More consumers than ever are using mobile devices to compare and research products, find great deals, and even make purchases. The numbers continued to rise through 2013, and this year analysts expect to see the biggest mobile year yet. Is your company ready to cash in on mobile?
As the use of mobile for commerce continues to expand, new mobile marketing strategies are emerging to keep up. Here are a few trends expected to rise this year that can help your business get in on the lucrative mobile market.
Geo-targeting (location-based marketing)
Most smart phones and tablets have built-in GPS, helping millions of drivers give up using dash GPS consoles and paper road maps. But marketers can also use this technology to target consumers in real-time with relevant offers, based on geographic location.
Geo-targeting can also be used inside stores, restaurants, and other physical businesses with micro-location-based strategies. The possibilities for in-store targeting range from relevant coupons and offers, to integrated “check inventory” features, to specific department targeting. Geo-targeting will be able to act as a two-way channel, capturing customer data while sending offer notifications.
Narrowcasting
The potential reach of social media marketing is unquestionably broad, with major platforms boasting hundreds of millions of active users (or in the case of Facebook, more than a billion). A broad reach is great—but the problem arises with reaching your actual target market, which often represents a very small percentage of the total possible viewers.
Narrowcasting is a mobile marketing strategy that aims to create the opposite effect. The more personalized delivery methods of mobile allow your business to create and deliver customized content only to significantly more qualified leads. This translates to less marketing dollars spent for a higher ROI.
Multimedia Messaging Service and Rich Media Messaging
The primary vehicle for mobile marketing has been SMS, or Short Message Service, for several years. Most marketing messages are text-based, typically with one link that leads to a website, landing page, or social media. However, with video now accounting for 50 percent of mobile traffic, the marketing vehicle is shifting gears.
Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) has grown 40 percent year after year, and analysts predict that 2014 will see the growth rate for this vehicle explode. Even more popular is Rich Media Messaging (RMM)—similar to MMS, but with built-in responsive design that ensures messages are formatted correctly for the device it’s being viewed on. Currently, RMM enjoys open rates more than 99 percent, and twice the conversion rates of SMS.
Mobile ad gamification
Apps and games are practically synonymous. The explosive popularity of apps like Angry Birds, Candy Crush, and the recently discontinued Flappy Birds illustrates our competitive nature—and the fact that we’re far more likely to use something if it’s presented as a game.
Marketers who give people the opportunity to gamify their experience, whether it’s competing with friends, unlocking content, acquiring badges, or racking up points, will see greater engagement and higher click-through rates. They’ll also experience lower uninstall rates and, hopefully, more conversions.
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