Increasingly, customers are using their smart-phones, tablets and a range of small screen size devices to browse, shop and purchase online. Innumerable studies demonstrate that mobile users shop more and spend more than consumers who are viewing websites on desktop devices.
Showrooming is an increasingly fashionable trend whereby customers examine goods in store, perform price comparisons and conduct research and purchase elsewhere, perhaps from an online competitor.
This has proven costly to high street retailers and Brands are learning to adapt to changing consumer behaviour and now beginning to engage their customers on their terms.
As this fast paced technological advancement continues and devices become smaller, optimizing customers’ experiences for mobile has become vital to businesses.
Engaging mobile users is an important part of an overall digital marketing plan that introduces and reinforces your brand among customers.
Mobile Marketing Opportunities
One thing to keep in mind when it comes to mobile engagement is the physical advantage of marketing to mobile users. Most people take their mobile devices with them literally everywhere they go, so marketing to this type audience is on a very personal level.
As a business you have the opportunity to market directly to your audience in nearly every situation, and your brand will guide you in the ways that will be most effective. There are a number of ways in which this can be done.
SMS text messaging is one of the simplest ways to reach customers. SMS messaging is known as a type of push marketing meaning that it reaches out to the customer rather than the other way around; for that reason, SMS messages need to contain something of value to the customer in order to avoid being considered spam.
This value to the customer could be time-sensitive information like scores from games or it could be promotional deals or coupons. Again, what is offered is linked to brand; for example, a luxury brand could undermine its image by offering coupons.
The best approach for SMS marketing is to allow customers to opt-in and ask them what type of information they would like to receive via text.
Mobile Predictive Technology
Gathering data on customers is the key to ensuring that they get the best mobile experience. Mobile apps are one of the best ways to deliver this to the customer, but it does involve understanding exactly what the customer wants.
This is an area of specialty for so-called experience design agencies; they work on creating a complete customer experience online and via mobile app based on your company’s brand and what your customers want.
Mobile engagement can go beyond giving customers what they want and give them what they need. Predictive technology can play a large role in this.
Airlines can deliver vital boarding information to passengers as it gets closer to flight time. Mobile app designers refer to this as predicting the next most likely action for the customer, and it is a fast-growing practice for increasing customer mobile engagement.
Planning for a Mobile Future
Mobile marketing has to be a fundamental and integrated part of a digital marketing strategy and not just an add-on. Websites must be optimized for mobile viewing, and in fact; it is likely that there will be a shift toward this being the primary way in which they are accessed.
The brand of a business will determine the most effective types of communications for customers as well as optimal app design to deliver a total mobile experience to the customer and reach a wider and more engaged group of people while they are on the move.
How does mobile engagement affect your business and how does this enhance your brand?
