Mobile Marketing in Digital Marketing

https://www.lumavate.com/what-is-mobile-marketing/Marketing is a concept that has been around for a long time. Many historians believe the concept of marketing started as early as 1500 BCE, according to OCreative. During this time producers of goods would stamp their products with a specific mark, so buyers would know who created the product they were purchasing. Although this concept has been around for quite some time, marketing has definitely evolved. Over the years with more and more product offerings becoming available, marketers must find ways to stand out from the crowd.

In recent years, technological advancements have forced marketers to embrace change, and find new ways to interact and engage with their customers. Consumers are expecting things to be easy to access and also personalized. This means digital marketing and mobile marketing are becoming more common. We will discuss digital marketing and mobile marketing in detail in the coming sections.

What is Digital Marketing?

According to the American Marketing Association, “Digital marketing refers to any marketing methods conducted through electronic devices which utilize some form of a computer, including online marketing efforts conducted on the internet.” Simply put, digital marketing is the promotion of a company using the internet. The term digital marketing is a newer one and has been around since the 1990s. According to Simplilearn, “The digital age took off with the coming of the internet and the development of the Web 1.0 platform.” 

Digital marketing can include any of the following marketing channels: mobile marketing, email marketing, digital ads, search engine marketing, SEO, and social media marketing.

Mobile Marketing in Digital Darketing

You might be wondering where mobile marketing fits into digital marketing. Basically, mobile marketing is one of the channels within digital marketing. The other types of digital marketing channels include email marketing, digital ads, search engine marketing, SEO, and social media marketing.

What Is Mobile Marketing?

According to Gartner, the mobile marketing definition “is a platform that helps marketers manage and activate marketing campaigns that target consumers with direct marketing on their mobile devices.” A simple way to think of mobile marketing is that it is a type of marketing which involves a company promoting its products and services via a mobile device.

There are various ways a company can engage in mobile marketing. Some of these ways include:

• Using mobile advertising to appeal to their customers.

• Creating a mobile app for their company that allows customers to view and purchase products.

• Create an SMS campaign and send out text messages to new and existing customers.

• Utilizing mobile push notifications to engage with their customers and providing personalized messages.

• Using QR codes to help customers find relevant information about products they purchased.

An important thing for businesses to take into consideration is that not every type of mobile marketing will work well for their business. You will have to consider what channels and tactics resonate best with your target audience. This may require some research on your end first, or possibly doing a trial run of certain types of mobile marketing to see what works best.

There are also numerous mobile marketing software platforms that are available and can help you easily manage everything related to mobile marketing. Each type of software will likely have its own set of mobile marketing features. These features are important items to consider when searching for the right platform for your company. The mobile marketing platforms can include options for building apps, SMS campaigns, push notifications, and mobile ads.

What Are the Advantages of Mobile Marketing?

There are countless benefits to creating a  mobile marketing strategy within your overall marketing strategy. 

The most common mobile marketing advantages are as follows:

• Broad Access - Almost every adult in the world has at least one mobile device. According to Statista, as of 2021, there were about 298 million smartphone users in the US. The number of adults who have smartphones has more than doubled since 2011. Statista also points out that “only 35 percent of all U.S. adults owned a smartphone in 2011, compared to 85 percent of adults who owned a smartphone, as of February 2021.” Based on these numbers, it is safe to say that mobile devices are one of the best channels to reach your target audience. 

• Immediacy - These days consumers are constantly on their mobile devices. This means your brand has a higher likelihood of your mobile marketing being seen much faster when compared to other marketing channels. According to Zippia, Americans will check their phone once every 10 to 12 minutes. “That means the average American checks their phone at least 96 times per day. Though, 66% of Americans actually check their phones 160 times every day.” These statistics highlight just how connected people are to their phones.

• Incredible Open and Response Rates with SMS - Text messaging has a 98 percent open rate and a 45 percent response rate. These rates blow away any other marketing channel. Marketers are constantly being asked to demonstrate ROI for their marketing efforts and the results of SMS marketing will definitely show ROI for your mobile marketing investments.

• Viral Button -  A viral button does not exist, as much as marketers would like it to. With this in mind, a majority of the things that do happen to go viral do so on a mobile device. This means that the more you interact with your customers on a mobile device, the more likely you are to go viral. It is important to remember that your marketing does need to be creative, so it stands apart from others. Another important thing to remember, there are no guarantees that your marketing efforts will go viral.

• Cost-effective - When comparing mobile marketing vs. traditional marketing, mobile marketing is a much more cost-effective option. This is especially true when compared to traditional marketing channels, such as print, TV, and radio.

What Are Three Disadvantages of Mobile Marketing?

While the advantages of mobile marketing far outweigh the disadvantages, there are still some disadvantages of mobile marketing. Let’s review the three main disadvantages below:

• Skill Required - Not all marketers have experience with mobile marketing channels. Some marketing channels do require extensive knowledge to successfully implement and manage. If your company has never done this before and does not have a skilled employee in this area, there will be a learning curve.

• Competition - With the growing usage of mobile devices by consumers, more companies are investing resources into mobile marketing efforts. This means that every channel within mobile marketing is more competitive than ever before. 

• Security and Privacy Issues - Consumers are becoming more and more protective of their online privacy and care about how companies handle their information. This is an important consideration when it comes to planning your mobile marketing strategy.

What Are Some Mobile Marketing Strategies?

There are several important mobile marketing strategies that companies can utilize. Let’s take a closer look at a few different mobile marketing strategy examples:

• SMS Marketing - SMS stands for short message service and is commonly known as text messaging. By using SMS marketing, you can send out various promotions to your customers via text messages. If your company chooses to use SMS marketing, an important thing to keep in mind is that customers have to opt-in to receive messages. This means that you cannot send out text messages until customers have opted in.

• Mobile Apps - Having a mobile app for your company can offer numerous benefits to your business. Strategies around mobile apps could involve creating a new mobile app for your business and driving traffic to it. If a mobile app already exists, there could be a campaign driving people to check out a specific new feature of the app.

• Push Notifications - Push notifications involve sending a message that appears as an alert on a user’s device. This means that if a user has the native app or web app on their mobile device, your brand can send out a push notification. From there users can click on the push notification and can learn more about a specific promotion. 

• Mobile Ads - According to Investopedia, “Mobile advertising is any form of advertising that appears on mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets using wireless connections.” Mobile ads can also be displayed based on a user's location or their behaviors. These would be considered targeted ads.

Why Is Mobile Marketing Important?

Mobile marketing is extremely important given the amount of time that consumers spend on their mobile devices every day. According to Zippia, the average American touches their phone 2,617 times per day. “For heavy users, that number can reach over 5,000.” While this may sound crazy, think about the number of times you reach for your phone to make sure it is there, or just do a quick search for something. As of 2022, Zippia also noted that 86 percent of the global population has a smartphone and “the average American will check their phone once every 10 to 12 minutes.” This translates to most Americans checking their phones about 96 times per day. These statistics show just how much time people in the United States and all over the world spend and interact with their smartphones on a daily basis. These statistics highlight just how important mobile marketing is.

What Is an Example of Mobile Marketing?

Mobile marketing can consist of numerous mobile channels which include mobile advertising, mobile apps, SMS campaigns, mobile push notifications, QR codes, and mobile searches. Many companies utilize several mobile marketing tools such as software to help promote their products and services to customers.

While there are many examples of mobile marketing, let’s discuss some of the best mobile marketing examples in the next section:

• Mobile advertising & mobile apps - Amazon is an example of a company that uses in-app advertising to engage with its customers. They show you products that are recommended for you, based on your previous searches and purchases. They also provide one-click ordering and fast shipping options and provide a consistent experience across all mobile platforms. Providing a seamless experience keeps customers coming back and using their app.

• SMS campaigns & mobile apps - Walmart recently launched text to shop functionality. According to Retail Dive, when “connected to a user’s Walmart account, the Text to Shop function knows what a customer’s usual items are. Shoppers can text the name of a general item — such as “cereal” — and the retailer will add the brand and type typically ordered to the user’s cart, allowing shoppers to swap it, change the quantity or remove it.” This provides a convenient opportunity for people who have busy schedules.

• Mobile push notifications - Netflix is an example of a company that has utilized mobile push notifications. They send out personalized push notifications based on the users’ behavior. The notifications encourage you to continue watching a show you previously were watching or to alert you when a show you love has a new season out. This type of personalization is what makes customers excited to continue using a particular company’s app and keeps them coming back.

• Mobile apps - Numerous brands like True Religion and Pottery Barn have recently launched new mobile apps. True Religion’s app features special details and exclusive products, along with interactive content and style recommendations. Pottery Barn’s app features the ability for customers to create registries, browse products, save their favorite products and even make purchases using Apple Pay.

Which of the Following Is Not an Example of Mobile Marketing?

We have discussed a lot about what mobile marketing is, so what is not an example of mobile marketing? While, as discussed previously, mobile marketing comprises mobile advertising, mobile apps, SMS campaigns, mobile push notifications, and QR codes. Mobile marketing is not TV, print, or radio marketing. These are commonly known as traditional marketing examples. 

Mobile marketing provides companies with numerous options to engage and interact with their customers. They may choose to launch numerous mobile marketing campaigns to see which ones work best for their business.

Ready to see how Lumavate can help with your mobile marketing efforts? Book a demo now.