It’s almost impossible to escape from mobile devices. We see them everywhere, from our homes, to the street, and now in our offices. Bring your own device (BYOD) has grown dramatically in recent years as many companies allow their employees to bring in their personal devices for use at work. Recent research from Gartner actually shows that about half of all organizations will adopt BYOD policies by the year 2017. So for 50 percent of businesses, company-provided devices will be a thing of the past. Many experts have looked at how this notable shift will affect the office environment, from more productivity to employees being more satisfied with their jobs, but BYOD stands to change even more than that. One area that could see some big changes is the world of marketing. In fact, BYOD stands to revolutionize how marketing is done all over the world.
Bring your own device can be handled in a number of ways. The two most common simply involve deferring the cost of the device to the employee, or providing the employee with resources for having their own device through a stipend or subsidy. The second option is one we’ll look at more closely in regards to marketing. When employees are allowed to use their personal devices but use company funds for the purchase, they tend to go for more state-of-the-art models that major corporations like Apple, Microsoft, Samsung, and Google produce. Exactly which device they go with may largely depend on the marketing the big businesses employ. It’s not enough for Apple or Samsung to boast about more pixels in their smartphone cameras or the number of apps available in the app store; these companies need to market their devices with the business purposes a customer may use the device for. Customers that see how a mobile device can help them in their jobs will be more likely to pick up the device. Any company that does not take this into account in their marketing efforts will likely lose out on some sales.
Marketing campaigns are also needing to factor the influence of the mobile device market. A study from 2013 looked at the effectiveness of email campaigns and how sales were being made. The study showed that of all the sales generated from emails, 16 percent of them happened from a mobile device. Of those sales, more than half (56 percent) were made on a tablet. Considering that the study was done more than a year ago, it stands to reason that those numbers have only increased since then. In other words, mobile marketing is more important than ever and will continue to be a crucial element of every campaign. That’s why marketers need to tailor campaigns for maximum effectiveness on mobile devices used at companies where BYOD has been adopted.
At the same time, the focus of mobile marketing is shifting as BYOD continues to spread. Before BYOD’s growth in popularity, it was typical to see marketing that targeted individuals. While this is still the case, many marketers are now taking a look at businesses as a whole and marketing to them as well. Since whole businesses are adopting BYOD policies, marketers know that prospective customers are employees that will likely choose a large corporation like Google or Apple for their preferred device. In addition to that, the majority of employees at a company will likely select a similar device which will provide for easier collaboration among the entire team. For that reason, marketers are casting a wider net to attract a whole roster of employees to their products.
The same can be said in the way that apps are being marketed as well. Apps need to be advertised in such a way as to prove their usefulness in the workplace. Some marketers may choose to highlight the way an app syncs up to all personal devices, or they may talk about how it has features that facilitate cooperation for workers while on the job. Other campaigns could show personal apps in a new light, demonstrating the attributes that allow something like Facebook to be used in a work setting. Some apps may even be marketed for how they specifically increase BYOD benefits, like separating a device between personal and work sections or improving BYOD security.
Marketers are just scratching the surface on how best to take advantage of the wave of BYOD adoptions. With more experience, marketing campaigns will prove to be more effective at increasing sales in a BYOD environment. Products will likely follow as companies learn to maximize the benefits of BYOD while addressing some of its drawbacks. Whatever the outcome, it’s safe to say BYOD will leave a lasting impact on the marketing landscape.
