Increasingly,
smartphones are becoming the number one way to connect with customers.
Your audience is
spending less time sitting in front of a desktop or laptop and more time on the
go, browsing their smartphone in search of information.
We use our mobile
devices to consume content online in the form of articles, videos, and
podcasts. Our phones are also where we interact with brands through sites and
social media, and where we shop through eCommerce platforms and apps.
Mobile marketing
is therefore becoming an essential part of the customer/brand connection.
Most consumers
dedicate a great deal of time to researching products on their smartphones
before they decide on what to purchase.
Unfortunately,
figuring out how to master mobile connections is easier said than done.
Here’s how you can
leverage all the benefits of mobile marketing and overcome the challenges.
Challenge 1: Reaching Customers on the Right Avenue
The mobile
environment is a huge channel for today’s marketing teams, but it’s also
incredibly diverse.
When you’re reaching out to customers via mobile, you can connect with them via SMS, MMS, mobile apps, social media, and countless other options.
The key to success
with mobile marketing is figuring out, in advance, which channels your clients
will respond best to.
Here are some solutions.
In-App Messages
With your own
business mobile app, you can connect with your customers directly, through
in-app messages, which inform them of new sales, help them track their
purchases, and more.
In-app messages
are excellent for keeping customers engaged.
Such messages
drive users towards the right action when they’re already connecting with your
business.
This can increase
sales and cross-selling opportunities.
Push Notifications
Ideal if you have your own app, push notifications allow you to engage with your audience even when they’re not using your app or visiting your website.
Some notifications
can appear when your customers drive by your store, or when they hit a certain
geographical touchpoint.
Other
notifications go out at a specific time, based on when you know your audience
is active.
SMS and Text Messaging
If you want to make sure you can reach your audience even when they don’t have an internet connection, it might be worth investing in an SMS strategy.
This will help
your customers to stay aware of your latest offers and discounts, so they’re
more likely to keep coming back to your site and buying from you.
Challenge 2: Measuring Results
A lot of companies
find it difficult to measure the result of mobile campaigns.
You can’t always see whether a customer has
seen a push notification and decided to visit your site later, or ignored your
message completely.
Although you can
measure things like the number of opened text messages or track how many people
use your app each day, it’s hard to know where your results are coming from on
a larger scale.
One way to improve
your chances of measuring results is to use apps that track users making purchases.
An in-app purchase
is easier to measure because you can see your customers are actively using your
mobile tools.
This means you
know for sure if you’re getting a return on your investment.
Another option is
to get direct feedback from your
target audience.
Ask your audience
to leave reviews and testimonials to show what they like and dislike about your
mobile service, so you can gradually improve your offering.
This is a great
way to see how many people are actually using your mobile solutions, and you
can even learn some important information about what clients really want.
The more you measure your audience’s feedback, and listen to their thoughts and expectations, the more likely it is that you’ll build an app that generates positive profits and results.
Challenge 3: Optimizing App Discovery
Finally, if you
want to succeed in the mobile world, you need a mobile app that’s going to
generate the attention of your customers, open the door to push notifications,
and increase your potential sales.
This means not
only building an effective app but making it visible and discoverable by
people.
Spending a fortune
on your app to add new features and functionality at random isn’t always the
right solution. Putting your app out there and working on its promotion is.
For instance, to reach most customers, start by improving your app store listing so more users can find you. Get acquainted with the needs of each mobile store platform, and update your apps listing accordingly.
You need to get as
many people using your app as possible in order to improve it. The more you
learn about your market from user feedback, the more you benefit from a happier
audience.
Keep measuring the
results of your app efforts in everything from SEO and brand reach on the app
marketplace to user-friendliness and customer satisfaction score.
Ideally, you
should have a team of professionals in place to assist with constantly
upgrading your app based on not just the feedback you get, but the analysis you
conduct of your weaknesses, strengths, and opportunities in the current market.
Making the Most of Mobile Marketing
To succeed in
today’s mobile world, you need more than just a basic smartphone app or a
strategy for sending out SMS messages.
Today’s leading
companies drive the best outcomes when they recognize the challenges of a
mobile marketing strategy and build customized campaigns to overcome those
roadblocks.
Learn how to reach
your customers through the right avenues, like SMS, push notifications, and
in-app messages.
Think about how
you’re going to use different tools and strategies to measure the outcome of
your mobile marketing campaigns and think about how you can continue to
optimize over time.
With the three
steps above, you’ll be on your way to more successful mobile marketing efforts
and stronger results for your company, no matter which industry you’re in.