Constructive criticism isn’t always the easiest to hear, but it is important if you want to get better at what you’re doing. So today, the constructive criticism I am going to give you is this: your mobile strategy needs work. Even if you don’t think it does, look it over a critical eye and consider what could be improved. Mobile marketing is so new to all of us, that we shouldn’t feel “settled” or like we are “done” creating our mobile strategy. It should always be evolving.
Make It Easy to Use
When I think about my smartphone, the main thing I think about is how easy it is to use. Take QR codes for example. All you have to do is point your camera at one and boom, the link appears and you are already on the brands website. So when it comes to your mobile marketing strategy, it needs to be so simple and easy for customers to use or else they won’t use it. 70 percent of us now look at more web pages on smartphones or tablets than on desktops. Therefore any website or app (whether it be a native mobile app or Progressive Web App) should be designed with a mobile-first mindset, meaning the content should be easy to read and access, buttons, and gestures should make sense (don’t make the scroll left to go right), and it should be designed to fit a smartphone screen. This also goes beyond just website and app design. SMS messages should be easy to opt-in and out of, and QR codes or NFC tags can be used to easily provide product information. The whole point of a mobile marketing strategy is to reach consumers who are on the go, so you shouldn’t be making them work hard to view your content.
Make It Relevant
Mobile marketing is pretty new, and pretty trendy right now. So, when you are working on your mobile marketing strategy, make sure it is relevant and will resonate with customers. Think of it this way. If you are trying to reach customers on their latest technology (like smartphone or wearable technology like an Apple Watch), but are running a campaign that is so out of date it’s probably not going to go over well. Now, I am not saying to chase every new trend and piece of technology that comes out. Instead run a campaign your customers will get a kick out of. A great way to do this is making it interactive. Design a snapchat filter that customers can wear or incorporate a game into your campaign. Starbucks recently did a great job of this for the campaign that ran the week of National Coffee Day. The coffee giant created a game called “Starland” that used augmented reality to let customers use their camera to find stars in their house. When they found one they could click on it and get a prize. It was simple, but something I looked forward to doing everyday (it also led me to buying Starbucks three times last week). Your mobile campaigns don’t have to be complicated, but they have to be relevant to your customers.
Who Is Doing Mobile Well?
Let’s look at who has already nailed down their mobile marketing strategies. Now don't copy exactly what they are doing (it won’t work), but it is great inspiration for what you could be doing.
E.l.f. CosmeticsE.l.f. Cosmetics have done mobile really well, even when COVID-19 threw a wrench into everyone's marketing plans. The cosmetic brand took their marketing efforts to TikTok, but not through annoying sponsored ads. Instead they created original songs, which made the brand memorable, and created TikTok challenges where they encouraged customers to post videos using their products with the songs playing in background. So not only did they create a strong presence on mobile, they also encouraged their customers to engage with them in a space where they already were.
Burger KingBurger King is always pushing the mobile boundaries whether it’s with their app, commercials, or campaigns trolling McDonald’s. Recently Burger King has impressed us once again with their use of a “bouncing QR code” in commercials. If the QR code is caught by your phone’s camera, it gives the viewer a free Whopper. And they didn’t just stop there, they are using your mobile phone’s geolocation to see who is safe and ordering from home. The more time you spend at home, the more rewards Burger King offers. Genius. As if it couldn’t get better, Burger King is also designing completely mobile focused locations.
Mobile marketing can be hard. It is new and can be challenging to cut through the clutter of what actually works and what is just a temporary trend. But the best piece of advice I can give you is that you should always be working on your mobile marketing strategy. Even when you think it can’t get better, it probably can.
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