Mobile phones are an intrinsic part of our lives now. Initially, it was only meant to help us stay connected while on the move. But these days, these smart gadgets can help us do so much more. We can manage our finances, listen to music, track our health, we can take pictures, browse the internet, book taxis, send and receive emails, and see what people are posting on social media. Everything is just a click away.
According to this Global Mobile Consumer Survey report of Deloitte –
- More than 40% of Americans of all ages will check their mobile phones within 5 minutes of waking up
- On average, Americans check their smartphones 47 times each day. This is 82 times daily for the 18-24 age group.
Not just the US, you will see this trend around the world. With so many people using these devices, businesses now have a unique opportunity to connect with their customers and engage with them.
Conventional advertising and marketing has a one-to-many approach where the businesses address the mass crowd. But with mobile marketing, the business can now easily segment the market, and even approach an individual, customizing the marketing plan if needed.
Mobile marketing is now a key tool for business growth. Businesses can promote a new product, connect with the audience, engage with them in a meaningful way, collect feedback, and also just keep them informed. Mobile marketing builds a lasting relationship with the customer.
Comparing Mobile Marketing and Traditional Marketing
People carry their mobile devices wherever they go. Marketers can use location-based services and collect customer data. The business can then offer deals, coupons, and promotions based on their location and proximity to a shop, and the stores that the customer visits frequently. This is a new approach that is not available with traditional marketing.
We will see many more such innovations shortly. Here are some latest mobile marketing trends as predicted by many experts. Mobile marketing in the future will be even more specific and targeted for an individual. This will naturally make the marketing campaign more effective. For example, food coupons for a particular store can be sent to the mobile phone of a user whenever the person is close to the store.
Mobile Marketing Channels
- Mobile Apps – Mobile apps can improve brand awareness and help the business engage with its customers. Mobile phone users download apps to stay entertained, find information, and carry out tasks. If the business provides value, it can easily improve brand awareness and brand loyalty.
- SMS Marketing – Businesses can also reach the target market through SMS or Short Message Service. A lot of things can be done through SMS. A business can promote events, disperse information, announce special deals, and increase sales.
- MMS Marketing – This is similar to sending an SMS but with a critical difference. With MMS, a business can send multimedia messages including videos, audio, and image files, which can make the marketing even more effective as multimedia makes it visually more appealing and engaging.
- Mobile Websites – The modern-day websites must be designed for mobile phones. A responsive design makes it appear correctly for these devices. It should load correctly on the mobile phone and the navigation should be accurate. This is very important as most smartphone users these days browse the web. A large percentage of a website’s traffic comes from mobile devices, which is why the websites need to be optimized for mobile phones.
- Social Media – The different social media platforms also help businesses reach the target market. Marketers can share content, promote the brand, and build relationships with the customer. There are millions of people on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.
As we delve into strategies for business expansion in the digital realm, it’s essential to recognize how online promotional techniques contribute significantly to the overarching discussion, a theme further explored in another insightful piece focused on maximizing growth through mobile marketing.
Top Reasons Why Businesses Must Leverage Mobile Marketing
- To reach more customers – According to November 2023 data, there are 6.92 billion smartphone users in the world. So, businesses will be able to reach a wider audience compared to the traditional marketing channels, and that too at a marginal cost. It is more likely that the person will have a mobile phone and not a computer.
- Cost-effective – Mobile marketing is cheaper than traditional marketing methods. Preparing a television advertisement costs a lot of money and the cost of distribution is even steeper. Print advertisement is also costly. Mobile marketing costs way less. Channels such as Whatsapp groups make it virtually free.
- Personalized messages – A business can send personalized or customized messages to its customers, which is never possible with television or print advertisements. Businesses can easily segment the market and develop targeted campaigns for each specific group. As a result, the marketing campaign is more likely to increase sales.
- Improved engagement – A mobile phone is a personal device. The communication is always one-to-one and as a result, the receiver is more likely to pay attention to the received message. A business can develop a more engaging campaign to make the marketing effort fruitful. Over time, a bond may develop between the customer and the business.
- Instant content delivery – Mobile marketing allows you to deliver the content instantly. In traditional marketing, on the other hand, you must wait for the customer to visit the store or the website before the person sees the content. With mobiles, the person can see the content as soon as you publish it. As a result, sales and leads are generated more quickly.
- Greater flexibility – Mobile marketing is more flexible as you have more channels compared to traditional marketing. You can reach the customer through push notifications, MMS, and SMS. You can easily tailor the messages for your customers. Many social media channels can build brand identity, brand loyalty, and better engagement with the customer.
Domino’s, Netflix, Starbucks, Sephora, McDonald’s, Samsung, and many other top brands are already extensively using mobile marketing. But not just them, even smaller businesses can do this effectively because the cost of developing a mobile campaign and reaching the customer base is negligible compared to traditional marketing.
If done efficiently, mobile marketing can be very effective. It can boost sales and leads, it can help the business launch new products, offer personalized services, and engage better with the customer.