How to be More Effective with Mobile Marketing

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Smartphones and other mobile devices are more popular than ever before. In fact, more people today use a mobile device than an actual desktop computer. Businesses have understood this and have gradually pivoted their marketing strategy to the mobile sphere. This of course makes sense because that’s where the audience is, but in switching from traditional marketing to mobile marketing, many organizations are holding true to the same techniques that worked in those traditional channels. While companies should be applauded for focusing on mobile marketing, if they use the same old techniques, they won’t be as effective as they could be. Effective mobile marketing requires a different way of thinking and a change in strategy. Only then will companies be utilizing their marketing for mobile devices in the most optimized way.

When transitioning to a mobile marketing strategy, it’s important to include social media channels in the equation. With more mobile devices around, people are using social media at an unprecedented rate. The question then arises over which social media network to actually use. With so many out there, companies may be tempted to simply create a presence on as many as possible, but that could lead to a diluted approach, especially for smaller businesses with limited budgets. Organizations should instead pick two or three channels that are best suited for carrying out their intended message while still reaching as many people as possible. Facebook is an obvious choice due to its popularity and versatility. A large portion of Facebook users log on every day, and many of them only use mobile devices. If a company likes to post a lot of pictures, Instagram might be the best bet. The chosen channel has to be an accurate reflection of what the business is about and what kind of people would be attracted to it.

This serves up another point of emphasis for effective mobile marketing — creating a different content strategy. People usually use their mobile devices while on the go, meaning any content they digest needs to be mobile friendly. That means long pages of multiple blocks of text will likely be passed over and ignored. To make content mobile friendly, there must be a greater focus on the visual: images and videos. And this content should be something that is quick to consume. Many experts recommend a five-minute time limit to know whether something is easy for people to understand and enjoy on their mobile devices. Any longer and people will get distracted and likely look to another piece of content for information and entertainment.

The mobile friendly strategy also needs to apply to a company’s website. Every organization should ensure their sites are easy to navigate from a mobile device. Simply transplanting what a site is like on a desktop to a smartphone makes it more difficult for the user. The design has to reflect the new mobile world that we live in. At the same time, mobile sites should be designed to be responsive to user input, with a clear call-to-action displayed. This is especially important when it comes to online shopping or buttons to respond to advertisements. If it’s difficult for mobile users to respond, the marketing hasn’t been optimized.

Companies also have to make sure they take advantage of big data analytics. There are many big data platforms to choose from, with many discussions happening about Hadoop vs. Spark among many others, but the important thing is for businesses to utilize at least one of them to gather data on their customers. With big data, companies can receive fascinating new insights about who their customers are and what drives them to make certain decisions. This added information can help marketers understand how best to tailor their mobile marketing efforts to specific segments of their audience, perhaps even to specific people. With big data analytics becoming more affordable along with what is flash storage, this option is available to many smaller organizations as well as startups.

Rick Delgado
Freelance Writer
I've been blessed to have a successful career and have recently taken a step back to pursue my passion of writing. I've started doing freelance writing and I love to write about new technologies and how it can help us and our planet. I also occasionally write for tech companies like Dell.

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