Since the invention of the cellular telephone, and its advancement to the newer smartphones, marketers have identified and tried to maximize its mobile marketing potential. With the recent rise in usership of mobile devices and the high time each person spends on their mobile device, marketers are innovating mobile marketing to tap into this impressive market of media-hungry consumers.
Mobile marketing: how to dominate in the future
1. The time has come for the Chief Mobile Marketing Officer
Mastering the mobile marketing tsunami has become one of the greatest and, above all, most urgent management tasks in the past ten years. The aim is to align the entire corporate presence on the Internet with the medium of mobile and to establish a mobile ready enterprise.
‘Homo Mobilis’ is always-on and experiences a multitude of mobile marketing moments several times a day, more or less satisfactorily. The changed customer expectations are revolutionizing the markets and putting business models under enormous pressure.
Companies, their brands, campaigns and employees must be set up and equipped Made for Mobile for real-time marketing and zero-distance customer service in order to offer the right service at these moments. The Chief Mobile Officer is responsible for this holistic mobile strategy.
2. Always consider mobile marketing projects as change projects
The effects of introducing a mobile marketing solution into your company, whether as an internal tool, marketing solution, etc., never stop at the boundaries of a department or area. Therefore, see every mobile project as a change project.
Look for the mobile marketing potentials and side effects. Who are the stakeholders? Whose work will change, if only indirectly? Without widespread acceptance, or at least understanding of your mobile strategy, you will encounter internal resistance that will jeopardize your success. The mobile device is the cockpit in digital transformation, which is why every mobile project is also a transformation project.
3. Mobile marketing is primarily a service tool
The smartphone is the most personal of all end devices and is therefore a very popular device for brands. But a creative idea alone is not enough. Service is what counts. Make your business model usable on the move. Make people more productive, have fun, and save time through you.
Offer compelling mobile marketing services. Mobile first, mobile centric, etc. ultimately mean that a mobile device is the gateway to your business. Your customers must be able to buy or borrow things from you on the move, book a service or at least receive valuable information. Do you see smartphones only as an additional screen for advertising? Beware, competition is already lurking with disruptive mobile services.
4. The smartphone is the control center of the target group
The mobile device is not only the first access to information anytime and anywhere, but also the very personal control center in the increasingly networked life of your customers. If you offer the target group real added value in connection with your products and services, you will end up permanently in the “relevant set” of your customers. From here on, you will get to know your customers completely new and can generate tailor-made offers in the context of time, place and preference. The target group then develops from the target customer to your brand ambassador and multiplier.
5. Develop a mobile marketing strategy
In the last few years the mobile internet has assumed a dominant position. More and more people are accessing the Internet with mobile devices more and more often. The basic understanding and comprehension of the mobile usage situation are the maxim for any form of mobile optimization.
However, this is essential nowadays. Because mobile is the first screen point. Mobile friendliness is increasingly determining corporate success. Companies have to rethink their entire information architecture – based on the context in which the customer is, his wishes at that moment and the role that the ever-present screen mobile plays in the moment of truth – before, during and after the transaction. It’s not just about Mobile First Design, it’s about developing a mobile-centric marketing strategy.
6. Websites without mobile optimization will be penalized
Nowadays everyone has a smartphone with them and can use it to communicate, shop and research information continuously. Nothing is more obvious than having a mobile-optimized website. Companies that have already tackled the topic can also be one step ahead of their competitors here and push their site through additional “mobile optimization” in the search engine ranking, which in turn can have a significant impact on the site’s traffic.
Conversely, it is of course increasingly a disadvantage if your own page is noticeable negatively on mobile devices with a display that is unfriendly for users. If your site is not yet optimized for mobile use, start today at the latest, otherwise you will be punished by search engines and customers.
7. Address the target group data-based in the “Mobile Moment”
Whether for the search for a restaurant, the price comparison or to pass the time at the bus stop: The smartphone is always at hand and accompanies us through our entire everyday life. Overall, we access our mobile device about 150 times a day on average. Each of these “mobile moments” has a specific intention, its own context and urgency.
If you address your target group with the right mobile marketing message at the crucial moment, you can deliver real added value and present your brand in an impressive way. This is based on detailed and accurate data on target groups and their context.
8. Mobile programmatic enables target groups to be addressed in real time
While programmatic mobile marketing advertising, i.e. the automated and data-driven booking of advertising in real time, still accounts for a manageable proportion in the online area, eMarketer is already forecasting 61 percent of all spending in the mobile area for 2017.
Due to the short and targeted use, it is more important than ever to address the right target group on the smartphone at the crucial moment. The use of programmatic platforms (DSPs) in conjunction with target group and context data enables this and thus offers the perfect environment for performance and branding advertising.
9. Design apps from the user’s point of view
The complexity of mobile devices increases day by day. Countless functions are now combined in a single smartphone (convergence). This overload can lead to the fact that users feel overwhelmed with the devices and their usability decreases.
In addition, there are limited operating options and apps that overwhelm the user more than they do. Make sure that your apps are designed from the user’s point of view. Keep it as simple as possible – easy and intuitive to use for the user. The mobile user experience is therefore becoming more and more important and the differentiating factor for your company and your products at the “mobile point of sale”.
10. Analyze and optimize the most important key figures on an ongoing basis
Make sure that your mobile marketing activities are embedded in your overall strategy as well as all digital product developments in your company. To check this, in addition to real tracking, which goes far beyond the number of downloads and return rates from the app stores, also targeted market observation. Set quantifiable goals and regularly check that they have been achieved. Some “hip” apps quickly turn from “star” to “poor dog” under the microscope.
Mobile marketing timeline to dominance
The average person spends hours on their mobile device daily, and that number seems to continue to rise annually. The following timeline, based on data found on Websitebuilder, takes us through the rise of mobile marketing and key dates and events that helped shape a marketing revolution.
2000 – The first mobile ad was launched in the form of an SMS message.
2002 – The SMS becomes a mass media phenomenon, and SMS marketers begin using it as a mass media channel for a variety of brands. Many local restaurants are the first to use this form of mobile marketing.
2005 – Following the trend, Nike, the sports apparel giant, and Pontiac, the American vehicle producer, launch large-scale SMS campaigns.
2010 – QR codes (Quick Response Codes), a form of the matrix-style barcode, is invented and adopted by marketers. The codes, initially used by Japanese car-manufacturers, use a two-dimensional image to route a mobile to a specific Internet address or database. Also, during 2010, tech giant, Apple, launches their mobile advertising platform iAd
2011 – Mobile marketing is recognized as a major industry, worth 14 billion USD, at the time.
2012 – Facebook launches mobile ads on its mobile platforms and apps. Facebook ad marketers now can target the mobile market directly through Facebook.
2013 – Mobile revenues soared to 3 billion USD in the first half of the year. This represented a growth rate of 145%, up from 1.2 billion USD, during the same period the year before. The triple-digit growth solidified the value of mobile marketing as a key emerging marketplace.
2014 – The mobile marketing industry experienced a worldwide growth of 65%, up from 19.3 billion in 2013. The growth was especially strong in emerging markets, as more of the global population joined the mobile phone revolution due to lower-priced handsets in those markets.
2016 – Mobile devices overtake desktop devices in Internet usage as even more of the global population get online through a barrage of cheaper smart phones. Also, advances in connectivity, through higher speed 3G and 4G networks worldwide, help contribute to the internet usages skyrocketing on mobile devices.
2017 – Mobile e-commerce, that is, transactions are done by a mobile device, is calculated at 34% of all e-commerce worldwide. The number is expected to double during the present year of 2017 and will account for over 50% of global e-commerce transactions by the end of 2017.
Conclusion
Since 2002, the mobile devices most of us have with our person, for the majority of the day, have become integral tools to marketing initiatives, for a wide assortment of products and services. The growth in the mobile sector will continue and is a platform and segment of the marketplace that cannot be ignored. It has considerable growth potential in the years to come. Look for mobile marketing to dominate the way marketers market in the foreseeable future.
