With more users spending larger amounts of time engaged with mobile devices than ever before, the era of mobile has already arrived. And if you’re not implementing some kind of mobile marketing strategy, you are already trailing behind!
Mobile marketing consists of ads that connects advertisers to consumers through mobile devices like phones, PDAs, media devices, portable gaming consoles, tablet computers—and, of course, those devices which function as all of the above. Some mobile devices may only be open to a few advertising channels, while others may support many additional possibilities, including mobile Internet access, video messaging, and the ability to actively initiate and interact with advertising. Mobile marketing ad formats, customization, and styles can vary, as many social media platforms, websites, and mobile apps offer their own unique and tailored mobile ad options.
App-based marketing is pursued to appeal those customers whose 80% of mobile device time is spent on apps, with game apps eating up the largest percent of app time. Services like Google AdMob help advertisers create mobile ads that appear within third-party mobile apps. Facebook also allows advertisers to create ads that are integrated into Facebook’s mobile app. In-game ads can appear as banner pop-ups, full-page image ads or even video ads that appear between loading screens. Researches have shown that people browse 70% more web pages on smart phones. Mobile search ads (basic Google search ads built for mobile, often featuring extra add-on extensions like click-to-call or maps) and Mobile image ads (Image-based ads designed to appear on mobile devices) are an effective way to reach to these masses. SMS marketing, which has been there for quite a while now, involves capturing a user’s phone number and sending them text offers.
To get the best out of mobile marketing, one must create ads that are Clear and Concise. Mobile devices have small screens – this means words should be used sparingly. Cluttered and crowded ads will just drive users to scroll past. Also, the type of audience you’re hoping to reach should influence the kind of mobile ads you use. Are they gamers? Then try taking advantage of in-game ads. Are they young and tech-savvy? Mobile Facebook Promoted Posts might be more likely to get their attention. There’s a lot of room for experimentation when it comes to mobile marketing. Don’t be afraid to test out some ad extensions with your AdWords Enhanced Campaigns. But there’s no point in trying new techniques if you’re not tracking your results to see what works and what doesn’t. Monitor regularly how your mobile ads are performing.
Mobile is here to stay, and if forecasts are correct, it will soon be eclipsing computer usage. If you don’t have a mobile marketing strategy yet, it’s time to get going!