Topics: Marketing Toolkit, Digital Media
There’s been a lot of buzz lately about mobile marketing. But what exactly is mobile marketing? Should you consider adding it to your marketing plan, and if so, why? How do you do mobile marketing well? As media experts known for creating winning strategies and building award-worthy campaigns, we’re happy to share our mobile marketing knowledge with you. Learn what mobile marketing is, what you need to get started, and how to create a good mobile marketing strategy of your own.
What is mobile marketing?
Mobile marketing is a multi-faceted component of a digital marketing approach. It aims to reach a business’s target audience through their mobile device (smartphone, tablet, etc.) using web browsers, email, text messaging, social media, and/or mobile apps.
Digital pay-per-click (PPC) advertising campaigns are one of the most efficient and cost-effective ways to maximize return on marketing investment for almost any business, and can be easily included in a mobile marketing strategy.
Influencer marketing and podcast advertising are excellent modern marketing tactics that extend effortlessly to mobile devices. And even without paid ad campaigns, maintaining a business presence on social media platforms increases brand recognition and audience engagement.
+ Learn more about audio advertising - a highly effective new marketing channel.
What are some types of mobile marketing channels?
The best mobile marketing advertising channels today are Google (for search ads, display ads and video ads - YouTube), Bing (for search and display ads), and social media platforms (for Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter).
Google:
Although Generation Z and other Millennial audiences spend a lot of time on social media, when they’re ready to purchase, they go to Google. On average, there are 5.6 billion search queries per day on Google. And by the time the search query leads to you, the buyers have intent. So don't forget to include a Google Strategy in your digital plans.
Things like keeping your Google My Business (GMB) account updated and optimizing your Google Ads keyword list based on search data can put your brand at the top of the search list. And based on the exponentially high conversion metrics when you appear in the top three on Google Search, this is precisely where you want to be. Also worth mentioning when discussing mobile marketing, over 70% of YouTube views are on mobile.
Bing:
Although Bing (owned by Microsoft) is not as popular a search engine as Google, they remain a strong competitor. Well over 100 million people use Bing, and it’s a good place to reach older (and often more financially successful) demographic groups (those above their mid-30’s). Not only that, but Bing ads appear on 3 search engines – Bing, Yahoo and AOL. Furthermore, because there is less competition on Bing than on Google, each click costs less and so advertisers get more for their money.
Social Media:
Social media ad impressions are up 20%, year over year. Approximately 30% of internet users say they find new products and brands through paid social ads. Here are a few social media marketing stats worth noting:
- 80% of social referrals to e-commerce sites come from Facebook.
- Worldwide, the average Facebook user has clicked 12 ads in the last 30 days.
- 928.5 million people can be reached by ads on Instagram.
- 92% of Instagram users say they’ve followed a brand, clicked on their website, or made a purchase after seeing a product/service on the platform.
- On average, LinkedIn sponsored InMail has a 52% open rate. Compare that to your average branded email’s open rate, which is 21.3%
- Twitter users spend 26% more time viewing ads, than users on other platforms.
- 90% of people on Twitter read the copy, which is higher than any other social platform.
What are the steps in creating a mobile marketing strategy?
The basics of creating a successful marketing strategy are the same, whether you’re looking at a mobile, digital, traditional, or integrated campaign.
- Discover your marketing goals. You need to create crystal-clear objectives that are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time-bound.
+ Learn how to develop marketing goals that increase campaign effectiveness. - Identify a buyer persona for your target audience. Take the time to understand who they are and what they want.
+ Learn how to create a buyer persona and why it’s important. . - Research both the marketplace and your competitors. A strong understanding of your industry and your competition is vital. Knowing who and what performs well and why will inevitably influence your marketing strategy.
- Choose the best marketing tactics for the job at hand. Ideally your mobile marketing campaign will be part of a broader integrated strategy containing the right mix of traditional out-of-home and print advertising, display, video, search, social, earned media, influencer marketing and promotional events.
+ Learn how to create an effective integrated marketing strategy. - Consider the buyer’s journey. To effectively motivate your target audience to act, it’s important to understand their journey from the top of the funnel (awareness), through the middle (consideration), to the bottom (decision/action).
- Execute your campaign.
- Track your results.
- Refine if necessary. (Here’s a pro tip - refinement is always necessary for maximum ROI.)
Where does mobile marketing fall in the marketing funnel?
Mobile marketing has a place in every part of the marketing funnel, from the top of the funnel (awareness), through the middle (consideration), to the bottom (decision/action).
Does mobile content marketing require content written specifically for mobile, or can you repurpose/adapt existing content?
Mobile marketing content does not need to be created from scratch. Existing marketing content can be easily repurposed or optimized for mobile use. People may already be accessing your website and any marketing emails from their mobile device - best to make sure they’ve been mobile-optimized.
If you’re currently doing any type of digital advertising or social media interaction, much of your target audience is likely already encountering your efforts primarily on mobile devices. And existing graphics, artwork, videos, and written copy can often be easily incorporated into new mobile ads and social media posts.
Is mobile marketing feasible/advisable for a small business?
Yes, it is. In a time of “innovate or die”, all businesses must ensure that digital media is an active part of their marketing mix. Society spends a lot of time on their phones. In fact, 80.6 users in the United States accessed the internet exclusively via mobile devices in 2020. Globally, mobile internet users account for 91% of total internet users, making mobile the most important channel for internet access worldwide. Additionally, mobile accounts for 62% of online video views, 64% of retail visits are from a smartphone, and 46% of retail orders are completed on a smartphone.
Digital marketing capabilities are giving marketers more power than ever to target audiences with granular specificity while diminishing wasted ad spend. Geo-targeted mobile ad campaigns are an excellent example of this. To see a geo-targeted mobile campaign in action, try searching for a specific type of business on your mobile phone while you’re in a particular area. Chances are you will automatically see the ones closest to you first.
With mobile advertising, ads are served to the intended audience, in the intended location, in the palms of the audience members’ hands. Why wouldn’t you put money behind that? And other mobile marketing efforts (like social media interaction and mobile-optimized websites and email marketing) will help establish your business’s brand, extend your reach, drive traffic, generate leads, and increase sales.
How important is mobile marketing to an overall marketing campaign?
This cannot be overstated. Mobile marketing is an essential part of almost any modern marketing campaign.
“If your plans don’t include mobile, your plans are not finished.”
- WENDY CLARK
Here at MSS Media Inc, we’ve been providing Education, Government, Real Estate & Lifestyle clients with succinct, optimized, and successful marketing solutions for more than 15 years. Consider MSS Media, Inc a full-service, one-stop shop for all your Media and Public Relations needs. Your goals are our motivation. And our mission is to propel your message, further and faster, to achieve the outcomes you’re looking for. If you found this blog post helpful, please share!
