In a word, yes. Latest statistics (which change almost daily) show that 67% of consumers check their email on a smartphone. As many as 75% of Gmail users access their accounts on mobile devices (Gmail has over 900 million users). Quite scary statistics show that average internet users are spending 51% of their online time on mobiles, 42% on a desktop or laptop and 7% on other connected devices. It goes to show that if you’re not reaching your audience through mobile search or display, or the mobile experience you provide is not satisfactory, you will lose business to the competitors who can provide it.
The way mobile marketing works is by sending adverts that appear on smartphones, tablets or other mobile devices. Formats and styles can vary tremendously, offering customisation opportunities. There are a number of mobile marketing strategies to try, depending on your budget, target audience and industry.
App-based marketing uses mobile apps to channel the adverts. You don’t need to create your own app – services like Google AdMob help to connect advertisers with third party mobile apps. Facebook’s mobile Promoted Post allows advertisers to create ads that are integrated into the social media app. Another strategy is using In-game marketing – ads appear within the mobile games, in the form of pop-ups, full-page images or video ads. QR codes (Quick Response) have appeal as they are interesting looking and not obvious – people scan them with their smart devices and can be directed to a website, Facebook page, contact information page or can be loaded with discount codes. SMS marketing uses text offers, but these are considered old hat, since they are often deleted before being read.
Google’s Enhanced Campaigns allows for advertisers to manage their AdWords bids across various devices in the same campaign, across locations and different times. Google also offers handy mobile ad extensions, like Mobile Site Links, which makes it easy for users to jump to specific pages of your site. Another good one is the Click-to Call: this extension puts a “call” button beneath an ad, allowing a user to easily get in touch with your business. The Click-to-Download extension takes users to the download page of the advertiser’s pre-selected app. Probably the most useful, the Local Ad extension offers a phone number or a link to Google Maps – very helpful when you consider that 1 out of 3 mobile searches have local intent.
It’s good to experiment with mobile marketing strategies until you find one that works for you. If you would like to find out more about mobile and digital marketing and how it can significantly grow your business, contact us today!