If you’re debating whether or not to increase your ad spend on mobile marketing this year, consider how the landscape has changed. Many businesses have noted the necessity of mobile marketing for their brands, and there is still plenty of ad space for marketers to grab hold of. No one wants to be left behind, using only classic marketing techniques or simple desktop marketing. The trouble is that complexity has been an issue for many companies increasing their budgets for mobile marketing.
While the complexity of mobile marketing has put off many brands from getting into the game, it’s important to acknowledge that the future of successful advertising will rely on a good campaign for smartphones and tablets. Mobile ad spend by businesses is expected to double that of desktop marketing by 2017, mostly due to the fact that customers prefer to use their devices for research and purchases. Don’t let the complexity of mobile marketing harm your business: follow these simple guidelines to navigate the landscape, and make mobile marketing work for your business.
1) Create a mobile-friendly website.
Your website should be optimized for mobile. That means not only making your website easy to navigate via smartphone or tablet, it means you must make it simple to use for Android and Apple models. Nowadays, 4 out of 5 mobile users make a purchase on their smartphone, rather than on a desktop computer. Therefore, make your existing URL mobile friendly so that you can take advantage of the preference of these kinds of users.2) Develop your loyalty program with perks.
When you have an exclusive app for your loyal customers, you can really boost your sales. Customers these days want to make purchases with brands that have rewards for their loyalty. So offer them discounts, coupons, and gifts for shopping with you. Another way to increase sales is through in-store notifications. When a customer enters your storefront, offer them catered deals and promotions that will give them a better experience, and invite them to return for more incentives later.3) Simplify the way you interact with customers.
Social media marketing has proven to be effective, but very difficult to manage in real-time. Therefore, consider using social media as a platform to improve your customer service. Many consumers are using sites like Twitter and Facebook to learn more about a given business, preferring to have a more interactive experience with the brands they choose to trust. Another aspect of your communication to simplify is mobile emails. Mold the content of your emails to the needs of mobile users: keep your correspondences simple, without a lot of slow-to-load images, and get right to the point of your message.4) Put yourself in the mobile user’s shoes.
Mobile devices have become the consumer’s preferred way to interact with brands. A great way to optimize your mobile marketing campaign is to try everything out for yourself. Track the progress of your marketing attempts, and beta test every aspect from every kind of mobile device. Everyone is moving toward mobile for research and purchases: don’t let your fear of mobile marketing force you to miss out on this opportunity.
The time to act is now. Mobile marketing is only going to get easier as advertising outlets and developers create better ways to reach out to customers. But there will not always be as much room for growth in the mobile marketing landscape. 2015 is the year that mobile has taken a strong foothold in the marketing world, so take the time to envision how your mobile marketing campaign can revolutionize how you do business – and grow your sales in the process.