Smartphone addiction is real. The whole world seems to be hooked on the bright screens and constant connection of mobile. Two-thirds of Americans now own a smartphone, and 10% of American smartphone owners rely solely on their smartphone’s data plan for high-speed internet access at home (Pew Research Center). Consumers are turning to their smartphone first before any other media and marketers are desperate to reach mobile audiences. Here are 5 high-impact marketing strategies to capitalize on this mobile mania.
1. Dynamic Web and Email Design
Ten months ago Google’s “Mobilegeddon” struck the marketing world, forcing marketers to provide mobile-friendly websites in order to retain their search rankings. While Mobilegeddon had some marketers panicking, Google’s intentions were honorable. It gave companies the necessary push to make their websites mobile-friendly, benefiting both consumers and businesses. 40% of people will choose another search result if their original choice isn’t mobile-friendly (iAcquire), making a mobile-friendly website essential for digital marketing success.
It is also crucial that your marketing emails are mobile-friendly. When 91% of consumers use a smartphone to check email at least once a day (ExactTarget), clunky emails meant for desktop will destroy your email performance. This isn’t exactly a shocking revelation for most marketers, but it’s stunning the number of marketing emails still not optimized for mobile. If your marketing emails aren’t mobile-friendly, it should be at the top of your priority list.
If you’re ready to take the next step in mobile design, check out this blog post from our Design Manager: How Mobile-First Design Is Really Content-First Design.
2. Pair Behavioral Indicators With Demographics for Mobile Targeting
Demographics alone are no longer enough for digital ad targeting. Reaching mobile consumers requires targeting behavioral indicators in conjunction with demographics. Google coined the term “micro-moments” to define the small mobile actions which signal interest and intent. Identifying these actions enables marketers to be present in micro-moments and understand how to use behavioral targeting to continue engagement. Combining both behavioral and demographic methods allows you to target your known audience and those who have shown interest. Google research found that failing to account for consumer intent and behavioral indicators results in missing more than 70% of your potential mobile shoppers. Your brand should be present in every one of these micro-moments and poised to deliver relevant, useful messages and experiences to the consumer.
If you’re interested in taking advantage of some of the most powerful micro-moments, check out this article, Why Calls Are Relevant in Each of Google’s “I-Want-To” Micro-Moments.
3. Be Social
Successful mobile marketing requires you to follow consumers; right now this means a social media presence is absolutely necessary. Social media is a top mobile activity and has mobile marketers working tirelessly to improve their social abilities. A Pew Research Center study found that 91% of 18-29 year olds who own a smartphone use their phone to access social media at least once a one week. 77% of those age 30-49, and 55% of those over 50 years old, also use their smartphone to access social media. When the majority of adults accessing social media from their smartphone, this makes social media a requirement for mobile marketing.
The major social media networks, such as Facebook and Twitter, have developed advertising networks with powerful targeting capabilities. Precise targeting and native mobile app ads help marketers reach a highly relevant and engaged audience. With proven results, marketers are pouring ad dollars into mobile marketing on social media. Facebook posted $4.5 billion of revenue in the third quarter of 2015, (and mobile ad sales accounted for 78% of that revenue!). Social media has gone mobile, and mobile marketing needs to follow.
Do you drive enough conversions from mobile social media marketing? This tip guide will show you how drive social media conversions on mobile like a pro: New Facebook Ad Strategies to Convert Mobile-First Shoppers.
4. Evolve Beyond Cookie-Based Tracking
Marketers have a large blind spot caused by the inability to follow consumers across devices. To win at mobile, marketing campaigns need to be consistent across all devices. Accomplishing this requires marketers to track consumers across devices, which isn’t easy. To solve this, Google and Facebook have been developing new ways to track across devices. Google’s Customer Match feature allows advertisers to upload a list of email addresses that, if matched to Google accounts, can be targeted across most of Google’s advertising networks. Facebook has a similar targeting feature, Custom Audiences, that will match to users on their network – regardless of the device they’re using. DialogTech CEO, Irv Shapiro has a feeling that phone numbers will soon be a primary method for cross-device tracking. After all, how many times have you changed your cell phone number?
If you want to see what other experts are predicting for the future of mobile marketing, check out DialogTech’s 20/20 Insights.
5. Mobile Wins Need Call Attribution and Conversion Technology
Mobile consumers don’t like converting online.. Calling is a much more natural conversion path from a smartphone. Clicking a phone number or call button will always be easier than filling out a form on a smartphone. Mobile marketing continues to drive record amounts of phone calls to US businesses – there will be 162 billion by 2019 (BIA/Kelsey). To drive more of these mobile conversions, marketers use search marketing features such like call-only ads and call extensions. These ad types are essential for marketers who want to optimize paid search for call conversions. . This requires call attribution technology, which allows you to track calls from your mobile marketing back to the specific ads, keywords, or any marketing source.
To learn more about optimizing your marketing campaigns for driving calls, download our Click-to-Call Playbook for Paid Search.
Mobile marketing is ultimately won through integrating all mobile strategies into an overarching omni-channel marketing strategy. Merging your mobile and desktop marketing into a true omni-channel marketing program allows you to reach consumers with the right message at the right time, across all channels and devices. To learn more about incorporating mobile into your omni-channel marketing strategy, watch our on-demand webinar, Advanced Conversion Strategies for Mobile Search: Secrets to More Clicks, Calls, and Sales.
