Let’s start off by stating the importance of mobile: the number of connected mobile devices will outnumber humans, 7 billion and counting, by the end of this year!
It seems logical to assume that every organisation would have mobile strategy in place but a survey conducted by Adobe in conjunction with The Guardian, prove otherwise.
Many who were surveyed said that they either had “a fragmented approach” or “no strategy at all” when it comes to mobile marketing. Many business owners acknowledge that their business would benefit from mobile marketing in areas of customer services, brand building and customer transactions, they are held back by their inability to analyse the success of their mobile channel.Without any analytical software, these business owners are depriving themselves of important consumer insights.
Business owners have to realise that the mobile strategy plays a crucial role in today’s environment. According to Paul Berney, CMO & MD at Mobile Marketing Association, mobile represents a permanent shift in how marketers should approach marketing because “mobile has caused an irrevocable change in consumer behaviour.
“Think about it, with a smartphone in your pocket you have access to almost the sum total of human knowledge. You understand that you can click and find, click and know, click and do or click and buy. That has to change the way you think.” – Paul Berney
Here are 3 tips to get you started when you begin to consider implementing mobile marketing strategies in 2014:
#1: Understand how your consumer uses their devices
Today consumers are constantly switching between devices according to convenience and context, perhaps starting to browse travel destinations on their tablets and making a purchase later on their laptop. Consumer’s attention is becoming increasingly split across devices, from laptops to smartphones, tablets to TVs and this means that the standard one-size-fits-all advertising campaigns are not good enough.
The once distinct line between ‘mobile’ and ‘not mobile’ is dissolving as consumers constantly interact with various devices at once. In order to be successful, digital marketers must understand how consumers use different devices in their daily life to be able to build and optimise mobile marketing strategies that deliver the right mobile experience to each mobile user customised to each organisation. What works for a travel company might not necessarily deliver the same results for a fashion retail company.
#2: Scale up not down
If you know you have size 40 feet, would you try wearing size 36 because it was available at the shop? No, you wouldn’t! It would be a bad experience and you would have painful feet, even if it was the most convenient decision to buy the shoe simply because it was there.
It is not enough to simply tweak your websites built for desktops to be used on mobile by making it more ‘tappable’. Websites on mobiles tend to be quite passive in nature, but with native apps, it becomes more compelling and it can become part of the regular routine of the users.
Retaining the attention and loyalty of users have become increasingly urgent because its become easier for users to move from one product to another quickly if they are not engaged when they use your mobile platforms. Furthermore, a good app will be able to build relationships with the users. Another bonus is the reduction in lagging time when native apps are used than websites modified for the mobile.
Design should not be overlooked either. Keep copywriting and visuals as short and minimalistic as possible. Nobody wants to squint their eyes trying to read crammed squiggles on their mobile. Pinterest was able to get lots of users onboard, because of their design of simplicity. Adapt your ideas for your mobile to bigger screen. Scale content creation up, rather than the other way round.
#3: Back up your marketing campaigns with Data
Don’t get intimidated with the idea of having to plough through a bunch of numbers! There is a common stereotype that those in the creative industry lack the DNA for being analytical or technical. This is a bunch of hogwash! We are surrounded all the time with Data; we just have to figure out what information we are looking for, how to get that information and once we have the information, how to use that to make strategic decisions for the company.
Flurry is a free tool that helps with mobile app analytics and you can use the ‘classic’ dashboard or create up to 10 custom dashboards that is specific to the data that you are trying to collect.
Data generated has the power to inspire strategic insights, behavioural segmentations of consumers and ultimately it should be able to guide the creatives to reflect the desires and aspirations of consumers. Brands should use the information at hand to build better relationships with consumers through better engagement, loyalty and even product extension.
Bonus: Taco Bell is a social media darling
Taco Bell has a very strong social media presence and people love them. They are constantly engaging with their audience and people love to interact back with them, whether it’s through Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram! They have identified the segment that they want to interact with via social media (18-34) and they foster relationships with those who mention them online. In a recent article by Buzzfeed about cute answers by children, a kid mentioned he wished for Taco rain and Taco Bell immediately tried to find this kid.
They have a cheeky sense of humour and they are current, interacting with shows that people love to watch as well. Taco Bell has received the coveted Marketer of the Year Award for 2013!
This could be you next year.
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