copy, keyword bidding, and testing strategies. It also allows you to separate the budget by having them in their own ad group. Make sure you have the mobile-friendly landing pages before you activate the mobile user ad group.
Make good use of social options with mobile viewers. Mobile users can easily share, rate, review and comment on your offer.
[title size=”3″]Mobile Cliff Dive[/title]Build mobile-specific destinations and experiences. A mobile site or an app can be a new point of entry that provides a unique experience for your viewers and may also bring new users to your brand.
Incorporate mobile ads, including video ads, into your media plan to reach your audience where they spend an increasing portion of their time online. Take them through a mobile funnel to mobile conversions and track that separately.
Expand your concept of push marketing beyond email to include opt-in text advertising (SMS text advertising). SMS messages are opened and seen within minutes of sending vs. your emails getting potentially caught in the SPAM folder.
Make mobile commerce easy or integrate with other e-commerce opportunities to start or finish the sale in mobile.
It’s important to work with someone (like OnTarget) that specializes in mobile marketing and development. We start to see more offer pushes via text including indoor exact location positioning. Augmented reality could breathe new life into QR codes or replace them completely, and Articulated Naturality Web (coming) is augmented reality and then some: imagine pointing your smartphone to a restaurant and getting a coupon for a competing restaurant across the street; pointing your phone to the sky and getting a weather forecast.
Whether you are putting your toe in or standing on the cliff ready to dive, remember that the mobile experiences and opportunities that you provide do not stand-alone. Your mobile consumer may and probably does touch you in multiple ways, so strive for consistency and use each channel in the most impactful way possible.