As mobile adoption by the masses reaches new heights – time spent on mobiles now far outpaces desktops 51 percent to 42 percent – digital marketing managers have developed a renewed sense of urgency to up-level their mobile marketing programs. As they do so, they must be able to comprehend the mobile channel in the context of other components of the marketing mix. Mobile marketing success hinges on their ability to understand changing user behavior, how successful promotions are built, the role of digital analytics and the new guidelines that govern mobile marketing. The rules are changing before our eyes.
As you begin to weave the mobile into your strategic marketing fabric, here are a few areas to focus on.
SEO Strategy
Search engine optimization (SEO) continues to play a major role in digital marketing, and with mobiles now becoming the go-to channel for consumers, the impact on SEO strategy will be profound. There is a direct path from search to purchase on mobiles: 88 percent of users search on a smartphone, compared to 84 percent on a computer or tablet, and 79 percent of consumers took a relevant action on their phone prior to making a purchase. Successful SEO strategy revolves around keywords and content development that ropes in the best prospects and mobile users tend to march to a more rapid cadence. Knowing how to incorporate mobile methods into the SEO approach will be the next hill to conquer for digital marketers.
Pay Per Click Approach
The other key digital marketing segment for most companies is pay per click, and the implications for mobile strategies are equally important. More than half of consumers surveyed have clicked on an ad on their mobile device, and 53 percent of those who click on a mobile ad end up making a purchase. These numbers may not be as large as the SEO batch, but mobile ads can reap long-term rewards if done correctly, especially in the mobile world. Preparing mobile ad content follows a different nuance than traditional web marketing techniques as users move at lightning speed on their mobile devices. There’s no question that the mobile represents one of the most exciting segments for PPC and digital marketing on a holistic level, making PPC certification training a must.
Campaigns and User Targeting
Like any other channel, mobile marketing requires an in-depth understanding of consumer behavior to conduct the most effective campaigns. Targeting is key: the more you know about various user groups and demographic segments, how often consumers click through from ads to landing pages and why, and how to engage users with the right messaging and promotional offers, the better you’ll be able to leverage the mobile space in your promotional marketing mix. New advanced mobile marketing certification training hones in on these key elements, including how to use various tools to track usage and behavior, the role of promotions and incentive campaigns, and how to fit the “Four P’s” (product, price, promotion, and place) into your marketing plan.
Making the Most of Data and Analytics
Analytics packages have made life a lot easier for digital marketers, and the data science behind digital marketing is helping drive the industry forward. Mobile analytics is finally catching fire along with exploding mobile commerce adoption. Up to 90 percent of consumers’ time spent on their mobile devices is spent on apps, and analytics packages like Google Analytics for mobile apps provides the tools to measure and optimize user acquisition and engagement on mobiles. Mobile certification training has made analytics a key component, helping digital marketers gain insights into user characteristics and behavior, visualize the navigation path, and slice and dice the data to generate the most impactful recommendations for mobile marketing strategies.
Social Media and Content
The importance of content in the mobile space has a sort of multiplier effect. Decisions related to the mobile are made faster by consumers and in many cases without as much needed supporting content. Multiply the condensed content phenomenon with the rapidly moving parts of social media, and you’ve got a potent mix that makes it difficult to know what content and approach will help you get more customers. Conversion rates for E-commerce sites are three times higher on desktops than on mobiles (3.73 percent on desktops to 1.14 percent on mobiles), which makes it inherently more difficult to get prospects into your marketing funnel on mobiles. Mastering content creation and placement, and integrating it properly into the mobile mix can help get you closer to your goals.
As the mobile space expands in scope and complexity, digital marketers will want to learn the latest mobile marketing techniques and understand how the trends will impact their mobile approach. It’s a wake up ‘call’ to digital marketers that the field is becoming far more strategic.
