Let’s Talk About Mobile Marketing!

Written by Jason Cuschieri

Let’s talk about mobile marketing. We all check our phones daily, some of us even have multiple phones! We’ve come a long way since the Blackberry was first released, and we are only going to see quicker advancements in smart technology over coming years.

These advancements have developed incredible perks for consumers – we now have a world of information at the touch of a button, access to our friends and families instantaneously, and an entertainment device accessible no matter where we are, all in the one piece of hardware. But what we often forget is the benefit of mobile devices for marketers. Marketers no longer have to find a populated place to plant their material – it is now as simple as a post on social media, a website banner or a direct message straight into a consumers inbox. The potential is endless.

Mobile marketing is the new age of advertising, and realistically, anyone looking to take advantage of this form of marketing has probably already missed the boat. With so much information in the pockets of consumers, marketers have redeveloped their online activities to make them mobile friendly. To do this, marketers are utilising the 4 I’s of mobile social media. The customer, as always must be the forefront of every campaign, and each mobile communication must aim to be Individual, Involving, integrating, and initiating.

We must first aim to develop our campaign so that our customers can relate specifically to the message that we are trying to convey. Take something as simple as push notifications. Each time an app sends us a notification, it prompts us to use a feature of a brands app, tailored specifically to our individual needs and wants. Let’s take a look at TicketMaster; they use geo-filtering to send us notifications about events that we may enjoy and didn’t know about, based on where we physically are!

Involvement is the second component of the 4 I’s of mobile marketing. If a customer cannot engage with online content, why should they remember it? Why should it influence their decision making? The short answer? It won’t. Let’s take a look at vehicle manufactures. Many manufacturers now provide on their websites the opportunity to browse through vehicle features such as spec, colour, accessories and tech upgrades. It provides customers an insight into the product they are interested in purchasing at the touch of a button. The best part? The customer is in complete control.

Let’s move on to integration. Mobiles play such a pivotal role in our life, and companies have begun to make the effort to simplify our life. Audi masterminded an app that has caused many to not even realise that they are being marketed towards. The car manufacturer released an app that detects when open apps aren’t being used and sends users notifications to close it, saving processing power and battery life, all whilst improving efficiency and promoting Audi’s stop-start technology, which automatically turns the car engine off when stationary to save fuel.

Now, to finish off, we need to initiate the creation of user generated content. Lego have developed the “IdeaHub“, where customers can create their own Lego sets and upload them to the Lego website. With enough support, Lego could investigate producing the idea and selling in store. The initiation of mobile marketing instils in customers the sense that they are valued and listened to. In turn, brands are able to generate greater customer loyalty, and a ready-made audience for the products it creates.

We have come a long way in the mobile space since the turn of the century, and the speed of which these advancements will take place will only improve from here. We, as marketers, need to stay ahead of the curve, think outside of the box, and break the barriers of mobile communication.

The world is in our hands, or rather, our pockets. We just need to break through the clutter.

Jason Cuschieri