Ever since the invention of the smartphone, the world of marketing has slowly shifted toward a mobile-centric point. Along the way, different mobile marketing tools have aided the growth of this mobile revolution. So much so, in fact, that according to MarketingLand, by 2019, mobile advertising is expected to represent 72% of all U.S. digital ad spending.
In order to help you keep up with the new ways of doing things, we have put together a list of 8 mobile advertising tools to help you succeed. These tools are specifically designed to increase customer engagement and reform your mobile advertising campaign into something truly exceptional. Without further ado, let’s take a look.
Text message marketing
Right off the bat we have one of the most powerful mobile advertising tools available: text message marketing. Sometimes referred to as SMS marketing or business text messaging, text message marketing has been around long before smartphones, but has only grown in both effectiveness and efficiency over the course of the mobile revolution.
The aspect of text message marketing that makes it perfect for customer engagement is that over 95% of all SMS messages are read within 2 minutes. It doesn’t take much imagination to think about what you could do with the ability to reach your entire target audience in the blink of an eye. However, there other tools out there that can help you get the most bang for your buck with SMS marketing.
SMS short codes
One such mobile advertising tool is SMS short codes, which can be used as a way to automate interactions between you and your customers. For instance, some businesses have started to use SMS as a way to run support for their customer base. Not only are the messages almost instantaneous, but many answers to frequently asked questions can be automated beforehand.
Short codes are not just for support though; they can also be great for running discounts or improving conversion rates on calls-to-action. By their very definition, short codes are designed to increase engagement and should be a part of your mobile advertising toolkit.
Read also: How to use an SMS short code to improve mobile engagement.
MMS marketing
Another underutilized mobile marketing tool is MMS or multimedia messaging service marketing. MMS marketing is similar to SMS with a few more capabilities that are not found with normal SMS messages. For example, while SMS is limited to 166 character messages, MMS can go as far as 500 characters, including media such as images or videos and a subject line.
If you are having trouble sparking interest in your SMS marketing campaign, MMS might be the way to go. The additional features provided by MMS can be the extra push your mobile advertising strategy needs to meet your goals.
Mobile search and display ads
As more customers rely on their mobile devices for completing tasks and surfing the web, mobile search has continued to grow with it. A few years ago, Google unveiled that over 50% of all searches are now done on mobile devices and that number is only expected to increase as time goes on.
The mobile advertising tool we are talking about here is mobile search and display ads on search engines. User engagement metrics show that not only are more people searching on mobile, but they are often more serious about making a purchase decision. Display ads on targeted keywords help your customers find you when they are most likely to make a buying decision, so you need to be showing up when they search.
Branded mobile app
Another emerging mobile advertising strategy that many brands are taking advantage of is creating a branded mobile app. Although mobile app development might seem like a big step to take for your business, according to Smart Insight, that’s where your customers spend their time.
In fact, apps account for 89% of mobile media time, with the other 11% spent on websites. Unless you have an app of your own, you will be forced to rely on your mobile site. Having a seamless mobile site is important to your mobile advertising efforts, but creating an app should be part of that strategy as well. Not only is it where you customers spend time, but it opens up the opportunity to use other mobile tools you wouldn’t have without it.
Location-based marketing
One of those mobile apps tools being location-based marketing. If you’ve ever installed a new app in your phone, it has likely prompted you to share your location. When you do this, the people who create the app are able to send targeted messages to you based on where you are. For instance, the Starbucks app can alert you to nearby locations and offer a discount should you take the time to stop in.
This kind of customer engagement strategy has been very successful for companies looking to reach new customers. Although right now the customers would need to already have the app downloaded, the technology is changing to include SMS as well. For the time being, however, push notifications can be another powerful tool.
Push-notification service
Similar to SMS, push notifications can be an effective way to reach your customers with highly targeted mobile advertising. Since the customers will already have agreed to receive these messages, in the same way that you have to opt-in to SMS, they are much more likely to engage with your brand.
As push notification services become more popular, new features will hopefully continue to emerge that take advantage of the strengths of this channel. As mobile advertising evolves, it will be important to understand when to use the proper channels at your disposal to make the biggest impact for your customers.
Social media
Our final mobile advertising tool is not exclusive to mobile, but it’s pretty close. According to comScore, 80% of social media time is spent on a mobile devices, meaning that social media should absolutely be a part of your mobile campaign. Different social media platforms should be used like different mobile advertising channels for maximized effect.
In the same way that customers are always on their phones, they are constantly checking social media as well. If you aren’t able to reach them with SMS, social is usually the next best place.
We hope that these 8 tools will help you continue to engage your customers in new and exciting ways. As you continue to plan out your customer retention marketing campaign, remember when and how to use each of these mobile advertising tools. Trust us, they will serve you well.
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