Mobile marketing is a type of marketing technique that aims to market products or services through mobile devices.

67% of the world’s population – around 5100 million people – has a mobile device. Over 700 million new subscribers are expected to be added over the next 6 years. If your digital marketing strategy does not involve mobile marketing tactics, then sadly, you may be wasting your time. 

The opportunity to reach this segment of the population is given through the use of mobile marketing. 

In 2015, Google confirmed that Internet access from cell phones and tablets had exceeded that of computers for the first time. We are currently talking about 52% of web browsing occurring from smartphones and 4% from tablets. The reason? In the United States alone, the average Internet connection time is 6 hours and 30 minutes daily.

The use of mobile devices is extended during working hours when we can’t watch TV. It’s also extended at night while watching TV, presenting the phenomenon known as the “double screen.”

What Do You Need For Your Mobile Marketing Strategy?

The most obvious mobile marketing tactic is to optimize your website for mobile-friendly use, thus creating a responsive website. Users carry out the majority of their searches from mobile devices; therefore, SEO for smartphones is of utmost importance. This involves creating concise content, ensuring a fast loading speed, and giving priority to design and usability.

In your media marketing strategy, you cannot underestimate video content presented in vertical format. Videos are adapted to the mobile screen, extending to the use of apps, such as Instagram, Snapchat, WhatsApp, and TikTok. They are essential since, in the future, the user will consume more and more audiovisual content. 

In fact, the video format is expected to comprise of 90% of all 5G traffic within the next 10 years. Likewise, it must include the use of subtitles (transcribing the same exact information) since some apps play the video without audio as a default setting.

Today there is almost no daily activity if there isn’t an available app for a website. However, only 3% of SMEs have a mobile application. Having a website app offers an excellent marketing opportunity for businesses since most people use apps on a daily basis. 

Additionally, with regards to in-app advertising, ads displayed within the application’s own interface are the fastest-growing model in mobile advertising. In-app ads are much more effective in boosting marketing actions since the probability of achieving user recall is much higher when advertising is viewed in an app or on the web from your mobile device.

One of the mobile marketing tactics that have revolutionized the way of advertising is geolocation. The possibility of offering content or promotions through pinpointing the exact geographical location opens up endless opportunities. 

Depending on the product and set objectives, advertisers can choose the specific audience in which they decide to allocate a given advertisement. The geolocation, therefore, can be used extensively by local businesses and establishments using apps, such as Google Maps, Google My Business, or TripAdvisor.

Digital channels are of the utmost importance in a mobile marketing strategy. These channels are where social commerce (S-Commerce) is born. They’re also the platform were user reviews become more important, as well as content shared and disseminated voluntarily by its audience (user generator). Reviews, digital reputation, and advocacy ambassadors are fundamental pillars in this tool.

Traditional Tactics v. Mobile Marketing

1.0 marketing tactics should not disappear from web 4.0, but rather, adapt to it. For example, we have email marketing. Email marketing, though considered to be an obsolete tool by many, is actually more current than ever.  

The reason? With the arrival of smartphones, the user is connected 24/7 to the inbox of their email. They remain attentive to their notifications; therefore, the possibilities of a potential client to click on the promotion or content is multiplied. 

The leads listed in your database are still the most precious asset in your digital marketing strategy. These leads offer the most promising opportunity to close a sale, or remain loyal to your customers through their own channels.

Since most users access their mail directly through their smartphone, the email must be responsive or adaptive to different devices. If, for some reason, your email is not displayed properly on your mobile, it is unlikely that the potential customer will re-open your email using a computer.

The first and most extensive form of mobile marketing (introduced in the 2000s) is SMS. Nowadays, SMS generates a significant impact, given its immediacy and accessibility (no Internet connection required).

Trends For the Future of Mobile Marketing

A significant trend for 2020 is the adoption of voice technology, given the increase in the popularity of smart speakers. 48% of Americans own equipment such as Amazon Echo or Google Home, encouraging marketing experts to develop new strategies and take advantage of this emerging channel.

Artificial intelligence is an upward trend in mobile marketing strategies. This is evident in the integration of chatbots or conversational bots, which describes AI software capable of simulating human conversations in mobile apps and web pages to improve the service of customer support. 

The user asks a question or states a concern that will be addressed by a bot, providing a 24-hour service, 7 days a week. It is estimated that in the next 5 years, 80% of business communication will be executed through messenger bots.

A trend that we will increasingly notice in mobile marketing is augmented reality. The mobile device will add extra layers of information to the smartphone’s camera view. Examples of augmented reality include the smart filters of Instagram Stories, Snapchat, Facebook, or games like Pokemon Go. 

Perhaps the industry that has most successfully exploited this functionality is fashion and beauty. The fashion and beauty industry has contrived apps with implemented smart mirrors in which the user can “try on” clothes before buying it, as well as smart filters that smoothen skin surfaces or other facial attributes. 

As for interior design, the user can see how certain furniture would look at their home before buying it. Furniture stores like IKEA, for instance, have already introduced this type of augmented reality technology.

Finally, we tend to retain information through machine learning, where artificial intelligence collects data about the user and “learns” key data that can predict the customer’s journey. Current smartphones already use machine learning algorithms in voice recognition applications, such as Siri. They also offer predictive text options, biometrics, and facial recognition to further personalize our user experience. 

Machine learning can determine efficient ways of attracting users of great value, implementing messages indicated to introduce them to the right user at the right time.

In Conclusion

The world of mobile marketing is broad and offers a range of possibilities. However, many of these possibilities have not yet been explored. It’s undeniable that mobile devices have marked a “before and after” concept in the 21st century. Therefore, it’s imperative to occupy this niche market.

As we have seen before, mobile marketing allows us to reach a very specific (segmented) audience and maintain direct communication with it. We know who we are addressing and what interests them. Another benefit is the possibility of sending messages and receiving a response in real-time. 

Mobile marketing campaigns are measurable in real-time, which allows them to be modified if necessary. As marketers, we’re also able to establish their return on investment is and market penetration.