How to Create a Mobile Marketing Strategy
As mobile usage grows, reaching a mobile audience is becoming more and more important. The Digital Marketer discusses 4 ways to reach a more mobile audience.
Diane S. Thieke
by Diane S. Thieke
The growth of mobile has been hard to overlook, and its pace has remained robust over the last couple of years. While the iPhone ramped up quickly, sales of iPads have “left siblings in the dust,” says analyst Mary Meeker of Kleiner Perkins.
In fact, tablets accounted for one-third of all PC shipments worldwide in Q4 2012, according to analyst firm Canalys. Usage statistics are equally impressive. If you’re a retailer, it’s hard to ignore one of Meeker’s numbers: In 2012, 24% of online shopping was through mobile devices, up from 6% in 2010.
The data are strong evidence that mobile needs to play a significant role in your marketing strategy.
So how do you do that? Here are 4 ways to reach a mobile audience:
Be Small
Or rather, make sure you have a mobile version of your website. It’s no longer acceptable to be PC only. Your website should look good and be readable on every type of device. This also means that your content should be rewritten for mobile devices, even if that means having multiple sets of copy.
Be More Visual
More than 680 million people use Facebook through its mobile apps. When you consider that photos and images are more heavily weighted in the Facebook EdgeRank algorithm, focusing on a visual content strategy seems like a wise idea. Apps like Instagram, Twitter’s new Vine, YouTube, and Pinterest combined with cameras on mobile devices make creating and sharing images and videos easy. Look for ways to incorporate this into your marketing strategy. For example, create video interviews or images of your products.
Be on Location
Be on LocationWith mobile, you can be wherever your buyer is. That means running campaigns or offers with setting and context in mind. Social geolocation apps like Foursquare and Yelp can drive traffic to small businesses by pairing GPS capabilities with an immediate need, whether that’s finding a good local restaurant or determining where the nearest drugstore is. At the very least, local businesses should claim their listing on these sites. Then, take advantage of some of the mobile campaigns that each has to offer.
Get Tagged
QR codes are matrixed barcodes that, when captured by a smartphone, can direct a user to a website for more information, offers, and coupons. The marketer benefits because they can capture buyer information—whether it’s by registering for a newsletter or requesting a deal. But QR codes are just the beginning. Image recognition technology opens the door to many new possibilities—from learning more about that Picasso visiting your local museum to the new IKEA catalog.
Diane S.Thieke is the president and founder of Simply Talk Media, a digital media marketing consultancy. With more than 25 years in digital media and technology, she helps clients build stronger relationships with their customers and communities, using both social and traditional channels. Follow her on Twitter at @thiekeds or visit her blog at www.simplytalkmedia.com/blog.
Smart Phone Shoppingopens IMAGE file photo from Shutterstock.
About the Author
Diane S. Thieke is the president and founder of Simply Talk Media, a digital media marketing consultancy. With more than 25 years in digital media and technology, she helps clients build stronger relationships with their customers and communities, using both social and traditional channels.