Mobile is just about everywhere – and it’s only getting bigger and better as time passes. Currently, 58 percent of Americans own a smartphone, making the need for effective mobile marketing increasingly important. Worldwide, 6.8 billion people is subscribed to a mobile plan. By the end of 2016, that number is expected to rise to 8.5 billion. Those numbers are staggering. And they can’t be ignored.
The rise in mobile subscribers means that the way people use the Internet is changing. In fact, it already has changed. Forbes reported that of its 49 million visitors in July of 2013, 40 percent of the views on its most popular post came from smartphones, with tablets accounting for 6 percent of views.
And one of the best parts of the mobile age is the new opportunity it presents for marketers. Mobile subscribers actually want to receive relevant, targeted and timely advertisements, promotions, deals and offers. Why would consumers want to receive ads? Why would they want to be marketed to? Because it opens a world of possibilities. Here are a few of the top reasons why customers love mobile marketing as much as you do.
1. Anyone can be the local expert – even if they’re not the local expert. Urban Spoon, Yelp, Around Me and any location-based app can turn anyone into a geographic expert, a gastronomical connoisseur or an entertainment guru. Even with ads appearing on the screen and possible push notifications, location-sensitive apps allow users to know exactly what’s going on around them, wherever they are. They can create their own unique experience, find whatever they need and even be told how to get there. Apps like this can save a night out or vacation from turning into an utter disaster.
2. Each new day means a new deal. Or two. Or three. The days of waiting for the weekly coupon circulars to come in the newspaper are so over. For mobile subscribers, every day means new, almost unlimited deals. From email subscription coupons to daily Groupon deals, consumers receive multiple deals every single day from brands they know, love, trust and have willingly subscribed to for receiving marketing promotions.
3. Customers already receive ads; why not at least receive relevant ads? With all of the consumer data available at a marketer’s fingertips, it’s much easier now than ever to send out targeted, relevant and timely marketing ads. Instead of receiving dozens of junk mail items advertising goods and services that aren’t even remotely related to the customer’s interests, they can now receive exactly what they want to see. The amount of data generated is increasing so rapidly that 90 percent of the world’s data has been generated in just the past two years. With a good mobile marketing plan, marketers can harness the power of this data and use it to more accurately communicate with customers.
4. Mobile marketing is just what it sounds like – mobile. Remembering to clip coupons and bring them to the store is simply too much work. Mobile marketing goes wherever the customer goes, no clipping and memory required. Being able to pull up barcodes on smartphones and receive real-time alerts of flash sales and promotions is much more convenient, efficient and effective for customers on the go. Marketers who invest in a responsive design that displays deals and promotions perfectly on any mobile screen will have an advantage over businesses that require customers to do the pinch-and-zoom trick just to view emails and deals.
When used correctly, mobile marketing has the power to reach your target audience with just the right message, at just the right time. Learn more about how to get the most impact from your mobile marketing efforts.
