Rajendra Zadpe
You’re more likely to be reading this on your smartphone or mobile device than on desktop. In the past decade, the percentage of web usage on mobile phones has risen dramatically. Since 2018, mobile traffic has represented the majority of global web traffic.
That’s only mobile phones, too. The figures shown above don’t include traffic from tablets and other mobile devices. That traffic’s also been growing consistently over the same period.
When it comes to modern internet usage, mobile reigns supreme. From teleconferencing to social media and all in between, we rely on smartphones for more than ever before. That’s what makes an effective mobile marketing strategy as precious as gold dust to any business. More than that, mobile campaigns are an absolute necessity in the ecommerce niche.
If you’re not on top of your mobile marketing strategy, it’s time you were. The best place to start is with a grounding in what this type of marketing strategy is, and why it matters. So, let’s start there before moving on to how you can best target mobile users as an ecommerce business and provide a great mobile experience.
The phrase mobile marketing strategy is a broad one. It’s an umbrella term that covers a range of marketing tools, techniques, and processes. What they all have in common is their target audience. At the most basic level, that target audience is mobile users.
Your mobile marketing strategy is how you reach and engage with potential customers while they use their mobile devices. It can – and often should – be a multichannel strategy. You might try to connect by SMS, email, social media, content marketing, via a mobile app, and more.
It’s the ubiquity and popularity of smartphones that makes mobile marketing so vital. On average, people spend three hours and 15 minutes per day on their mobile phones. In online marketing, it always pays to meet your target audience where they are. Increasingly that means connecting with them via mobile.
In an increasingly mobile-first world, targeting mobile users is a necessity — particularly for ecommerce businesses. If you don’t actively engage with consumers where they are, you’ll lose ground on your rivals. That’s why it’s important for small businesses as well as larger ones. There are many other compelling reasons to use mobile marketing strategies, too.
Unlike some marketing efforts — like SEO or even PPC campaigns via Google Adwords — there’s a low barrier to access for many mobile strategies. Whether you try SMS marketing or a social campaign, you don’t need much technical expertise. Nor do you need any high-level tech. With strong collaboration across your organization, you can get things going with ease.
It’s often more straightforward to track mobile marketing campaigns, too. Easy to understand metrics, such as click-through-rates (CTRs), are useful in measuring success. Platforms like Google Analytics, too, have reports dedicated to mobile users. They help you monitor the mobile optimization of your site and content. That’s as well as offering many other useful insights.
Mobile marketing is a broad church. There are many diverse strategies and processes from which you can choose. That means you can adopt campaigns and channels which suit your budget. You may be surprised at how effective a mobile strategy you can put in place with truly little outlay.
Social media marketing, for instance, is often far cheaper than TV or radio spots. Many mobile marketing strategies, too, can be tightly targeted. Intelligent analytics and research allow you to pinpoint your target audience better. That way, you can focus mobile marketing campaigns on those more likely to convert into customers.
Mobile is an immediate medium. By reaching out to mobile users, you can engage with people in real-time. That’s whether they’re at home, at work, out and about, or anywhere else besides. Every element of mobile marketing, therefore, is like point of sale (POS) advertising. You’re always reaching people when they’re only a few taps from making a purchase.
If designed well, mobile marketing campaigns take advantage of this. You can hit a consumer right when they’re most likely to buy. That may be by placing an ad strategically on social media. It could mean ensuring your mobile site appears on local search listings. However you do it, the instant transactions mobile marketing enables are priceless.
Most of us take our smartphones wherever we go. It’s a symptom of modern life. That means that via mobile marketing, you can utilize localization. That means presenting content or offers based on the physical context in which prospects find themselves.
Geofencing is one example. That’s where you establish a virtual area surrounded by a barrier or ‘fence.’ When someone with your mobile app goes into the area, they get a particular push notification. Burger King famously geofenced rival restaurants in a marketing campaign that went viral.
Localization, though, is also useful to ecommerce businesses. Not least due to the personalization possible when you have access to location data. With that data on members of your target audience, you can learn more about their habits and needs. That lets you better tailor your mobile SEO and marketing campaigns to suit them.
The ecommerce market has never been larger than it is today. Online shopping is forever growing in popularity. The number of brands looking to meet that demand, though, is also ever-expanding. As an online retailer, you need to take every opportunity to get an edge on your rivals.
A robust and effective mobile marketing strategy is no longer optional. It’s a necessity. You must engage with consumers where they are, and increasingly they’re on mobile devices. Fortunately, it’s easier to make mobile marketing work in your favor than you may think.
There are a multitude of mobile marketing strategies that can deliver outstanding results. From optimizing your site content for smartphones to building a unique app, your options are almost limitless.
So, what are you waiting for? Inventory your current campaigns, talk to stakeholders, and supercharge your mobile marketing strategy. You can be sure that’s what your competitors are doing.