We now live in a world where businesses can communicate with their customers anytime, anywhere, and for increasingly smaller budget allocations. Not only are all businesses capable of doing this, but customers want and expect it. And with the ability for customers to share and post your product on a whim, the reach businesses have now is far greater than it has ever been.
Mobile technology and consumer habits are paving new and exciting ways for businesses to reach and interact with their customers – the possibilities almost seem endless. Brands are able to reach customers through authentic communication that provides value and builds trust, rather than through a giant obtrusive billboard in their face.
More People Have Access to Mobile
Today, it should come as no surprise that it’s more common to own a smartphone than a desktop or laptop computer. People are more likely to go to their smartphone when considering a purchase or getting answers to their questions. Mobile devices are portable and more convenient, no matter who or where you are. If mobile is where consumers are, then that’s where businesses should focus their efforts.
Most Americans will spend a majority of their screen time on mobile over desktop, and there is a growing trend for many Americans to transition to mobile only. Roughly 20% of US adults are “smartphone-only” today and people in the U.S already spend more than twice their time on mobile, even if they own a desktop.
The Mobile Connection Is Strong
We take our smartphones everywhere we go and check them multiple times a day as they have become a vital source of information in modern day life. That alone changes things. However, not only has mobile gained rapid and widespread traction, it has also changed what people value.
Mobile applications and related technology have made it so that consumers expect to access products, services, and information faster and more efficiently than ever before. This has created new opportunities in almost every industry, and it is the direct connection a brand has with the consumer on their mobile device that make it so. Many modern brands have relied solely on mobile apps and other mobile technologies to interact and transact with their customer base.
Google has coined the term “micro-moments” to describe “an intent-rich moment when a person turns to a device to act on a need – to know, go, do, or buy.” We are seeing new ways in which these micro-moments are being used every day. They are exponentially increasing, and with it, the chances to interact with your customers are growing not only numerically, but in speed and depth. This gives brands and businesses the opportunity to deliver what users are looking for and ultimately gain their business. The winner of these micro-moments will rely on two aspects: 1) being where your customers are, and 2) ensuring a top-quality user experience.
More Ways to Deliver Your Message
Mobile has also “invented” and improved nearly every other marketing method available. There are dozens of possible channels you could use to deliver a marketing message. The following are some of the most effective and are considered best practice for today’s marketers and brands: Social Media Platforms, SMS & MMS Text Messaging, and Branded Mobile Applications.
In the case of mobile applications, done right, businesses can provide their customer with an exceptional user experience. With an app, a customer is likely to spend more time with your brand for the purposes of either research, shopping, communication, or simply the use of a tool.
Mobile phone users spend 92% of their time on applications.
Furthermore, mobile applications have the added benefit of allowing for Push Notifications. Push Notifications are a virtually mobile-exclusive marketing tool and are interrupt-driven and likely to get attention quickly. According to Localytics’ research, “push notifications that add the most value are ones triggered by a user’s stated preferences. About 49% percent of respondents said these types of notifications cause them to use an app more.”
Mobile App Marketing is Marketing Made Personal
Mobile marketing creates an opportunity to personalize the digital experience. Mobile applications allow brands to interact with their customers via their most valued form of media.
Besides understanding customers’ needs and wants, you also want to allow them to choose how they receive communications. If they only want an email newsletter once a week, they should be able to have that while others receive them once a day. The same goes for app-driven push notifications. While these are arguably the most effective tool a mobile marketer has at their disposal, they are also the most likely to be a double-edged sword. Push notifications, if unwanted, are annoying. The more relevant, the more personalized, the better.
Done right, mobile marketing is unobtrusive. It fits right into a person’s life. They can control how they interact with your brand and how much. That creates a more positive relationship.