Mobile marketing is one of the most effective ways to generate results and grow your business.
Kepios analysis reveals that internet users have more than doubled over the past 10 years, climbing from 2.18 billion at the start of 2012 to 4.95 billion at the start of 2022 and more than two-thirds (67.1% ) of the world’s population now uses a mobile phone, with unique users reaching 5.31 billion by the start of 2022, meaning that you can get your message in front of your target audience within a matter of seconds.
Over half of these 5 billion people are owners of smartphones, meaning that it is possible to dive deeper and opt for a more granular mobile marketing strategy to deliver enhanced results thanks to the devices’ capabilities.
The ubiquity of mobile devices around the globe combined with the range of marketing platforms and opportunities available, mean that mobile marketing really is one of the most powerful channels for businesses of any size to use to their advantage to increase their customer base and generate increased amounts of revenue.
What is Mobile Marketing?
Mobile marketing consists of brands delivering communications to users via mobile phones or tablets. In its infancy it mostly consisted of short and simple bulk SMS, however as the technology’s capabilities have increased, so too have the options available to brands and marketers. Mobile marketing now includes: SMS advertising, email marketing, QR codes, interactive mobile landing pages and in-application advertising.
Over the last few years, mobile marketing strategies have truly developed into a multichannel discipline to encompass different segments of the mobile ecosystem.
This trend will inevitably continue into 2020 and beyond thanks to new and exciting communication channels, such as Rich Communication Services (RCS), gaining traction and providing end users with a range of rich features, including the possibility to make purchases within the message itself thanks to the functionality of the Android ecosystem.
This has been a longstanding issue for mobile commerce across the sphere, however RCS ensures that brands are now able to solve this and meet the users’ needs and deliver across various micro-moments. This even includes the opportunity for brands to target users and initiate interactions to anticipate the needs and requirements of the user.
The wider adoption of RCS across a wider range of handsets and countries means that the future promises to be intriguing as the range of opportunities become evident for both A2P and eCommerce purposes.
The global adoption of smartphones across demographics means that there are opportunities to deliver highly-targeted messaging to the right people at the right time through a variety of different mobile marketing channels and generate conversions and revenue.
This is reflected in the fact that the global mobile industry is expected to contribute approximately $4.8 trillion to worldwide GDP in 2023 as an increasing number of developing countries around the world take up mobile services.
Why is Mobile Marketing so Effective?
The humble SMS is the basis of mobile marketing and it still retains some of the most impressive engagement rates in comparison to other marketing communication channels. It has long held the highest open and read rates at around 98%, and its ability to be sent, open and read by the recipient in a matter of seconds perfectly illustrates its power.
When combined with other channels, its open and read rates make it even more powerful, resulting in increased overall engagement and revenue.
For example, how many emails get buried in one’s inbox and offers missed?
Alerting recipients via SMS about a time-limited special offer in their inbox helps to increase open rates and ensure that offers are redeemed, and purchases made.
It is this ability to instantly connect and communicate with users through a variety of mobile marketing channels that makes it so powerful and effective.
When we consider the variety of channels available, it is possible to construct a multichannel mobile marketing strategy that engages and interacts with contacts at different touchpoints throughout the customer journey and deliver an enhanced experience.
An Ever-Evolving Industry
One of the benefits of mobile marketing is its ability to ensure that it is aligned to wider developments within the mobile sphere and stay up to date with changing trends and technologies. User adoption of these means that it retains many distinct advantages over other mediums within the digital marketing sphere.
Developing a true omnichannel experience ensures that each type of user is catered for and there is the possibility to engage with them on their most utilised channel. Not only does this include ensuring that various demographics are catered for, but it also ensures that you are engaging across various devices, and ultimately, user touchpoints along the journey to conversions.
An Ever-Evolving Industry
Internet connection
One of the top stories at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic was how much more the world came to depend on the internet, especially as countries entered lockdown. However, despite fluctuations in movement restrictions over the past two years, the latest data show that people are in fact spending more time than ever using connected tech. Research from GWI reveals that the “typical” global internet user now spends almost 7 hours per day using the internet across all devices.
E-Commerce
The increases in E-Commerce adoption that we’ve seen since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic show no signs of abating, even as movement restrictions come and go. Data from GWI shows that nearly 6 in 10 working-age internet users (58.4 percent) now buy something online every week, with that figure continuing to rise throughout 2021.
Costs of online advertising
Communication channels are becoming increasingly crowded and there has been a significant escalation in the cost of advertising, especially on the more and more expensive social channels. For example, data from Statista shows that global social media ad spend exceeded USD $150 billion in 2021, with social media ads accounting for roughly one-third (33.1%) of total digital spend.
AI & Conversational Marketing
AI has made great strides in recent months, officially decreeing the hegemony of voice assistants and conversational marketing, an approach involving one-on-one conversations relevant to customers across their buying journey. It’s interactive and hence feels more personal. It makes customers feel heard and helps foster long-term relationships. Gartner projects that by 2026 one in 10 agent interactions will be automated.
What can brands do?
Ensure that you truly understand your customers in terms of their preferred messaging channels, including their entire user journey, and the sort of messaging that resonates with them based upon analysis of their demographic. You should also make sure that your mobile marketing platform offers the functionality to cater for your requirements and that your messaging is consistent throughout, both across mobile and wider online sphere.
If you would like to learn more about designing a multichannel campaign for your business, then review our messaging services and get in touch with your team of experts to start crafting your own campaign!
