How To Do Mobile Marketing Right

Mobile technology has changed our world faster than any other technology. A few years ago, a group of wealthy and tech-savvy people used smartphones but today they are an integral part of our society. In the UAE, smartphone penetration rate is quite high, where 74 per cent of the total population uses a smartphone. This in turn has increased the scope and reach of mobile marketing for brands and companies.

If companies want to reach their target group in today’s world, they have to consider mobile marketing, as that is where users are spending their time. This dramatic behavioral change in media usage and engagement has already pushed many companies to successfully adjust their mobile strategies.

Social networking giant Facebook turned its focus to mobile as it noticed its users accessing the site through mobile devices. The company therefore adjusted its strategy to match user behavior and Q4 2013 saw Facebook generate 53 per cent of its revenue via mobile ads.

This drive towards a more mobile commercial environment has also fostered innovation across the marketing function. For instance, it is now possible to run measurable performance marketing campaigns with dynamic advertising. Here are some tips that will help you conduct an efficient mobile marketing campaign.

COMPLEX IS THE NEW NORMAL

Mobile technology made the world complex for marketers. A marketer not only has to keep the different user behaviors of the mobile consumer in mind, but also need to be conscious about the technological challenges.

Take mobile apps for example, where marketers have to master a completely different technological world compared to the one known from the browser-based internet. There are no URLs to directly link users to dedicated product pages in your app and new standards are consistently coming up, such as deep-links in mobile apps.

The whole industry has to collaborate to establish these standards – we all need to do so. Why? Complexity has come to stay – it’s the new normal.

Think long-term, not short-term

“Spray and Pray” is a very popular approach in mobile marketing. Of course, it’s great when consumers download your app and even better when your app is ranked at the top of the app store. But think long-term: What is the benefit of an app the majority of people no longer use after three times? This is the case with the most apps and therefore, marketers need to set the marketing focus right and choose an approach that aims for long term user engagement instead of purely short term success.

Take tracking seriously

There is no magic behind measuring the success of mobile marketing campaigns. However, more often than not, it is not done properly. You lose a big opportunity when not paying attention to measuring and tracking performance, as your campaign results help you to constantly improve in the future and achieve your respective targets.

BE TRANSPARENT, ALWAYS

There is no device more private to a user than his smartphone. It’s much more individual to them than their computers and therefore addressing them in this area becomes even more special. Of course, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t market in this space, but take their concerns seriously. Targeted product offers on any device often scare people – especially if they don’t know why they are getting them. It therefore pays to not hide away and always be transparent with users.

Master the ‘cross-device’ challenge

One of the industry’s biggest challenges today is cross-device tracking. This helps marketers to better address users with more relevant messages and users are also able to get rid of ads on products they already bought on a different device. The industry is working on different approaches to solve this challenge, but we need the client’s support. You as an advertiser have data that might help to master this challenge in an effective way.