3 Reasons Businesses and Consumers LOVE Mobile Marketing

Lets start off by clarifying exactly what mobile marketing entails. Mobile marketing is a way businesses can directly communicate with consumers via handheld devices. These devices, usually smartphones and tablets, can provide information to customers by promoting goods, services, and ideas. There are several different approaches to mobile marketing. Today, we’re going to show you 3 ways mobile marketing is LOVED by businesses and consumers alike!

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Convenience

When it comes to reaching customers quickly, efficiently, and in a way that is convenient for them, there is no method that compares to mobile marketing. Consumers today have higher expectations for their devices and expect to find the information they need on their mobile devices instantly, without hassle. Consumers shopping for products and services often want to access the information in a mobile-friendly format while on the go. For example, an in-store shopper spots the latest laptop and is very interested. So the shopper pulls up the company’s website on a smartphone to get more details on the device. To help capture the sale, the retailer’s site should be optimized for mobile browsing, otherwise the sale could be lost. Businesses that are not accessible on mobile phones are losing to their competitors who DO have a strong mobile presence. Along with this, many companies are also using mobile apps to boost brand awareness. Mobile apps can be downloaded right to the home screen of mobile devices. People tend to download apps for things they do regularly or for things that tie into their lifestyle. For example, many smartphone users download the Facebook app instead of using the mobile version of the website because the experience is better. Convenience matters! Retailers who have an app available for their customers make it much easier to search for products and their customers appreciate them for this. Mobile apps and mobile website are both equally important because, based on reports, consumers are split on what they prefer with 58% preferring mobile optimized sites to mobile apps. Consumers have indicated that downloading and regularly upgrading applications is not convenient. However, mobile apps are still a great way to engage customers and create a loyal following. If you lack either a mobile app or a mobile optimized website, you are essentially cutting your audience in half.

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Location, Location, Location

Location-Based Services (LBS) are informational services that utilize the geographical position of a consumer’s mobile device. Rarely will a consumer have their phone not within arms reach, so LBS applications can reach virtually anybody, at any time, regardless of where they are located. In mobile marketing, LBS applications are used as an advertising or marketing service that uses specific location information of customers to deliver the right message to the right person at the right place AND the right time. Consumers are happy to receive mobile marketing messages if they are relevant, personalized, and offer some kind of benefit or reward. SMS marketing is great way for businesses to make consumers feel special. Especially when they think they’re part of an exclusive group of people who receive deals and discounts via text message.

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Social Media

Some of us can’t go a single day let alone a few hours without using our smartphones or tablets. Now if that isn’t enough, social media has also established a grip on our daily lives. Social media has played a huge role in how people interact with each other in today’s day in age and has actually revolutionized the entire social landscape. From a business perspective, social media, paired with a mobile marketing campaign, creates multiple new channels for your business to bring in new leads and customers. Social media is an important marketing strategy for businesses that provides a way for consumers to connect with businesses and brands via mobile. Companies can create social media fan pages that consumers can access and engage with to get information about upcoming events and specials. Businesses can also use this opportunity to convey the company’s voice and become a trusted source of information for consumers. Once you’ve established a trust with your consumers, you start creating relationships that can last a lifetime.

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Mobile marketing can work so well for so many different businesses on so many different levels. On top of this, mobile marketing is much cheaper than any other form of marketing and has been proven to be equally, or even more effective than outbound marketing methods. Several companies have already seen the benefits of mobile marketing for themselves and have already implemented extremely successful mobile marketing campaigns. Don’t be one of the companies who fall by the wayside simply because you were too stubborn to adapt to modern marketing methods. Adapt and survive! Adapt and THRIVE!

SMS Mobile Coupons On The Rise Says Report

According to a recent report from RadiumOne, 42.3 percent of customers would rather receive SMS-based mobile coupons than scan barcodes or use push notifications. The report, titled “Improving the Performance of Mobile Coupons”, found that 61,9 percent of people are using mobile coupons at grocery stores and retailers while51.5 percent of smartphone users choose to use mobile coupons over the 23.8 percent that use scanning-based methods.

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“Based on our results, we can make the assumption that people prefer to have control over the mobile coupon process and want to have mobile coupons readily available anytime on their mobile device,” said Vice President of RadiumOne, Kamal Kaur. “Consumers also view push notifications as more invasive than SMS, which is another reason why SMS coupons are preferred.”

The report was also able to highlight how women are using mobile coupons for their household purchases, especially women among the 35-54 year old demographic. “When presented with a sales opportunity or coupon,” continured Kaur. “The in-ad options allow women to engage with a brand’s content with great autonomy and choice – a method most preferred and appreciated by this particular demographic.”

Couple this with the rise in social media and mobile and this new information revelas a very promising opportunity with women consumers for businesses and companies that still has yet to be fully taken advantage of. “A demographic, that for the most part, continues to feel misunderstood by advertisers,” said Kaur.

So we know that mobile coupons are preferred by mobile users, especially by women, so that means, naturally, mobile coupon use is also growing. Smartphones are responsible for most of the mobile coupon use, but mobile coupons are text-based so you can send mobile coupons to virtually any phone that is SMS capable.

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RadiumOne’s report examined how customers engage with mobile coupons on their mobile devices while also staying aware of which digital promotions are best designed to fit the desires of customers. As mentioned before, women between 35-54 years of age are the fastest growing mobile coupon demographic since mobile coupons are so easy for them to use. Because of this,marketers and advertisers have been given an opportunity to grow their relationships with these customers.

The report shows that users are valuing efficiency, utility, and ease-of-use with mobile coupons. They especially liked SMS-based coupons and when they were alerted about their coupons through push notifications.

The beauty of mobile coupons is that users can use them four different ways. They can scan them with a 2D barcode, check-in on a mobile app, tap their phones at a point-of-sale terminal, or use a digital loyalty card.

RaduimOne discovered a number of key marketer best practices when dealing with mobile coupons during the course of the study. They recommended multi-step redemption processes, tailoring mobile coupon offers for everyday products, pushing appropriate offers to mobile shoppers through text messaging, and taking advantage of in-app loyalty programs which will automatically redeem mobile coupon offers.

“The ability for brands to identify consumer behavior and understand when people are most likely to interact with brands on their handheld devices is critical when designing a multi-channel media strategy that may include in-store digital promotions,” noted Kaur. “According to survey findings, the top three most frequently redeemed coupon categories included groceries, retail goods and food and drink. Along with that, retailers are currently delivering coupons in four different ways including: scanning a QR code, checking-in on a mobile application, tapping their phone on a point-of-sales terminal or redeeming coupons via digital loyalty cards.”

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So as you can see, mobile coupons are not only growing in popularity, but they are also being used more and marketers are learning how to use them more efficiently. Mobile coupons should be considered by ANY company if they want to bring in more traffic, more leads, and generate more conversions. But you need to hop on the trend now before it leaves you, and your company, in the dust.