Mobile Marketing – Web optimisation, creating a campaign and the future of mobile

Since there’s a decent chance that you’re reading this on a smartphone, it’s safe to say that cellular telephones have totally upended the way we do life. You can now chat to your Nonna in Italy via WhatsApp while you order a nuclear submarine online (yes, that is a real thing you can do) and cast an episode of Friends to your TV. And you can do all of this without leaving the sofa.

As multitasking goes, this one’s probably not the healthiest combo, but the fact still remains that it can be done, with ease. The technology is here, and it’s only becoming more powerful.

Mobile phones outnumber Australians 2:1, and the number is growing. 88% of these are smartphones, and that number is growing as well. Almost every consumer now has access to any piece of information or product they want at any time, which has left businesses in need of some new mobile marketing strategies that go beyond simply sending mass texts to your subscribers.

If your end-goal involves getting users to visit your website, then start with the most vital step: mobile-optimisation.

Overwhelmingly, phones are used for internet searches; everything from looking up movie quotes (it’s “no, I am your father,” not “Luke, I am your father”) to locating a product or service in the local area. There’s no business that won’t benefit in some way from having a strong presence on mobile, because the pendulum is steadily swinging towards mobile devices becoming just ‘devices’. The future is portable.

A website that isn’t optimised for mobile in 2019 (and optimised well) is like trying to win supporters with memes that died in 2011; your outdated content will be passed over, both by search engines and potential customers who’ll be forced to squint at their screens and fumble with buttons designed for desktop, if they stick around at all.

Mobile-optimisation is so important that nowadays that when websites are being developed, they often start with the mobile layout and work outwards from there. This is all down to the growing trend of users visiting sites on mobile devices, with an estimated 63% of all website traffic coming from mobile, and this number is only going to grow with time.

After your site has been optimised for mobile, then a campaign can take any number of branching paths depending on what you want to achieve. As is the best way to kick off every campaign, you have to start with the end. Come up with a solid end-goal, and use that to dictate every step you make from there.

At the forefront of mobile is social, with over 80% of people absorbing information daily from social channels. The figure skyrockets with younger demographics, as teenagers on average consume up to 3 hours of video content every day. If you have a certain demographic or type of customer in mind, then figure out what sort of mobile channel is most likely to reach them. It’s always better to target a handful of channels, rather than casting a wide net and seeing very little return on your investment.

Understand your audience, understand yourself and your product or service, and you’ll know how best to get your message across.

Throughout all your efforts, it’s vital to measure. Keep measure, don’t stop measuring, and use that data to constantly improve your campaign.

Personalisation is another rising trend that’s becoming an indispensable part of reaching out to your supporters. A mobile device is a personal item, something kept close and used for instant communication with friends and family, which is the whole reason that text messages have such a quick rate of opening compared to email. You have the ability to communicate directly with your customers, and they can talk back to you.

The days of cookie-cutter blanket texts and emails are coming to an end. People opening an SMS have an expectation that this has been sent to them, and the simple gesture of including their name can do a great deal to foster a healthy business relationship.

Looking to the future, voice is becoming more and more prominent, starting with basic mobile assistants such as Apple’s Siri and Microsoft’s Cortana and eventually branching into more home-based services like Amazon’s Alexa. ‘Smart Speakers’ are projected to be able to control most home life by 2022, and they’re moving into retail with 30% of those surveyed in America stating that they’ve used one to make a purchase.

As Smart Speakers become more intelligent, it’s even possible for them to make recommendations and give advice; it’s this kind of innovation that all businesses should be keeping on top of at the outset, since it once again has the potential to completely upend the current spending habits of consumers and change the way we do business.

One day, you too could order a nuclear submarine from the comfort of your own home, simply by having a quick chat with Alexa.

You probably shouldn’t, but you could.

SBM’s method of mobile marketing is the same holistic approach we take to everything else: we start with the end in mind and create a campaign based around a solid end-goal.

Who are your audience, how do they get in contact with you, and what’s the vital information they need from you and your social channels?

Information is paramount, and once we have the information, we can find out what specific channels are perfect for you and your unique business. Everything is measured, tested and refined to maximise the potential of your mobile campaign and ensure that you’re using the most current, cutting-edge methods to the fullest.

At SBM we’re always innovating and looking to the future, so when it comes to the rapidly-developing field of mobile marketing, we’re not about to settle into one cozy strategy and leave it at that. We were there to craft powerful and effective mobile campaigns when they rose to prominence, but feel free to check back in 2022.

‘Voice Marketing’ may well be the next big thing.