Mobile Marketing Is The Fasted Growing Marketing Segment

Mobile marketing is now a complete category of marketing on its own.  Marketing for mobile is the #1 priority for brands because 92% of adults own a mobile phone and spend 59% of their time on mobile devices versus 41% on desktop.  This is a great target for marketing campaigns.  And we aren’t even talking about teens.  The PEW Research Center estimates 88% of American teenagers have access to a phone with 73% owning a smartphone.  With these kinds of statistics, it’s not surprising brands are looking at mobile marketing as a way to reach their customer base.

How do companies reach their audience with mobile marketing? There are a number of ways to engage.

1. SMS Marketing

Text messaging has been around for a long time and companies now see it as an easy way to reach their target audience.  Smartphone users are texting more than phoning. This is the #1 way that friends and family connect via their smartphone.  Companies like Facebook are also finding text messaging is a great way to sell more advertising to companies with a Facebook business page.

As an example, Virgin Mobile does a great job at sending offers to its customers via SMS.  Messages such as

“Member, enter at (website link) to get a shot at tix to Vans Warped Tour at Budwiser Stage.”

2. App Based Marketing

The cost of building an app for your company used to be 20K+ but development costs have been drastically reduced to an affordable range. At the low end of the market, template-based apps (much like WordPress) are now available which reduces the development cost for the client. Brands that use app-based marketing are making it so much easier for their customers to shop and also receive rewards and member offers.  Combined with email messaging to remind customers to check their app for the latest deals, brands are encouraging their customers to stay loyal.

App Marketing is now becoming more sophisticated. Just developing an app and optimizing it for both Android and IOS stores is no assurance that users will continue to engage unless a marketing campaign follows.

Companies that have developed great marketing campaigns for mobile are Starbucks, Virgin, Optimum (Loblaws) and Nike.  Many companies now use social media ads combined with CTA’s (Call To Action) app download buttons as part of their mobile marketing effort.

3. Push Notifications

Push notifications are used in mobile marketing as a way to connect directly with their app users.  They avoid spam filters and a clogged email inbox. The advantage is push notifications also have double the click-through rates.  The #1 priority is creating a customer experience that will keep them loving your brand.

It can also help businesses

  • Promote products
  • Offer giveaways
  • Improve customer experience
  • Convert unknown app users to loyal customers who feel special
  • Drive users to other marketing channels, such as Facebook, Pinterest or a website

4. Email Marketing

Email marketing has been around for a long time, but the game has changed with mobile marketing.  The priority for mobile email marketing is making sure the email messages are optimized for mobile view.  If they aren’t, chances are messages will be deleted in the first few seconds and the user may even unsubscribe. Most email services such as MailChimp give a preview of your email in mobile view so you can see how it will look on a mobile device.  Is your email message easy to read on mobile?

Emails are now opened more on mobile than desktop, check out the statistics by Supply Gem

5. In-game Mobile marketing

Gamification is big in the teenage and pre-teen market.  Games such as “Fortnight” have taken off and provide a great opportunity for marketers to insert ads into popular games.

The key for in-game mobile marketing is to match the ad to the demographics of the game. Research helps target the right ad for the right game audience.   Gaming isn’t restricted to a young audience, nursing and retirement homes use the Nintendo Wii games for residents to get both exercise and recreation and inserting ads for pharma products could make sense in this market.

6. QR Code Marketing

QR (Quick Response) codes are now much more than a barcode or a square with black and white dots, they are becoming creative QR codes.  Smartphone QR reader apps are available in both the Android and IOS stores.  For example,  mobile users at bricks and mortar stores can scan QR codes wherever they are placed.  The QR code can be used creatively to lead the user to landing pages for special in-store offers only available to mobile users.

7. Bluetooth

Bluetooth marketing is a form of proximity mobile marketing that allows businesses to send ads to mobile/cell phones for free.  This can be achieved using products such as an Ad-Pod or Bluetooth Beacon enable the free transfer of content between mobile devices using the Bluetooth and Wifi signal. The transfer of the ads is free for both the sender and receiver.

This type of solution can be used in static locations, in vehicles or at events and this kind of advertising is interactive and allows you to engage with your customers using rich media.

 

8. Location Based Services

Location-based services (LBS) use real-time geographical data from a mobile device to provide information, entertainment, and security. Location-based marketing (LBM) is becoming popular and if used right it can be a subtle way of advertising.  Barneys of New York is an example of a company that used the location-based information from its app users not only to help users locate a Barneys store near them but also to informs shoppers of where the nearby restaurants and parks are located.
Location-based services can be used by hotels around airports to direct mobile phone users to their hotel location and update them as to the number of rooms available before the traveler leaves the airport.   Airport location-based services are an excellent way to quickly direct new and existing customers to their nearby locations. This is called radius targeting.
Geo-targeting and geo-fencing are forms of location-based services that more closely target potential customers.   Say you are walking down the street around noon and a Dominos pizza store is using this type of mobile marketing, then as you get within close proximity of the Dominos store, up pops a pizza special on your phone.  The difference is geo-fencing targets everyone within the location, whereas geo-targeting identifies specific demographics.
Check out the app developer ratings supplied by the folks at Apps Geek.  It’s updated weekly and tracks app developers and their pricing.  For more info on apps, check our post here.
XL Consulting is a marketing strategy and web design company, helping small business to increase their marketing presence and customer engagement at all levels.  If you would like a free 1/2 consultation please connect with us for an appointment.