Reaching audiences on their smartphones, tablets, and other portable devices, mobile marketing is one of the fastest growing marketing channels available today. Since marketers and advertisers started experimenting with it in the 2000s, mobile has grown into a number of different formats - SMS marketing, push notifications, QR codes, mobile search ads, app marketing, and more.
Several brands have perfected their mobile strategies over the years, but others have yet to even give it a try. Since the global mobile market size is expected to grow from $10.5 billion to $25 billion in the next few years, it's time for the brands who haven't started to get on board!
For the brands who just added mobile to their marketing strategy this year, we put together a handy list of do's and don'ts to help you get started. Check it out below! And make sure to leave us a comment to let us how your mobile marketing efforts are developing so far at your company.
DO set realistic goals for your team
A huge part of anything in marketing is the planning stage. Gather your marketing team together and set realistic goals for your first few campaigns. Realize that mobile is a new thing for your team, and you are all in it together! Get off to a good start by making sure that everyone on the team knows what their role is - whether they are a decision maker, designer, programmer, tester, analyst, in sales, etc. - and clearly define what the goals are for each role. Keep open communication and provide honest, but constructive feedback so everyone knows what areas they need to improve. Fostering teamwork like this will help everyone stay motivated to make their best efforts as new mobile marketing professionals.[spacer height="8x"]
DON'T get intimidated by numbers or competitors
As noted above, several brands have been perfecting their mobile strategies for years now, but that doesn't mean it's too late for you to get in the game. Don't let your team lose motivation if a your first mobile campaign doesn't quite get the numbers you want, or if one of your competitors comes out with an exciting new campaign that seems like it will be successful right away. Remember that you are all still learning, and your competitors may have learned what they know by many, many rounds of trial and error. Take this as an opportunity to learn from your mistakes and grow - you'll get there someday if you keep trying![spacer height="8x"]
DO optimize your campaign design for multiple devices
Definitely make sure to optimize your campaign design so that it displays correctly and attractively on desktop and mobile devices. This is one of the most important elements to get right, so make sure you do lots of testing on different devices before your campaign goes live! If something doesn't display properly, it will look clumsy to your audience or cause them to miss some information that they may need. Not to mention, they may lose trust in your offer because the bad mobile experience makes your brand look sketchy or unprofessional.[spacer height="8x"]
DON'T neglect site speed or user experience
The need for speed doesn't stop on mobile. In fact, people get even more frustrated when something doesn't load quickly on their smartphone or tablet. The longer your campaign or site takes to load, the more likely they will think it is a waste of time and split. In addition to speed, make sure other mobile-friendly elements are in place, such as larger buttons and responsive design. The user experience should be easy and intuitive, and the user shouldn't ever feel like they have to do work in order to get through your flow.[spacer height="8x"]
DO create engaging content
Yes, content is still king on mobile! You know from other marketing channels that attractive and engaging content is a must, so make sure your zeal for creating quality content is carried over in your mobile marketing efforts.[spacer height="8x"]
DON'T write lengthy content
The smaller the screen, the less space for words, so it's important that you keep it simple. Play around with wording and come up with creative ways to communicate your mobile marketing message so that it captures the interest of your audience. Calls to action should be straightforward, yet meaningful, driving the user to respond.[spacer height="8x"]
DO know who your audience is and what they are looking for
For any marketing campaign, targeting is essential. Before you design your mobile campaign, do your research to understand who your best audience is, as well as what they really need or want. The mobile experience is far more personal than desktop or other channels, so make sure you personalize your message and time it so that it strikes the right chord with your target audience at the right moment. It is also a good idea that your customer care division be well-trained on mobile so they can be responsive and attentive to customers as needs come up.[spacer height="8x"]
DON'T use just one strategy
The fun thing about mobile marketing is all the experimentation you can do, so don't feel like you have to stick to just one strategy, even if there is one in particular that ends up being very successful for you. The opportunities to try new strategies are endless - SMS, apps, location-based campaigns, mobile search ads, mobile coupons, QR codes, push notifications, behavior-driven techniques, and more. Each strategy has a different ability to improve campaign visibility, boost brand awareness, and connect/engage with new customers, so have fun experimenting to see which strategies end up working best for your company!
