Mobile Marketing Is a Must
Understanding the mobile channel is a must for marketers today. "It's increasingly becoming an essential part of the marketing mix," Michael Becker, Mobile Marketing Association's managing director for North America, told me during a recent conversation. "Companies need to provide value through and with mobile in a unique way."
According to Becker, we've hit a critical inflection point in smart phone adoption, about 24 percent of the market. MMA expects a rapid uptake in the use of text, MMS, email, mobile applications, and the mobile web over the next year. Marketers need to prepare, he said.
Becker shared several other issues regarding mobile that marketers should consider:
Relevance: Consumers want their mobile experiences to be relevant. Marketers need to learn to communicate with customers in a personally engaging way. There's no right answer because it's personal, Becker said. The relationship a brand has with its customers will determine what's appropriate. This will evolve over time.
Commerce: There is an ongoing increase in consumer adoption of m-commerce. Currently, about 17 percent purchase digital goods and about 6 percent purchase physical good. This will continue to grow.
Multichannel: Mobile can be an effective stand-alone channel, but it is best used as part of the "through and with" approach to help enable other channels. However, the "through and with" paradigm is changing. Marketers usually "push" information out; customers "pull" information through. Pull, however, requires awareness; mobile can help drive awareness. Mobile is the "with" that enables the pull "through" to the consumer. "Mobile calls-to-action are the initiation engine of an interaction," Becker said, adding that marketing through other channels can further inform consumers of those calls-to-action. "Marketing through multiple touchpoints delivers the greatest impact."
Customer experience first: Marketers shouldn't try to duplicate the customer experience of other channels into a mobile experience. They should start with the customer experience on mobile, and then work from there.
Multiplicity: Marketers need to keep a close watch on trends. Expect to see more fragmentation in the market, not less, due to the proliferation of handset types. Additionally, Becker said, in essence the mobile channel is eight mediums (phone, SMS, mobile web, and so on), not one. So marketers need to plan their communications and strategies accordingly.
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