Why mobile Marketing must be top of mind!
Consumer behaviour patterns have changed over the last few years, moving hand in hand with technological advances. Users all over the world are managing their lives through their mobile phones, facilitated by high speed mobile internet, the explosion of apps and a huge range of devices for all segments of the market. This has translated into 65% of all global web traffic coming from mobile devices. Further, 86% of all emails are read on a mobile, with the average person consuming 69% of their daily media consumption on mobile devices.
Mobile devices are so permanently attached to their users that they are also sometimes described as ‘second screens’. This means that users continue to view and engage with mobile even whilst watching TV. In fact the stats show that those aged 18-24 looked at their mobiles 60% of the time whilst watching TV, and that those aged over 45 did so for 41% of the time. This has led to tactical marketing strategies where a brand may upweight their mobile advertising activity to complement their TV activity, or to get screen time whilst a competitor is advertising on TV.
Mobile has therefore become an important sales channel and it is essential that brands reach users with mobile first creative and drive traffic onto mobile optimised websites.
How to use mobile advertising
Mobile advertising, coupled with brands use of first and third-party data means that the experience can be very personal, and tailored to what the consumer likes. Brands can showcase items of clothing similar to what you have previously bought, and showcase these in 3D form for you to browse. Brands such as Nike have an app that will use AR to allow you to try the shoe whilst the likes of Amazon will surface products based on your tastes, previous purchase behaviour, and what may be trending at the time.
Mobile can also be used to build closer relationships with your audience. For example, the My Starbucks Rewards app rewards the users every time they visit a coffee shop and use the app. Using the app also unlocks a small discount, but the value exchange is an important one for Starbucks as anything purchased through the app helps Starbucks understand more about who you are as a consumer.
There are also examples of brands using mobile advertising tactically to drive footfall into their stores. For example, geo-location ads can be used to reach users as they get closer to a store. These can come in the form of push notifications (if they already have your app installed), up-weighted Google Adwords as they search for a product or SMS advertising. Brands can also plug their store locations into Facebook and target everyone who is within a predefined radius of the store. The user needs to jump onto Facebook to see the ad, so the reach will not be huge, but it is still a tactic used as the final pull to encourage a store visit.
What is next for Mobile Marketing?
Mobile Marketing is in summary old terminology, today your audience live by, and use their mobile’s for everything. As with all digital advertising you can serve highly targeted ads that can deliver on your pre-determined marketing goals.
In the fight for attention brands are increasingly exploring formats that drive dwell time. Within the social space this can be seen in the likes of Snapchats Lense and Filter ads, which encourage users to explore and play with the brand. Other opportunities include rich media ads that allow a consumer to shake, scratch or blow on the screen to discover new products.
Augmented reality is also going to continue growing, and more and more brands will start to embrace this as a way of showcasing their products. Brands will be able to showcase their products in 3D form within your own home or street – this is something that car and fashion brands are already tapping into.
Another development will be AI-Image recognition, a piece of tech that will analyse a photo and categorise its content. Marketers will then be able to place ads by certain key images. For example imagine that you sell protective dog seats for your car or an air freshener to mitigate pet smells – you could in the future bid to place an interactive ad on top of key images that contain a large dog. Another example could be bidding on photos of a tourist destination.
If you wish to discuss any element of your paid social advertising do get in touch with us through the contact us form on the website.