Mobile Marketing: How to Engage Your Customers [2023]

Chapter 1

Mobile Marketing Fundamentals

Now is the era when people use mobiles more than ever, and you need to connect with your audience through mobile devices if you want to reach them.

In this chapter, I’m going to talk about mobile marketing fundamentals. And I will explain to you why it is so important these days.

Hence, if you do not want to be left behind, start reading this first chapter!

It does not matter whether you reach them through apps, SMS, on social media networks, emails, or when they are on your website.

Thanks to technology, now we can do almost the same with a desktop computer as with a mobile device. Yet, many people spend more time with their mobiles than with their computers. 

So, it is key to reach them wherever they are and in the devices they love to spend loads of time.

But, to succeed in mobile marketing you will need to:

• Create content that is mobile-friendly.
• Make use of mobile apps and platforms.
• Bear your audience always in mind to create effective mobile advertising.

What’s more, as a marketing strategy, mobile marketing will help you reach a larger audience. So, it is fundamental to focus on having a mobile-friendly website. This way, your audience will be able to reach you through their mobile devices.

The concepts of mobile marketing

Convenience

Thanks to mobile marketing, you will be able to address your target audience as there are software interfaces designed to allow you to choose who you want to send your messages to.

Simplicity

Designing a mobile marketing campaign is fairly easy for any user. Besides, there are many advertising agencies which could help you with those issues you are not familiar with. For instance, to get technical support or to use user-friendly software.

Speed

As you all know, launching a new mobile marketing campaign can take place very quickly. I advise you to take your time and plan your strategy considering who your target audience is.

Speed is also important as regards loading time. Remember it is vital not to make visitors to your website wait, or they would get bored and they may even log off.

Automation

Sometimes it could be beneficial for you to use automation. The truth is that it is not always possible to be original when you shift messages from one platform to another.

Yet, there is no doubt that you should adapt them. So, here is one of the places where automation could be useful in mobile marketing.

Analytics

There are one thousand reasons why you should track mobile marketing. Without this analysis, how would you know if it has been worth the effort, or if your audience is using it, how much traffic it generates, etc.

Indeed, there are many apps available that can help you with this task, such as Google Analytics for Mobile, Countly, Smartlook, and more.

Responsive design

Responsive design means that your website will work and look well no matter which device your audience uses. This means it is key to ensure that not only your site but also your emails or the content you create are adapted and work the same way on all devices.

Location-based

Location-based is a feature that is only available for mobile devices. Thus, your audience will receive information that is relevant to their location.

So, the chances of getting your message across are higher.

Multi-language

Nowadays, this is not only a feature that is exclusive of mobile devices. It can also be used in any website in other apparatus such as a laptop. Yet, it can be useful as perhaps not all your clients speak the same language.

So, offering them the possibility to switch to their language will make them feel more comfortable. Thus, the possibilities of doing business with them will increase.

Cost-effective

Depending on what you want to achieve and your budget, you can choose among different strategies.

It is usually unnecessary to spend loads of your budget on expensive software that has many features your audience will not use. Though, it would be necessary if your audience uses those features.

On top of that, it is advisable to invest some of your budget in a mobile marketing platform. If you do not want to be left behind, you should spend some of your money and make your content and advertising mobile-friendly.

Types of mobile marketing

These days there are so many things you can use mobile marketing for. Yet, what is challenging is to catch the attention of your prospects and customers.

To do so, you can make use of a wise mobile marketing strategy. Usually, this strategy does not need to differ a lot from the one you use for desktop devices. Though, bearing in mind that you will have to adapt all the content you create for mobiles.

What is more, it has to be as practical as possible because currently, people spend much of their time using them.

Below, there is a list of the main types of mobile marketing that are essential in 2023:

• Mobile website.
• Text Promotion (SMS, push notification).
• Location-based marketing.
• QR codes.
• Mobile Coupons.
• Mobile Ads.
• Mobile search.
• App-based marketing.
• Mobile payment.
• In-game mobile marketing.
• Virtual and Augmented Reality.

The most relevant mobile marketing statistics in 2023

Nowadays, it is a must to know about the latest trends and statistics. Mobile marketing is not an exception. If you want to succeed, you will need to do some research and plan your strategy in advance.

To help you to do so, below there is a list of the main trends and statistics which affect mobile marketing in 2023:

• The Ericsson Mobility Report predicting a 25% increase in mobile traffic by 2025. (Ericsson)
• Datareportal recorded 5.15 billion unique mobile users, making up 66% of the global population. (Datareportal)
• 52.2 percent of all website traffic is generated from mobile phones. (Statista)
• When searching on mobile, 96 percent of people use Google. (WebFX)
• 75% of Americans admit to bringing their phone to the bathroom. (Digiday)
• Global in-app ad spend will reach $201 billion in 2021. (WebsiteBuilder)
• In 2019, the App Store registered a revenue of $54 billion. (BNN Bloomberg)
• 1 out of every 4 people aged 16-24 uses voice search on mobile. (TechJury)
• 91% of social media users use their mobile devices to browse through social media. (Brainvire)
• 95% of US adults and 93% of European adults own a mobile phone. 81% of US adults’ devices are smartphones. (Pew Research)
• 14.7% of all mobile spending in Q1 of 2020 ($7.5 billion) was for apparel and accessories. (Comscore)

These are just a handful of interesting statistics. If you want to see more, I recommend taking a look at this Smartphone User Statistics Infographic.

Another advantage is that you can use location to your benefit. Location-based service can target a specific group of people who are in a specific place. This matters so much as you will be addressing a group of people who are already interested in what you are trying to tell them.

Needless to say, text messages are better than emails. Because a lot more people open text messages when comparing with emails. Many emails end up classified as spam, and they never reach their recipients, or these never open them.

What surprises me the most is not only that most people open text messages, but they also read them. So, the chances of getting them to take action are a lot higher.

Mobile communication will significantly help you to have a better relationship with your customers. Mainly because you will be making their lives a lot easier by giving them the chance to reach you in places which are familiar to them.

Benefits of mobile marketing

Among its advantages, it is relevant to mention the fact that mobile marketing is easy to track. Businesses can easily check how effective their campaigns have been, for instance, calculating click-through rates.

Besides, were you to consider using mobile marketing, it would improve your customer’s experience. As I’ve mentioned before, most people access websites and apps by mobile. So, it will be more convenient if you address them where they feel relaxed.

Due to the fact that mobile marketing is location-based, being aware of people’s location can be positive as companies will be able to target very specific segments of their audience. This means that messages can be a lot more personalized and effective.

What is more, engaging with your customers through their mobile devices will also be positive for improving your existing relationship with them. Such as, gaining their trust and long-term loyalty.

Mobile marketing is unquestionably useful to reach a wider audience. It can also help you go viral, as content can be shared easily and faster than with any other device. Mobiles are portable, so they go wherever people go. And your advertisements go with them.

As you all know, search engines favor those who adapt their sites and make them mobile-friendly. If you fail to do so, you will get worse search engine results. But, if you adapt your site and make it not only user-friendly but also mobile-friendly, you will rank higher in search engines.

Mobile marketing is cost-effective in comparison with other types of advertising, such as printed forms. Besides, it is easier and faster to create as text messages tend to be quite short and direct.

Benefits of mobile marketing:

• Easy to track.
• Improve your customer’s experience.
• Strengthen your relationship with them.
• Target a specific group of people.
• Reach a broader audience.
• Go viral.
• Benefit your search engine rankings.
• Easier to reach them.
• Cost-effective.
• Fast and real-time communication with your audience.
• Gain quick results.

I hope all the above-mentioned has been useful for you. Now you know what mobile marketing is all about.

If you want to know how to create your own strategy and do your best in mobile marketing, keep reading!

Chapter 2

What Makes Mobile Marketing Successful

Having a great mobile marketing strategy is a must for any marketer. Given that today almost everyone has a mobile device, you need to adapt yourself and offer people the best service.

In this chapter, I will focus on what makes a mobile marketing strategy successful. You’re going to see all those aspects that are necessary for a fruitful mobile marketing strategy. For example, I’ll cover mobile optimization, promotion, customer services, and more.

Ready? Let’s jump right in!

Mobile Marketing Success

As today everyone spends many hours with their mobiles, you need an outstanding mobile marketing strategy.

The truth is that as a marketer, you should care about mobile use. Otherwise, you would not be applying the latest strategies to reach your audience.

Though not any strategy will help you to achieve your goals. Likewise, you will want it to be profitable.

So, if you want your mobile marketing strategy to be rewarding, you need to focus on several aspects. It is not enough to make your website mobile-friendly. This will help, of course, but for a lucrative mobile marketing strategy, you will need to take into account other facets.

Thus, I will deal with the most significant features that affect a mobile marketing strategy’s success below.

Mobile optimization

Your website is the first place your clients will go to get support and find out information about your business. Hence, you need to make sure their UX is as satisfactory as possible.

These and many other things are more and more often checked with a mobile apparatus today. This means that your website has to be as optimized as possible to guarantee the best UX.

How can you do that?

It is mandatory to adapt all your content for mobile devices. You can easily do that by writing shorter messages. Besides, you can adapt your CTAs for mobile use. And don’t forget to make it easy to scroll or click anywhere on your site with any device.

What’s more, if you want to make sure your website is as optimized as possible, you can use apps like Crazy Egg or Google Analytics for Mobile. They will help you to enhance those aspects which need improvement.

Optimizing your site is not only beneficial for a successful mobile marketing strategy, but it will also help you to rank higher in search engines.

Apart from improving your website, you will need to choose the right keywords. Mobile users type more specific and shorter keywords when they want to find out information about a product. So, you need to bear mobile users in mind when creating content for your site, adverts, emails, messages, etc.

Mobile communication

One of the best ways by which you can boost your mobile marketing strategy is by using text messages to communicate with your audience.

You can text your customers, for instance, to invite them to subscribe to your text list. You can include a CAT in your SMS. Thus, if they click on it, they will become part of an exclusive group of clients. Hence, they will receive extra information about your products and special offers.

It is somehow a way of convincing them to form part of a group that receives a distinctive treatment. So, they will feel special. And, it will help you to engage with them.

You can also use SMS to communicate with your clients. For example, to remind them of an appointment they might have organized with you.

Yet, these days mobile communication is dependent on very well-known apps, which almost everyone uses. Hence, you can also work with them to communicate with your customers.

Not only the use of apps is on the rise, but also the use of social networks on mobiles. And, it is also possible to communicate with your audience through platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, etc., from your mobile device.

Mobile promotion

Unsurprisingly, one of the most popular marketing strategies nowadays is creating mobile ads. There are several ways of displaying mobile ads. Choosing one or another would depend on your audience and their preferences.

Remember that creativity is a must if you want them to be effective.

The most prominent mobile ads are the following:

Video ads

Video ads are not only fashionable but also one of the most profitable ways to advertise your product/services for mobile users. Videos are quite distracting, and viewers do not need to do anything while watching them.

Yet, you will need to create original videos if you want them to catch your audience’s attention. Yet, it is key that they are not annoying for viewers, so you need to be careful.

Banner ads

Banner ads are possibly the most traditional type of mobile marketing ads. This kind of ads are usually embedded into another website. And, their main aim is to drive visitors to this website to the one of the advertisers.

They are quite simple in comparison to other types of mobile ads. Some consist of an image only, others image+text as well as a CTA. If you want them to be remarkable, you will need to make them eye-catching. They are still quite common today. Besides, they are cost-productive.

Interstitial ads

This type of ads are full-screen images or videos. They usually pop up within transition points like moving on to the next level.

They are typical of games and certain apps. Yet, you should not use them before users have completed a task or they won’t be effective.

Native ads

Native ads are those mobile ads whose aim is to camouflage in the medium as if they were native. That is to say, they are not evident adverts.

People consume them as if they were part of the content they are consuming. So, they tend to be more persuasive than other types of ads. Also, users cannot block them.

Rich media ads

This form of mobile advertising is probably the newest. It can involve several formats such as audio, text, images, video, etc.

It is somehow a way of providing your audience an outstanding experience. They are trendy as people can interact with them.

Another kind of mobile promotion is mobile affiliate marketing. That is to say, an influencer or a business would try to promote the products of another business. The latter would reward the influencer in exchange for the promotion. Thus, it´s an agreement between two parties who expect a win-win outcome.

Mobile affiliate marketing targets mobile users. Its relevance is increasing as the number of people who use their smartphones for buying has increased too.

Not only social media influencers are benefiting from this type of marketing, but bloggers are also starting to promote products and services too.

Among the benefits of mobile affiliate marketing, it is relevant to mention the following:

• Advanced chances of targeting specific audiences with geotargeting.
• Mobile marketing is on the rise and will keep on rising in the following years.
• There’s always room for innovation as it is still developing.

Local business support

You can also provide outstanding local business support to your customers. First of all, you should make it easier for your audience to find you.

Thus, it’s a good idea to register your brand in Google My Business. All you need to sign up for is a Google account. Then, you just have to follow the steps. 

It will improve your SEO as mobile users will find you more quickly. They will be able to find you on a map as well as have access to relevant information about your brand.

Besides, you can create an advertising campaign just for locals. It will definitely help you to get better local results. And also, it will boost your local image.

Customer services

You can also help your customers through social networks. If you and your customers have an account on any social network, you can use this account to improve the relationship you have with them.

For instance, solving their doubts by providing essential information. You can also answer their queries on these platforms. You can send them text messages, emails, reply by using your account on Twitter, Facebook, etc., and much more.

It depends on your clients and how do they prefer to engage with you. You should use a channel that is more comfortable for them. And also, the one they have used to ask you questions.

Apart from providing support through their mobiles, it will also help you engage with them and gain their loyalty. It won’t be only beneficial for your customers, you will also have the chance to collect loads of information from them. Indeed, you should use this data to improve your product/service.

You should always reply to their messages, whether they are positive or negative. This way, they would see that you care for them. As mobile users, they would expect prompt answers. So, you should revise messages, comments, etc., regularly.

Mobile marketing trends in 2023

This year there are lots of trends going on. Some of them are new and are just starting to have an impact, while others have been around for a while.

As a marketer, you need to be aware of what’s trendy and what’s happening around you. If you want to get the most out of your mobile marketing strategy, have a look at the most popular trends for 2023:

Augmented Reality (AR)

Augmented Reality started as a game-only feature. Yet, now we can also see it in certain business apps. These days AR is key if you want to provide an outstanding UX. Many marketers are starting to use it in their business apps.

Say a furniture company has an app to show their clients how a room of their future house would look like in 360°. They would be able to look at how this particular room would like with different pieces of furniture. And AR will allow them to picture it changing pieces or the position of these pieces.

There is no doubt that AR would guarantee an excellent UX in a business like this. Indeed, we could use it in almost any kind of business. The only thing that marketers would have to do is adapt their apps to grant the best UX thanks to AR.

These days, more and more companies are starting to use it. So, we can no longer say it’s a game-only characteristic. Hence, if you want to beat your competitors, you should consider it.

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

AI is not at all new among marketers. But what is characteristic of this year is that it will double its presence due to mobile users.

We use AI for chatbots, voice search, predictive text for typing, automated translations, GPS suggestion routes, advertising based on mobile search, email/photo classification, etc.

Many think that it will have even more uses soon. And also that we will double its usage. It is an undeniable fact that AI makes our lives a lot easier when we use our mobile devices. Thus, if you are not already applying it, you should definitely think about it!

Video

There are one thousand reasons why video is one of the most treasured channels today. Most people love it because it is easy to digest. The only thing you have to do is press play and watch it.

The amount of video views using a mobile has significantly increased. And, many believe it will carry on gaining ground this year. As a marketer, you should use video to distribute content. It will make it easier to deliver your message to your audience.

As more and more people use mobiles for transactions today, you might want to convince them with captivating videos. The truth is that people prefer to watch videos as they can see the product/service and check its quality.

You can also use videos to tell your brand story, how to use a product, to solve doubts, etc. Your customers will love it. Indeed, the amount of money spent by businesses creating videos has increased this year. And many believe it will keep on growing.

Voice Search

Voice search usage is increasing a lot. What is more, experts think it will boost in the next few years. This information is key as marketers will need to adapt themselves to the new trends.

Voice search assistants like Siri, Alexa, and others are capable of offering users valuable information related to their location. That’s something that differentiates them from when we type something in a computer as the location is not a priority to offer data.

Another difference between voice search and when people type a phrase is keywords. When a person talks to a voice search device, he/she says a sentence, so more keywords will appear in the search.

But, when a user types something on a search engine, he/she usually writes down a short phrase. Hence, you will need to take this into account if the use of voice searches increases.

On top of that, these voice searches strongly affect SEO results. So, if you do not adapt your content, website, keywords, etc., for voice searchers, your SEO results would be a lot worse.

Cloud Apps

Currently, it is no longer necessary to run out of space in our smartphones because we have many apps. Everybody has heard of the Cloud and how you can keep users’ data and apps data there. So, we no longer need to save it on our smartphones.

Well-known apps like Google Drive, Dropbox, or One Drive are starting to share their uniqueness. Now, many other apps use the cloud to store data. And this tendency is increasing as it is a win-win solution for both companies and users.

App Security

It is an undeniable fact that many mobile users care about security. Lots of them won’t buy a product with their mobiles as they think some of their personal details could be in danger.

Companies need to guarantee safety while doing any transaction with apps or on a website. Many are already working on that. Yet, with the improvement of technology comes the danger of hackers.

The more we advance, the more tricks they have to access our devices. Then, it’s in the hands of brands to develop safety procedures to stop them. And to guarantee the safety of their clients.

As a marketer, you should try to do your best in this field. Mobile use is rapidly increasing, and it will be key, if it is not today, in the future of any marketing transaction.

Indeed, mobile security is not only something that customers worry about, companies are aware too. Say an employee loses a device with vital information, or hackers access to confidential information about your company and post it online, etc.

So, it is crucial to carry on working to provide a good service assuring that classified data would remain protected.

Chatbots

Chatbots are not at all something new this year. But, what’s a trend now is how much we use them nowadays. Chatbots can help your customers with whatever problem they might have, considering that they are automated.

But, companies can also use them for their own benefit to collect information. They are an amazing tool to get feedback. For instance, to run a survey among your clients.

Thus, what’s interesting about them is how much we use them in many apps and mobile devices these days. What’s more, this tendency will increase in the years to come.

Messaging Apps

The use of messaging apps has significantly increased this year. Who hasn’t heard of Facebook Messenger or WhatsApp? These and other apps are widely used today.

Now, you can send messages to your customers and reach them on the go. And, your customers love the fact that they can talk to you whenever they need it and ask you questions through these channels.

This year the use of messaging apps on mobile devices has increased. Now, they are not only used for sending messages. Marketers are starting to use them for advertising too. Companies use these platforms now to inform their customers about new campaigns, discounts, etc.

Mobile-optimized websites

The truth is that this is not a trend of this year, but it has been an ongoing trend for a while now. Yet, its importance has become now crucial for marketers.

As many users won’t revisit a site if this one is not mobile optimized, it’s essential to rethink how Web pages are designed today. The answer should be having mobile devices always in mind.

You should beware of the fact that the use of mobiles is increasing. They will have a pivotal role in most marketing transactions in the future. So, if you are not already considering all this, you should think about it!

Mobile search

Mobile search differs from the searches we do with a desktop computer. Currently, most mobile searches have to do with the location of the place.

Most mobile users look for places near where they live, and they want to know if these sites are open when they search for them. That´s a huge difference as regards desktop computers.

Besides, mobile users write keywords that are a lot more specific than when they use computers. So, you will need to adapt your website to be found easily and quickly by mobile prospects.

Not to mention that many of them use voice search to look for information from their smartphones. And, as you all know, keywords and location are crucial too. Hence, it’s decisive to introduce whatever changes you might consider necessary to appear in these searches.

Influencer marketing

Influencer marketing is of utmost importance today. More and more companies are spending a great part of their budget on this issue. The main reason why this is happening is that it has recently proved to be effective.

Thus no one wants to lose the wagon of change. And now, more and more brands are promoting their products or services online.

This is relevant for mobile marketing as many users have an account on social networks. So do influencers, and they use it to promote a brand’s image online.

It’s frequent to check your account on platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, etc., and see influencers adverts on your mobile device.

So, if you are not already working with influencers, it’s time you look for fruitful partnerships. Though not any influencer will do the trick, you need to find out one whose audience you are interested in.

Why is mobile marketing different from desktop marketing?

These days if you want to be successful, you’ll need to target both mobile and desktop users. This way, you will be able to reach them at home, at work, and when they are out.

Yet, knowing what differentiates one from the others might be useful to help you with your marketing campaigns.

Below, you will find the main differences between desktop and mobile marketing nowadays:

Content

Not surprisingly, in mobile marketing, you should be careful with the amount of content. While in a desktop computer, the amount of content won’t ́t be taken as something negative, this won’t be the case for mobile users.

When you create content for mobiles, you have to consider that scrolling so much could be an inconvenience. Thus, try not to post unnecessary information, at least on the main page of your site.

Though, if your visitors decide to click on a CTA, they would expect to find out more data. By the way, for both kinds of users, it is a must that you provide them the right amount of content and images.

Just reading is boring, so try to be original and use videos, animations, images, etc., to make your content more appealing for them.

Image format

Depending on your target audience and their preferences, image use differs. In general, desktop users prefer landscape-aspect images. But, mobile users would rather go for portrait-aspect images.

Hence, depending on which type of users you want to target, you should go for one format or the other.

Anyway, another angle you should consider as regards image is that mobile users have a smaller screen. Thus, you should take it into account for image size.

Video

Mobile users are undeniably key consumers of videos. And, the way you watch a video differs depending on the device you use.

I mean, when you watch a video on a smartphone, you usually use the whole screen. Yet, on a desktop computer, it is not necessary to utilize all the screen to watch a video reasonably well. Users can have various screens open and multitask while watching videos.

This matters so much as it means that mobile users pay more attention when watching videos. So, you should take them into consideration for your marketing campaigns.

Call-to-Action buttons

There won’t be a problem on a desktop computer if you use several CTAs to direct your visitors wherever you want them to go or to tell them what to do. But, it would not be very pleasant on a smartphone.

Considering that as mobiles are smaller, more than one CTA in their screen would not be as effective, but distractory. However, there is no issue at all if you use different CTAs in a post that you want them to see on a desktop apparatus.

Location

Location is far more important for mobile users than for desktop ones. As you know, mobile users search for brands near their location. Though, this is not that much relevant for desktop users.

Besides, you can take your smartphone wherever you want. But, desktop computers are used at home or at work, and not everyone carries their laptops to where they move.

This matters, for instance, to decide who you would prefer to target in your campaigns. Please take into account that mobile users would always have their devices with them. Then, whoever you choose as your target audience, you will have to bear them in mind.

Usage

Obvious as it may seem, the truth is that people use their mobile devices a lot more than their computers. And this matters a lot for marketers. If you are going to run a new campaign, you need to address it to as many people as possible.

What’s more, how we use mobiles is different too. In other words, most people use their smartphones on the go and when they are waiting for something else.

But, when we use computers, normally we pay more attention to what we are doing, and we use them for a longer amount of time. On top of that, user intent is generally different depending on which device your audience uses.

Target Audience

Your target audience has a lot to do with the type of marketing strategies you need to use. There is no doubt that if you are running a campaign in which your target audience is desktop users, then you should adapt your marketing strategy for them.

While if your target audience is mobile users, you must adapt everything so that it would be more effective for mobile consumers.

In theory, a combination of both strategies would be ideal. But, occasionally you might find it more useful to go for one strategy or the other.

Screen

In mobile marketing, it goes without saying that users would use the whole screen to access content. Although this might not always be the case for desktop computer users, they can have several screens open at the same time.

This is relevant since mobile users would focus their attention more easily. But, desktop computer ones would be more difficult to convince.

Now you know what makes mobile marketing so much rewarding these days!

You have learned what makes a marketing strategy successful, you are familiar with the main trends for this year, and you know the differences between mobile and desktop marketing.

Thus, you are ready to move on to the next chapter, where I will focus on how you can create a mobile marketing strategy in depth.

Chapter 3

Create Your Mobile Marketing Strategy

It’s high time you learned how to create your own mobile marketing strategy. In this chapter, I’ll share my proven tactics with you.

Designing your own Mobile marketing strategy is not necessarily a piece of cake. You will need to consider many aspects. Thus, below I’ll also focus on all those mobile marketing mistakes you need to avoid.

These days, there is so much information that you might even feel overwhelmed at times. That’s the main reason why I’ll guide you through the whole process.

Ready?

As a marketing strategy, mobile marketing focuses on optimizing websites, social networks, emails, ads, videos, images, etc., for mobile users.

So, the principal aim of a mobile marketing strategy is to optimize content for mobile users. I’ve used the word ‘optimize’ and not ‘adapt,’ which is what most marketers have been doing till now.

Yet, adapting your content could be no longer enough. Think that the number of people who use their mobile devices to browse the internet surpasses those who use a desktop device.

So, why on earth should you create content for desktop computer users to have later to adapt it for mobile users? Wouldn’t it be better to generate content with mobile users in mind?

So, instead of changing things here and there, it would be way better to design them in the first place for mobile apparatus.

If you want your strategy to succeed, I mean to help you generate leads and convert prospects into customers; you will need to consider that it is necessary to understand how people use their mobile devices. And thus, carry out a data-driven approach.

Develop Your Mobile Marketing Strategy

There are so many things you can do to develop a mobile marketing strategy. But, first of all, you will need to bear your audience in mind. Then, you should think about how they use mobile devices. And only afterward is when you start thinking about what kind of content you want to develop for them.

The following are key steps to optimize your mobile marketing strategy:

1. Identify your audience segmentation and targeting

To begin with, it is critical to identify who your audience is. That’s to say, you need to be aware of all the different segments that make up your audience.

This way, you will be able to adapt your strategy to them. Or even to put different strategies into practice depending on each group.

Besides, you should think about which type of mobile devices they use – smartphones, tablets, etc.

Not to mention that when and where they use them is also relevant. I mean, you should know if your audience uses their devices at work, while commuting, during breaks, in the morning, at night, etc.

All this data is necessary to carefully plan when is the best time to reach them, for instance. Thus, you must spend some time thinking about who forms part of your audience.

Also, this data will help you to understand what type of content they usually consume. So, learning who they are, what they do, when, and where is not only advisable but necessary to succeed.

2. Dig into your audience

Knowing your audience is even more important, if not vital, for mobile marketing success. That’s because mobile devices are more personal than desktop computers. So, you cannot spam everyone.

If you do so, it could have disastrous consequences for your brand. You will earn yourself a bad reputation. And this isn’t easy to wash away. So, try to target only those who match the content you want to broadcast!

3. Reach out to your market

Apart from understanding your audience, it is necessary to pay attention to other aspects related to your industry market.

To design a mobile marketing strategy, it’s important to manage some demographic information. Today, even more than some years ago.

Think that audiences no longer are all in the same place. Today you can target people from one part of the world, and also address other people from the opposite side.

Considering these differences is more than necessary for mobile marketing. You shouldn’t send an SMS to two different customers at the same time of the day if they live in completely different parts of the world.

Besides, not all mobile devices use the same browsers. There are as many browsers for computer devices as there are for mobiles. Yet, you can use most browsers on both iOS and Android.

Whether your audience uses one or another will depend on the device they use. So, being aware of their preferences will help you adapt yourself and create content suitable for their browser.

4. Take advantage of social media platforms

As part of any mobile marketing strategy, it is a must to be familiar with social media platforms. And also to be an active user, at least on the ones which your audience uses.

The majority of the traffic from social media platforms comes from mobile devices. This means that most people enjoy using their devices to share what they’re doing online. And also to see what others do.

Thus, this is a perfect opportunity for marketers to use these platforms to become more human. And also to share what they do with their audiences.

Social media platforms can also help you interact with your customers, advertise your products, increase your brand awareness, etc.

5. Optimize your keywords and use them wisely

Finally, it is relevant to mention that keywords are crucial for any mobile marketing strategy. When people search for something on a mobile phone, they use highly specific keywords. A lot more specific than when they use a computer.

So, to help them find you, it is necessary to use the right keywords. Not only in your pieces of content but also on your website, social networks, videos, etc.

6. Focus on Local SEO

Another aspect that is characteristic of mobile devices is location. Do not forget that most people look for brands that they can find nearby. So, it is important to focus on local SEO, especially if your business targets local customers.

A great way to boost your local business due to mobile marketing is to include your website’s location. And make sure your business information is correctly listed on your local directories. This way, you will increase your leads locally.

7. Maximize your mobile presence

If you want to get the most out of your mobile presence, you will need to design a mobile responsive website.

This means that you need to bear in mind the size of your buttons and links. They need to be easily clickable from a mobile apparatus. Likewise, fingers’ reachability is key.

If you focus on these issues to make your website responsive, you will improve not only UX but also your site’s search engine rankings.

8. Speed matters

You need to make sure the loading speed is as fast as possible. Many users abandon websites due to this and never return.

Think that most mobile users don’t have a lot of patience as regards speed. But, in general, they have weaker connections than the ones we use on our desktop devices.

So, it is vital to optimize your mobile speed to guarantee a good UX. Remember that loading time shouldn’t be more than 4 seconds. Otherwise, you might lose them.

9. Mobile content

Think that videos, images, font size need to be adequate too. It also needs to be easy to scroll or go to one of your landing pages from a mobile device.

That’s to say, to optimize your mobile content you will need to:

• Use bullet points or numbers. 
• Write short headlines. 
• Use headings and subheadings to distinguish each section. 
• Write short paragraphs.
• Etc.

As regards visual content, it also needs to be as perfect as you can. In other words, image compression is critical. If you upload images to your site and they’re too heavy, this will increase loading time.

So, it is vital to upload images with the size you want them to have, but they also need to be compressed. This way, you won’t have issues with loading time. And you will make sure they have the exact size you want them to have.

It is also crucial to make your texts legible on your graphics considering people could read them on a mobile apparatus.

And, you cannot miss out on the chance to use mobile-responsive email templates. Failing to do so could mean losing great conversion opportunities. 

Today many people read emails through their mobile devices. Besides, email is one of the most cost-effective marketing approaches.

Thus, it is a must to use mobile-responsive email templates. For instance, you should use short subject lines. Remember that mobile users won’t see your complete subject line if this one is too long.

10. Optimize for voice search

Currently, everybody uses their phones to search for information on the go. This means that many of them use voice search instead of typing keywords on search engines.

So, you will need to make sure that your site is ready for these voice searches. Still, voice search differs from when you type words. In general, most people use voice search to ask questions about brands nearby.

It is key to include your location. Not only on your site in the form of a map but also as one of your content keywords. This way, users will have more chances to find you if they search for a brand like yours in your area.

Apart from your location, it is necessary to include opening times. Voice search users want to know if you are open when they search.

Moreover, reviews are a great idea too. If possible include local reviews. This will help you to convince them they can trust you. They do not need to be 100% positive, real reviews are better. Take into account the aim is to generate trust for your brand.

11. Geo-fencing

Geo-fencing is when you mark a specific area with a virtual fence. Thus, when mobile users cross the fence, they get a push notification.

There are lots of things you can do with this notification. It can be a discount, product information, a special offer, etc.

It is very effective for local O2O marketing. You can send highly specific ads only to certain users, those within your fence. As a mobile marketing strategy is effective since it increases engagement and chances of success.

12. Vertical video content

Generally speaking, vertical videos are better than square or landscape videos for mobile users.

That’s because if you create vertical videos, people won’t have to change the way they hold their devices. And also, your content would cover the whole screen, contrary to what happens with square videos.

These days there are social media platforms that favor the use of vertical videos too, such as Facebook. So, if you use them, you will get higher rankings on search engines.

On top of that, if you mix vertical videos and augmented reality in your app, if you happen to have one, you will boost UX.

Augmented reality content is on the rise. It shows users a virtual element in real environments. This way, users can easily imagine the final result. It definitely generates loads of leads.

13. Leverage mobile coupons

Mobile coupons or promo codes are easier to use nowadays than when they were just magazine or newspaper ones.

Today, no one goes outside without their mobile. So, the chances of forgetting them at home are almost nonexistent. And they are more accessible and easier to use for people.

Besides, they are easy to show when they are in a physical store. And also, they are easy to redeem for you.

Remember to include a sense of urgency in your offers as well as a specific time after which the discount will expire if you want them to be more effective. This way, you will get more leads.

You can send them as SMS, push notifications, emails, etc.

14. Push notifications

Push notifications are a must as they are quite a lot powerful. You can send push notifications to a specific segment of your audience when they go into a particular location.

You can also send different push notifications to several people or all your audience segments, depending on their characteristics.

Both types of push notifications have proved to be effective for marketers. They can work as reminders, offer discounts, advertise a product, provide data about your brand, etc.

15. Measure your performance

Most importantly, it is vital to measure your mobile marketing strategy performance. You need to gather information and see what steps have been successful and those which need improvement.

Afterward, you will need to rethink your strategy and put new strategies into practice. Some tools can help you with this tedious but necessary task, like Google Analytics.

You should analyze data as regards traffic, conversions, and landing pages. These metrics will no doubt help you to optimize your mobile marketing strategy and provide a better UX.

Mobile Marketing Mistakes to Avoid

As decisive as having a mobile marketing strategy, follow certain steps to achieve your goals, and measure your performance, it is to try to avoid certain mobile marketing mistakes.

Not surprisingly, in any marketing campaign, errors might occur. But, if you are familiar with the most common mistakes marketers make today, you will be able to make an effort to bypass them.

The first and most serious mistake you can make is not taking your audience into account. That’s why you need a mobile marketing strategy. Remember that today a lot of people spend many hours browsing the internet with their mobiles.

Still, if you happen to have created your own mobile marketing strategy and you’re trying to do your best, you should also watch out the following mistakes:

Misleading your audience

Many marketers are afraid of leading their audiences with optimized mobile messages. Mainly because this could change their behavior. Thus, it would also change your brand’s conversion.

Yet, you won’t take any risk if your messages are crystal clear and easy to understand. On the contrary, you will catch their attention, and many will do as you say.

But, you should be careful and avoid the use of irrelevant messages. These don’t lead anywhere. It’s better to create personalized content adapted for each of your audience’s segments.

It’s a fantastic and powerful strategy to send personalized messages to different segments of your target audience. This way, you’ll make sure the content you’re sending them would always be relevant. And your conversions will improve.

Apart from that, it is obviously wise not to deceive your audience. They will find out sooner or later. And if you do it, you will earn yourself a bad reputation. And as you know, it would take years to recover from such a mistake.

Not optimizing UX for mobile users

This is probably an error many marketers are aware of these days. It is common sense that the content you have created for your website to appear on desktop devices won’t appear the same on mobile devices.

Mobile screens are smaller than laptop or computer ones. So, when designing your site, your content, your ads, and so on, you will need to bear in mind that many users will access this data from a mobile device.

UX on mobile differs from that one on a computer. So, you should better optimize your site, ads, content – blog posts, visuals, font size, etc., for all your audience, including mobile users.

Making this mistake will cost you many conversions as nowadays more than half of internet users access websites with their mobile apparatus.

Neglect the relevance of social media platforms

It is indispensable to use social media platforms. Though being familiar is not enough. You need to know how to use them properly.

The same is true for what type of platforms you should use. Just because you sometimes post content on a platform does not mean you will boost your awareness. You will need to publish content where your audience is. So, if there is a platform they prefer instead of the others, that’s the one you should use more too.

Keep in mind that optimal times for posting content are not the same for all platforms. And if you’re planning to distribute your content on several platforms, you will need to adapt it to be optimized.

Think that utilizing social media platforms is a must today. Most users spend hours and hours socializing with their mobiles. So, if you want to reach them, you can’t deny social media relevance.

These social media networks will help you to connect with your audience as well as engage with them through a channel where they feel comfortable. They are huge lead generators too.

Not having a mobile marketing plan for your app

If you design your own app without a mobile marketing plan in mind, you could be losing prospects.

If you decide to embark on the creation of a brand app, you will need to promote it as much as possible.

There are several things you can do that will make a difference. For example, include a link on your website to download your app or make it available to download from app stores.

Indeed, you can even offer them to get your app thanks to QR codes which is a wonderful way to increase your contacts list. If they want to get the code, they will need to fill out a form and provide you their email or phone number.

Sending the same SMS to all the members of your target audience

Either by SMS or by email, sending automated messages to every member of your audience is not the best strategy.

Above all, people value personalized messages. These make them feel special or at least that marketers care about them or what they think.

Obviously, you cannot write each message one by one. Yet, you shouldn’t send the same one to all your audience.

So, you need to reach a balance between these two options. The best is to try to create somehow personalized SMS and emails, if possible, with the recipient’s name, location, etc.

Once you have personalized your messages for different segments of your audience, you can include automated content.

Another option could be to automate messages for different segments of your audience. And send only the ones that are relevant to each segment when appropriate. For instance, push notifications when they cross a location fence.

Not to mention that not all users enjoy all channels. Some people prefer to receive data via SMS, others by email, push notifications, social networks, etc.

Thus, if you send all of them the same info via all the above-mentioned channels, some could feel annoyed or overwhelmed. So, be careful and try not to disturb them like that.

Intrusive advertising

This mobile marketing mistake is in some way related to the previous one. It is vital not to bother your audience. Yet, you want to promote your ads, website, blog, etc.

There are those who hate ads and usually ban them if they can. You cannot do anything against that. But, if you want more people to see your mobile marketing ads you can follow some tips:

• Do not create misleading content.
• Do not send the same ad 1,000,000 times to the same people! Too much repetition is annoying.
• Try to send ads at optimal times.
• Use short and concise messages.
• Try not to bother users.
• Promote your ads to a suitable audience.
• Adapt your ads to the channel.
• Create your ads with your audience in mind.
• Etc.

Ignore mobile friendly payment

Imagine you have already convinced a prospect, and this person wants to order and pay through his/her mobile. Yet, your website payment is not mobile optimized. Or even worse, you drive them to another page to pay.

Probably you will lose this prospect as a client. Why? Because when you are about to buy something with your mobile device, you do not want to feel the payment is not secure.

Besides, if the payment service is not integrated on your site, they could feel annoyed.

The best option would be to make sure you give them an optimized payment service that is easy to manage from their devices.

Treat mobile users as desktop users (different experience)

Not surprisingly, mobile users’ experience differs from desktop users one. So, if you decide to create your own app, do not design it the same way as a desktop website.

On top of that, you should try to guarantee mobile users’ experience is as convenient as possible. Try to create intuitive forms, take into account visuals, font size, bullets & numbering, etc.

It is mandatory to include buttons, links, make it easy to scroll, etc. Do not forget screen sizes differ too. So, do not make the mistake of not optimizing your site and app for mobile users.

And that’s all for mobile marketing strategies. Now you can start putting them into practice. Beware of mobile marketers’ common mistakes and try to avoid them!

In the next chapter, I’ll talk in detail about how to optimize your website for mobile users. Don’t miss the chance to be well-informed and beat your competitors with a smart mobile-optimized website!

Chapter 4

Mobile-optimized Website

Having a mobile-optimized website is critical. A lot of people will visit your site through their mobiles. So, you have to be ready and provide the best experience possible. An optimized website is not the same as a mobile-friendly and/or responsive one. In this chapter, I’ll explain the differences between the three of them.

I will also focus on why speed matters so much. And then, I will share with you some pivotal strategies to make your website mobile-optimized.

Still, mobile-optimized does not mean designing your site for desktop users and then improve it a little bit, so mobile users do not have a terrible experience. Mobile-optimized means offering each user the best experience regardless of the device they use.

There are lots of strategies you can carry out to make your website mobile-optimized. For instance, increase its speed, make it mobile-friendly and mobile-responsive, enhance search functions, etc.

But, apart from the number of people that use their devices for almost everything nowadays, why is it so important to make your site mobile-optimized?

Mainly because of Google’s mobile-first indexing. That’s to say, Google gives your site a score depending on how mobile-optimized it is. Indeed, you can run a mobile-friendly test that will tell you if your site is mobile-optimized.

If it is not, this test will tell you why. So, you would have to work on those aspects that are preventing you from getting more traffic, leads, etc.

Likewise, there’s another test you can run for your website’s speed called the mobile speed test tool, also by Google.

Mobile-friendly website vs. Mobile-responsive website vs. Mobile-optimized website

Though many people think that these three terms have the same meaning, the truth is that they differ quite a lot from each other. But, they are complementary.

If you want to give your users the best UX ever, you will need to somehow combine these three approaches of website design. Let’s see their differences!

Mobile-friendly website

A mobile-friendly website is a site that is functional on a tablet or mobile device, though texts and images might appear smaller. That’s to say, it’s a site that will be fairly easy to use on a mobile device.

At least, its images would be small enough to provide a reasonable loading speed. And, buttons will be clickable from smartphones and Apple devices. Not to mention that images would have to work without any kind of flash support on mobiles.

But, the disadvantage is that users would have to use the zoom to read texts at times. And buttons won’t be big enough to guarantee better navigation. Still, the site would be functional for users.

Mobile-responsive website

A mobile-responsive website is a site that would adapt itself for each device. I mean, it won’t have small texts or images, but these would adapt to the size of the screen you’re using.

A mobile responsive website design means that your site would adapt itself for each different device using all the screen. Indeed, it re-optimizes your site as a whole to give users the best experience.

That’s to say, easy to read texts, light images that ensure a great site’s speed, large enough and easy to click buttons, etc.

The downside is that it’s quite expensive in comparison to other approaches. Yet, it would provide your audience with a fantastic mobile UX. It’s advisable if your customers/clients make lots of purchases on the go.

Mobile-optimized website

A mobile-optimized site is more cutting-edge than a mobile-friendly site. The main difference is that mobile-optimized sites change their format to please most devices when they notice people are using a mobile apparatus.

I mean, mobile-optimized websites are those whose buttons are easily clickable from a mobile. Besides, the amount of graphics has to be reduced not to stop users’ best experience. And, it gives visitors the chance to see the desktop version of the site if they want to.

In such a website, lots of aspects have to be considered to guarantee buying decisions could come up smoothly. Most of the time, it is the best option as it’s cost-effective and aims at providing good UX. For creating a mobile-optimized website, you can choose a special mobile website builder to make sure it will perform its best.

Mobile speed matters

Had it not been for the fact that most mobile users who have a bad experience never return to the site, it won’t be so important to supply the best speed possible. Yet, that being the case, it’s crucial to improve loading speed both on mobiles and desktop computers.

Indeed, fast loading websites are even more important when it comes to accessing from mobile devices. This is because mobile users are less patient. The problem is that loading times are worse on mobile websites in comparison to when you visit them through a desktop computer.

Sadly, this provokes a bad UX and less customer satisfaction. Yet, that’s not the only problem. Your website’s speed affects your site’s bounce rates. Thus, it can have an impact on your conversions.

So, if your site’s loading speed is not good enough, you will be missing the chance to reach a wider audience. There’s no doubt that you will have fewer business opportunities. But, do not panic. Your site’s speed can get better.

But, how can you improve your website’s speed?

The easiest way is to use Google PageSpeed Insights. On top of that, you can also keep your site up-to-date, compress your image size, optimize your site’s code, etc.

How to make a mobile-optimized website

Making your website mobile-optimized is critical. Failing to do so may result in losing not only leads but also conversions. Not to mention that you will also let many business opportunities pass you by.

Thus, if your site is not mobile-optimized enough, you need to do something. You can put many strategies into practice as running a mobile-friendly test, make your site responsive, take into account voice search users, etc.

Let’s have a look at my proven mobile-optimized techniques:

Audit your current website

The first thing you have to do is run a Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test to understand what you should focus on. It’s quite easy to use, you just have to introduce your URL, and it will run a test for you.

If your site is mobile-optimized, it would tell you that your site is mobile-friendly. So, you could focus on more advanced aspects.

Otherwise, the tool will provide you a list of the issues you need to fix. It’s of utmost importance that you fix broken links and content with errors if that’s your case before you move on.

Make your website responsive

Choosing a responsive website design is key. Responsive websites are those that adapt the site’s content to the size of the screen where it appears.

In other words, it helps you to avoid making users take extra actions like zooming to see your content. And, it makes it easier to tap buttons, making them bigger; and more.

A responsive website is a site whose design is more flexible. It completely adapts itself to the device orientation. It not only has large buttons and bigger font, but it also takes into account images. That’s to say, the site’s images would be adapted to the screen’s size too.

Were you to want a quick solution, you can even use responsive themes if you are working with a WordPress database. It’s quite simple and a good option if you are starting. Yet, there are other aspects you have to consider too.

Use mobile-first design for mobile usability

A mobile-first design is the one that places mobile users first. That’s to say, instead of adapting websites for them, this kind of design bears them in mind in the first place. Such a website would need to have easy navigation, easy-to-tap buttons, etc.

On top of that, you will have to make sure your texts and visuals are large enough. Still, the feature that surprises me the most is that it needs to be a Google Accelerated Mobile Page (AMP).

Indeed, there is a WordPress plugin available that can help you to increase your site’s speed. This is of great importance as Google favors sites whose speed has been accelerated for mobile users.

The only drawback is that you would need to have two versions of your content. However, your traffic would be better as many more mobile users would be pleased, and Google will favor you in search engine rankings.

Optimize for mobile page speed

Once you have tested your site’s speed with Google’s Mobile Speed Test Tool, you should make sure you’re putting into practice certain strategies.

It’s mandatory to compress your site’s images and minify your code. Both strategies are necessary to increase mobile speed. Yet, you can also use a content delivery network which will help you to improve your loading times no matter where your users are. It also reduces your bandwidth usage.

Still, one of the most important strategies to reduce your page’s speed is to get rid of pop-ups and ads on mobiles. Though they can help you get more leads on a desktop computer when pop-ups appear on mobiles, most users get annoyed.

As mobile screens are smaller, it’s more complicated to close window ads and pop-ups. Thus, the user experience is not that pleasant. So, the best solution is to avoid using them on mobiles.

But, if you decide to put in place any of them, the less you use, the better. And you will have to simplify and adapt them for mobile users.

Google now penalizes websites that show pop-ups to mobile users, so the best option of all is not to use them.

Improve mobile search functions

Not surprisingly, it’s advisable, if not a must, to keep your mobile content simple. But, you should also make all your desktop content available for mobile users. How do you do that? Complicated as it may seem, the answer is fairly simple.

You will need to add a search bar. Thanks to it, mobile users would be able to access any content they might be looking for. So, you will improve mobile usability.

Remember that just because people access your website from a mobile apparatus, this doesn’t mean they won’t have a great experience. You need to provide them just that if you want them to revisit your site, order a product, subscribe to your newsletter, etc.

Give priority to local search

Local search is fundamental. Many mobile users look for nearby solutions. When people use their mobile devices to search for something on a search engine, most of the time, they want a solution as near as possible.
Thus, it’s indispensable that you include your company’s physical address and a map on your website. It’s also advisable to include the name of your location as a content keyword. This would increase your site’s traffic. And as a consequence, your leads and conversions.

It’s even more important to give priority to local search if your site is not mobile-optimized. So, if you haven’t taken it into account yet, it’s time you gave it a thought!

Make your contact information clickable

Your contact details need to be clickable. In other words, you will have to provide users a click to call, click to email, click to get directions clickable buttons. Why? To make it easier for others to contact you.

Whatever the reason they have, it’s critical to make it easier for others to reach you. It will increase your site’s usability, and it will also make UX more pleasant.

Conduct a mobile-friendly test

You will need to use Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test Tool. It’s free to use and not very complicated. If you want to run a test, you have to introduce your site’s URL and then select run a test.

Once it finishes, it will tell you whether your site is mobile-friendly or not. If it is not mobile-friendly enough, it will also provide some information as regards why.

Obviously, you have to make any necessary adjustments if the tool tells you to. Apart from this, it will also notify you if there are any page loading issues and what they are.

This information is highly valuable for you as it will tell you if your site is mobile-friendly or not. And, if necessary, the aspects you need to work on. Thus, it is one of the first things you should do to optimize your site.

Apart from this, it would be wise to check how your site looks like and works on several devices of your own. This would also give you an idea of what it feels like when others visit your site with their mobiles, tablets, etc.

Deal with voice search

Voice search is one of the most widely used improvements by mobile users. Instead of having to type information on a search engine, mobile search tools empower mobile users to find out data for them.

As a matter of fact, the experience is more pleasant because they just need to say a couple of words or sentences. Yet, for some websites, it can be challenging. How can you make sure your site is optimized for this type of search? You will need to use relevant content keywords.

Yet, not only will keywords affect whether your site appears or not on search engines after a voice search, but your location is also relevant. You must include your location as a keyword. It will help you to improve your site’s traffic as voice search users look for nearby solutions.

Avoid using huge chunks of text

It’s utterly important to keep your message as simple as possible. Try to avoid long paragraphs and complicated sentences. When people visit your site with a mobile, there’s a limited amount of information they can see in a glimpse.

So, if you want to improve their experience and your site’s mobile usability, it’s critical to avoid using huge chunks of text. Mainly because they would look a lot longer on a mobile device.

So, it’s better to use easy-to-understand and short paragraphs that have a clear message.

Develop your own mobile app

It’s not entirely necessary, but it’s a possibility. More and more brands are now designing their own apps. You do not need to be an enormous brand to create your own app.

Though it is not for free, whether you should go for it or not, it would depend not only on your budget but also on your mobile users. You need to analyze whether they would use it or not.

Having your own app has many benefits, such as sending push notifications to call your users’ attention or offering subscriptions.

Now you know how to make your website mobile-optimized. In the next chapter, I’ll tell you all about how to succeed in mobile messaging. If you want to learn about my proven tactics, keep on reading!

Chapter 5

Mobile Messaging

Mobile messaging is now a quite popular and effective way of exchanging information among professionals. Now, this type of communication is no longer used by the average person exclusively. Marketers also put it in place to communicate with their customers/clients and among employees.

In this chapter, I’ll tell you all about mobile messaging. That’s to say, I will explain what is it and why it is so important for you to use it. I will also comment on the most relevant mobile messaging types.

Then, I’ll move on to mobile coupons, and I will devote some lines to SMS mobile coupon examples. And finally, I will tell you how to succeed in mobile messaging thanks to my proven tips.

There are several ways to communicate too. You can send average SMS, personalized push notifications, in-app messages, multimedia messages, etc.

Mobile messaging is gaining a lot of relevance nowadays as marketers have found it’s the perfect channel to increase customer loyalty. You can provide your customers/clients much more personalized attention. So, customer satisfaction will increase.

Not to mention that allowing your audience to either opt-in or opt-out if they please will guarantee they want to receive the information you’re sending them. That’s one of the main reasons why you can’t miss the chance to implement a mobile marketing SMS strategy.

It’s got other advantages, such as offering your audience a 24/7 channel to communicate and in real-time. You should definitely make use of mobile messaging because it’s got amazing reach opportunities. Almost no one goes anywhere without their mobiles these days.

On top of that, you should put a mobile messaging strategy in place because the number of mobile users that browse the internet with these devices is now higher than those who browse from their desktop computers.

This means that most people feel comfortable communicating through their mobiles. Thus, you as a marketer cannot miss the boat, or your competitors would leave you behind.

Benefits of mobile messaging

• Increase brand loyalty.
• Immediate communication.
• Great reach opportunities. 
• Significant open rates in comparison to emails.
• Easy to use.
• Instant distribution. 
• Opt-in vs. opt-out option.
• Cost-efficient channel.
• Personalized content.
• Real-time communication.
• Several messaging possibilities.
• Foster in-store traffic.
• Easy to integrate into your marketing campaigns.
• SMS can be easily shared (it can work as word of mouth).
• SMS marketing has excellent ROI benefits.
• Encourage customer engagement.

Types of mobile messaging

SMS (Short Message Service)

SMS is quite a popular way of communicating your message. You can include up to 160 characters in Latin Alphabets or 70 in non-Latin ones (like Chinese).

It’s got many advantages as the possibility of receiving the message even though the recipient is in the middle of a phone call or if the device has been turned off.

On top of that, it’s gaining popularity as an advertising channel due to the number of open rates compared to emails. Indeed, you have to ask recipients to opt-in. So, you make sure they want to receive the information you’re sending them.

MMS (Multimedia Message Service)

MMS is a more modern channel to send messages. This time you can include text, video, and audio in your messages. But not only this forms part of MMS, but they also allow you to include images, formatted text, and sound.

All of this with the advantages of SMS. That’s to say, the possibility of getting the message even though your phone is switched off. As a drawback, it’s relevant to mention the message size.

Push notifications

Push notifications are short messages that marketers send to mobile devices when users are not using a mobile app. They can also be messages which visitors to a website receive both on a desktop or mobile device. They are a great way to call someone’s attention.

Social media messaging

This is probably one of the trendiest and most common ways of communicating nowadays. As many people already use social media messaging to communicate with others, it’s an excellent channel to communicate with your audience.

You can take advantage of social media messaging and engage with your audience to foster a loyal relationship. You can also send promotions, solve doubts, thank your followers, and more.

Mobile app

If you happen to own a mobile app, you should definitely use it to communicate with others. Mobile apps can send push notifications to those who have downloaded the app. When the app is working, you should have a section where to send and receive messages.

It’s a brilliant way to communicate. Indeed, you will make sure those who receive your messages want to get them.

Email

Emails are not only opened on desktop devices. Today most people also read them on their phones or tablets. To the extent that many emails are opened on mobiles in comparison to the ones opened on a computer.

Thus, you have to bear them in mind as a mobile messaging channel widely used by marketers. The downside is that many emails go to the spam folder and never see the light of day. So, you will have to personalize them and choose the subject line wisely.

Mobile coupons

Mobile coupons are discount messages or promotions that marketers send to their customers. They are on the rise in comparison to their paper counterparts. Most customers admit that they like to be sent offers to their mobiles.

These days, lots of transactions take place on mobile devices. Mobile coupons are king in the US. You can send them through several mobile messaging channels like push notifications or mobile apps.

Most marketers are now taking advantage of geofencing. That’s to say, sending messages when mobile users cross the fence to a specific area. It can be in-store, in a shopping mall, a particular location, etc.

You can offer several promotions such as a price reduction or buy-one-get-one-free and more. It’s also important to give a sense of urgency like an expiration date or a limited amount of products with a discount.

Among its many benefits, it’s relevant to mention that mobile coupons will help you to:

• Get more in-store traffic.
• Strengthen your brand’s loyalty.
• Obtain opt-in mobile numbers to build a contacts list.
• Promote your products according to consumer’s preferences.

Examples of mobile coupons in your SMS

Text marketing SMS coupons

It’s the most elementary one, though not for that it is less effective. It’s an SMS alert that either offers a clickable link or a promo code.

Clickable links are a great idea for sending SMS coupons. Probably, they are the best alternative to expensive MMS coupons. Clickable links offer SMS recipients the chance to access a landing page with a promo-catching image.

This kind of promotion is usually available for all consumers. Still, those who opt-in should receive extra incentives as well as more frequent promotions.

For instance, you can offer those who opted-in a mobile promotion that they can validate at the point of sale. This way, you will increase their loyalty and encourage future visits.

For marketers, it’s always better if people opt-in, so it’s advisable to encourage it among your audience.

Multimedia MMS coupons

These coupons are a lot more sophisticated than the ones sent through SMS. MMS messaging allows marketers to include not only text but also videos, images, audio, etc.

So, messages would be far more convincing. The downside is that sending MMS coupons is quite expensive for advertisers in comparison to simple SMS.

What’s more, consumers would have to pay to download some of the content. And MMS messages are heavier, so consumers would have to use some of their mobile storage to keep them.

QR codes / barcodes

QR codes can also form part of your SMS advertising campaigns. QR codes are two-dimensional barcodes, which means that they are a little bit more complex than traditional barcodes.

Users can easily have access to the codified information of QR codes with their mobile phone cameras. Normally, the QR code drives them to a particular landing page with the promotion.

Mobile coupon apps

In-app mobile coupons are the ones that appear on a specific brand’s app. Usually, visitors can have access to app messages/notifications with the coupon. Most in-app mobile coupons consist of a clickable link to a landing page with the offer.

This type of coupon is very useful for marketers as they can track its effectiveness and study consumer behavior. It’s advisable to offer consumers the chance to opt-in and receive SMS regularly.

How to optimize your mobile messaging

There are many things you can do with mobile messaging today. Yet, it’s key to send relevant information and stick to the point, or else you would annoy your audience.

Most people spend a considerable amount of time using their mobiles every day. It’s not just when someone texts them or they receive a notification. Many people also check their phones regularly and use them during in-store shopping.

Thus, there is no doubt if you haven’t included mobile messaging in your marketing strategy yet, it’s high time you did it. Indeed, there are many things you can do thanks to mobile messaging.

Most marketers use SMS to promote their products to a wider audience or send special offers to opt-in customers. What to offer is up to you as a particular marketer. Most people give discounts that expire on a specific date, opening promotions, half-price on the second unit, etc.

Those who do make use of mobile messaging benefit immensely. You will increase your reach, website traffic, brand loyalty, ROI, and so on and so forth.

Actionable mobile messaging techniques

Make your messages as short as possible

It goes without saying that messages have to be short and clear. Try to avoid any confusing information in your messages. It’s a must to use concise and crystal clear keywords.

If you want to give more details, add a clickable link in your SMS and drive people to a landing page. Too much data looks spammy on an SMS. So, it’s vital to avoid unnecessary words.

The register is critical too. Text messages tend to be somehow informal, and there are usually some words missing. Feel free to use abbreviations and friendly language.

Provide options for a quick answer

A brilliant way to get your audience engaged is to provide easy ways to reply. For instance, if you ask them a question, a simple “Y” or “N” answer would be more than enough.

If you provide them an effortless and quick way to answer, you will encourage more participation. Indeed, most people decide whether to answer or not on the spot. So, making things easier for them will influence their choice.

Start with action words to get a higher open rate

Besides, you can also ask them to “click here” to get more information, “buy now” to order a product,” “text to win” to take part in a contest, etc.

Whatever the CTA, what’s relevant is that you need to provoke a quick reaction on them. This would guarantee your mobile messaging campaign success.

Not to mention the fact that action words would provoke prompt reactions as well as call their attention. So, you should definitely use them.

Focus on a permission marketing

It’s mandatory to get permission to send SMS to your customers. First of all, it encourages brand loyalty and improves your brand’s image if you do so. It’s a legal requirement. And, you should keep a record of the permission too.

Secondly, asking your customers to opt-in will assure you they want to receive the messages you are going to send them. So, you will already have their interest. It’s advisable to offer them a special treatment to show you care for them and keep them on your contacts list.

Yet, as important as to ask them to opt-in, it’s to give them the chance to opt-out clearly. Some people stop being interested in receiving your SMS, or they may forget they have opted in and now regret it.

Consider rewards for renewal opt-ins

Given that happy consumers would do wonders for your brand, it would be smart to reward them. If your customers decide to renew their opt-in for receiving SMS, you should honor their loyalty with special offers or extra benefits.

This way, opt-in would look more attractive for your audience. Besides, happy customers are good prospects. And, if they are pleased, they would help you with word-of-mouth advertising.

Make use of geolocation marketing

Most enterprises take advantage of geolocation marketing. It means that they get data from mobile apps that share a person’s location. Mobile apps would always ask for user’s permission to share this data.

Once they know where the owner of the phone is, he/she would receive compelling messages related to his/her location.

Yet, related to geolocation marketing, it’s worth mentioning geofencing. That is to say, sending SMS to users if they cross a specific fence within a particular area.

Personalize your marketing communication

One of the most important aspects you will need to consider to create your message is to make it personal. The truth is no one enjoys getting an automated SMS that has been sent to hundreds.

Most users love to receive messages that look as if they had been exclusively created for them. It’s more natural. You will need to try to imitate this “natural” communication as if they were talking to acquaintances.

Indeed, it would be wise to use their first name on the SMS. That would make them feel familiar, friendly, important, etc. Besides, personalized messages encourage loyalty and are critical to build relationships.

Offer something valuable to recipients

Apart from creating short and personalized messages, you will also have to make them worthy. In other words, you need to offer promotions, coupons, etc, in such a way that they are valuable enough to please your customers’ expectations.

If what you have to offer is not attractive, they won’t bother even opening the SMS. So, it’s crucial to make your messages compelling. Adding a sense of urgency and sending them at optimal times would be the icing on the cake.

CAPITALIZE words that are important

The use of capital letters to emphasize relevant information is widely known. It’s in some way a form of highlighting the data your consumers can’t miss out on. It would not only call their attention but also have an effect upon them.

Take advantage of emojis

What to say about emojis! You should definitely use them when appropriate. Emojis influence the mood of the person who sees them. Thus, when used on an SMS, they would make the recipient feel more emotional about what you have to say.

On top of that, if you use emojis in your messages, they would have a stronger impact on your audience. That is to say, it would be easier to remember them.

Not to mention that they are a more natural way of sharing with others how you feel. For instance, excited about a new product or on cloud nine due to a promotion, etc.

Track your performance and upgrade strategies

Needless to say that it’s necessary to track your performance and change strategies that don’t work. Not everything would work for everyone. Each company is different and has a different audience with its own preferences.

So, it is decisive to pay attention to how things are going and make changes if needed. Still, what works is worth keep doing it as it will guarantee you success.

And that’s all for mobile messaging. Now, you know why it’s pivotal to include it in your mobile marketing strategy. In the next chapter, I’ll focus on mobile advertising. Keep on reading to find out if you’re familiar with the latest strategies.

Chapter 6

Mobile Advertising

Mobile advertising is more and more important nowadays. Most people spend a great amount of time using their mobiles every day. Thus, it’s key to come up with a good mobile advertising strategy. And, you’ll have to devote some of your time and budget to it if you want to succeed.

In this chapter, I’ll talk about mobile advertising. I’ll tell you all about what it is and its benefits. And then, I’ll comment on how you can create your own mobile advertising design. Finally, I’ll focus on how you can improve your mobile advertising strategies. Let’s get into it!

Many people used to think that these ads were not so much important as they tended to be quite annoying. However, these days they have gained not only importance but also quality. They are more creative.

Indeed, this has a lot to do with the fact that more and more people spend a lot of their free time with their mobiles. Yet, that’s not the only reason why mobile advertising is critical.

Another reason why you should carefully plan your mobile advertising strategy is due to the fact that users take their phones with them all the time. So, the chances to reach them are amazing.

However, you shouldn’t forget that your ads need to be as user-friendly as possible, or else you would annoy mobile users.

You cannot underestimate mobile advertising’s power as it benefits from the data it collects from mobile users themselves. And then creates more personalized and optimized ads that appeal to them.

Chances of success and of causing the desired action are incredibly higher than with traditional advertising.

Benefits of mobile advertising

• Great conversion rates.
• Long-lasting impression.
• More personalized. 
• Cost-effective.
• Interactive.
• Instant delivery.
• Easy to access for consumers.
• Location-based.
• Fosters a good relationship with your audience.
• Makes it easier to understand your consumers.
• Shareable content.
• Not difficult to track.
• Offers you multiple ways to expand your creativity.

Mobile advertising design

Regarding mobile advertising design, it’s necessary to create compelling content that clearly tells users what to do. Mobile ads are usually created to call users’ attention. That’s why messages need to be clear, but you also have to cause an impact.

Thus, it’s mandatory to include a CTA which easily drives your audience exactly where you want them to go. For instance, to a landing page to get more information or to your blog to download an article, etc.

The ad’s size matters as you do not want to upset users. Yet, it would vary depending on the type of ad and the device you’ve designed it for. Be careful here as if you do not get the right size, it won’t be shown on the device properly.

As important as the size is the message you want to convey. Most of all, it has to be simple. Try to emphasize only key features and avoid writing long texts.

You will also have to be careful when you design your advertisements because of the loading time. Make sure your ads do not negatively affect the app’s or website’s loading time. Remember that if loading takes too much time, users won’t revisit your site, or they might abandon it.

How to improve your mobile advertising strategies

1. Attract with a killer headline and an image

The combination of visuals and text is king. The truth is text-only ads are less attractive even though sometimes they are the best option. But, if you want to impress your audience, you will need to present them with a killer headline and a powerful image.

Online marketing is all about getting people’s attention and nowadays it is not that easy to achieve. It’s a proven fact that our attention spans are shorter as time goes by. So, either you call their attention in the first place or you would’ve lost them.

2. Take mobile specific CTAs in your messaging

Not surprisingly, the more specific you are with your CTAs, the better it will be for you. It’s advisable to insert mobile-specific texts and links in your messages. For instance, you can use “Download the mobile app,” “Listen to the podcast,” “Click to call/email/get directions,” etc.

This way, your audience will know exactly what they have to do at first sight. It’s necessary to make your messages look clickable, and they should be the next logical action.

3. Consider “call-only” ads

Call-only ads are those advertisements that encourage your audience to call you. Thus, they would just include your brand name, phone number, and a short description.

They can also have your websit3e, but the CTA won’t drive people there, the aim is to make a phone call.

Yet, it is possible to combine two CTAs in one message/ad. Though, as I said before, users would only take one of the desired actions.

Call-only ads can be useful during certain campaigns, promotions, etc., if what you want is to convince people to order your products via a phone call. It can be useful as at the same time you talk to them, you would foster your relationship.

4. A/B test with all the mobile ad extensions

From time to time, it would be wise to make use of either promotion or message extensions. Whether you should use one or the other depends on your audience. The best you can do is to A/B test what works best for you.

Indeed, you can benefit from using both of them depending on what you want to achieve or depending on the ad campaign.

But, what are promotion extensions? They show just below your ad, and they pretend to catch your audience’s attention. They’re easy to read and have to stand out from the main text. You can use them on special occasions to advertise your promotions like “Black-Friday,” “Christmas,” “Easter,” etc.

While message extensions refer to automated messages that you create beforehand so that your customers don’t need to do it. These messages will be sent to your mobile phone or email address so you can answer them and provide extra information.

It’s somehow a form of making your consumer’s lives easier. What they help you to do is to allow your audience to send you a message right away from your ad.

5. Create mobile video ads for more engagement

Videos are very popular among mobile users. Among other reasons, they are easy to digest, easy to remember, cause a lasting impression, etc. Thus, video ads have extremely high click-through rates.

What’s more, videos create more engagement. Most people watch them till the end if they’re short enough. Apart from the impression they cause to the people who have watched them, they can go viral as videos are shareable.

6. Make use of location-based mobile advertising

Location-based mobile advertising is king nowadays. Most brands use it as it helps them to better serve their customers. How? Offering them exactly what they need, but near them.

Besides, consumers have to opt-in to receive this kind of ad. So, you will make sure they are interested in what you are going to send them.

The most significant advantage of location-based mobile advertising is that it will help you to decrease your bounce rate. You will be targeting particular audiences with specific purposes. Thus, the chances of convincing them to take action will increase.

7. Prioritize mobile usability with carousel and vertical ads

Carousel ads are extremely useful for mobile advertising as they convey messages with images. Indeed, you can even combine several pictures all in one and target several segments of your audience.

What’s more, images have more chances to impact your audience and cause them an enduring effect. Keep in mind that words alone are not enough. Indeed, images are easier to recall.

Likewise, vertical ads are preferable on mobile advertising since most mobile users hold their devices vertically. Thus, it’s desirable to create your ads to appear in this position and covering all the device’s screen.

8. Track which types, formats and platforms work best for you

As with everything else in advertising, it would be wise to check which types of ads, formats, and platforms work best for you. How can you know that? Mainly A/B testing, trying to understand your audience, and targeting them where they feel comfortable.

That’s to say, if you want your mobile ads to be effective, you will have to design them, bearing your audience always in mind. Apart from that, you will need to go with the trends too. I mean, if it’s been recently proven that mobile users prefer video ads, use video ads. Make it easy for them, and you will be rewarded with more engagement.

If you are considering including Facebook in your mobile advertising strategy, check this guide about Mobile Advertising on Facebook by MobileMonkey.

9. Find your right bidding model

Depending on what your goals are, you’ll have to choose one bidding model or another.

That is to say, if your aim is to increase your brand’s awareness with a video ad, then you need to go for cost-per-view (CPV) bidding.

But, if you want your customers to take the desired action on your site, then you’ll have to focus on conversions. That’s to say smart bidding.

If what you want is to boost your website’s traffic, the best option is cost-per-click (CPC) bidding.

Yet, if you’re in the middle of a video ad campaign and you want to increase your audience engagement, then you’ll need to pay attention to cost-per-view (CPV) or cost-per-thousand (CPM) bidding.

And, if you pretend to maximize your brand awareness, you should use cost-per-thousand-viewable impressions bidding. This will help you to place your message right in front of your consumers.

10. Make full use of your digital advertising tools

Finally, you can use a marketing tool for advertising like SEMrush or Keyword Planner. Any of them would make your life a lot easier. Sometimes it’s worth spending some of your budget to plan your ad campaigns better and check easily how did they go.

And that’s all for mobile advertising. You’ve learned why it’s so important to devote some time and budget to it. Indeed, you’ve learned how to create your mobile ads. So, now you know how you can enhance your mobile advertising strategies and succeed.

In the next chapter, I’ll talk about mobile app marketing. Thus, if you happen to have your own app, you can’t miss it!

Chapter 7

Mobile App Marketing

Mobile apps are on the rise. More and more brands are starting to design their own apps since they can bring you many benefits.

Yet, when you launch your app, you will need to promote it to call your audience’s attention. Afterward, you will be able to use your app to promote your brand, products, and more.

In this chapter, I’ll concentrate on mobile app marketing. I’ll talk about mobile app design as well as mobile payment. Then, I will reveal the benefits of mobile app marketing. And finally, I will deal with the latest mobile app marketing techniques.

First and foremost, your audience learns about your new app existence and downloads the app. Then, they start using it. But, the most important stage is customer retention. I mean, your goal shouldn’t be how many people actually downloaded your app, but the ones who do use it on a regular basis.

If you spend some of your budget creating an app, it has to be worth the effort. But what can you do with your app? Most marketers use it for sending push notifications, in-app messages, display their promotions based on their users’ location, etc.

Indeed, mobile apps are fantastic for getting users’ information like personal details. And, it’s fairly easy to track user’s performance too.

Push notifications can significantly help you to boost your consumer’s engagement. It is advisable to provide those who have downloaded your app special offers, coupons, etc.

In-app messages not only improve UX but also help you with conversions. What’s more, offering mobile payment is a must for any mobile app. It would make your customers feel safer. So, it will improve your brand’s trust and loyalty which are key for their retention.

Thus, the benefits of in-app advertising cannot be underestimated.

Mobile UX design for app

There are one thousand reasons why you should try to make your app user-friendly. But, above all, because if UX is not good enough, there would be app uninstalls. Mobile UX design refers to the creation of pleasant and positive experiences during particular mobile app usage.

Thus, mobile UX focuses on mobile app efficiency and its usability. Easy as it sounds, it can be complicated to achieve. What’s what you have to pay attention to?

To guarantee a great mobile UX design, you will need to come up with a design as simple as possible. Then, consider that any CTA or button has to be easily approachable, say, touch-friendly.

Moreover, not everybody has the same thumbs. So, it is a must to create big enough buttons and carefully separated them to avoid inconveniences like undesired actions.

Last but not least, remember that apps tend to consume a lot of battery. A way to prevent this is using white as the main color and/or keep the UI simple – darker colors, limited background services, shorter navigation, etc.

These are the major aspects that will prevent your mobile users from uninstalling your app. If they download the app, it’s because they want to use it. So make it easier for them. Don’t forget you want to retain them as your loyal customers.

Mobile payment

Mobile payment, as the name says, means paying for a product or service with your mobile. Not only is it becoming more and more common, but it is also a must for most app owners.

Mobile payment can be made in several ways. You can make use of well-known tools such as PayPal or Venmo. Yet, the best option, though costly, would be to create your own payment software.

If you can afford it, the second option is better because you would be able to offer more security and manage the whole process. For instance, you would be able to give a refund if your customers no longer want the product or it’s faulty.

For consumers, mobile payment is a lot more comfortable than a traditional payment. They don’t need to carry their wallets or share information in front of others. The payment process can be easily done with a barcode in-shops or giving their credit card details online.

For marketers, mobile payment is beneficial too. You would be able to track information easily once the payment option has been developed in your app. It won’t be necessary to do paper invoices and/or receipts. You would be able to do operations and save all the details online.

In other words, it’s in some way a form of better helping your customers and clients. At the same time, you will keep up with the advances in technology and offer them a good service. Thus, you’ll improve your app’s UX.

Why you should consider mobile app marketing?

There are one thousand reasons why you should consider mobile app marketing. These days more and more people use their phones to buy products or get new services. You might think that you’re already offering them a mobile-friendly website.

Well, that’s no doubt positive. But, it won’t help you to stand out in front of your competitors. Most marketers are already offering that, or else they won’t have enough website traffic.

You can also think that mobile apps are just for big companies and well-known brands. Yet, the truth is small and mid-size companies are starting to design their own apps too.

Why? Though a little bit costly at first, it has unlimited benefits, and it’s becoming a trend. So, if you do not want to be left behind, you should give it a thought.

Once the app is available and your customers start downloading it, it will give you fantastic advantages like brand recognition, loyalty, engagement, and more.

Benefits of mobile apps

• Increase your visibility.
• Improve your customer engagement.
• Develop your brand recognition.
• Make you stand out from your competitors.
• Foster the loyalty of your customers/clients.
• Geo-targeting.
• Direct communication.
• Offer personalized content.
• Instant updates.
• Push notifications.
• Online and offline access.
• Helps you to increase your site’s SEO.
• Mobile payment.
• Sales growth.

Mobile app marketing techniques

There are many marketing techniques you can put into practice to get the most out of your mobile app. Yet, way before you start putting into action any of them, you have to consider your audience.

If you decide to create a mobile app, it has to be because you want others to use it. Besides, it should be advantageous for both your consumers and you. So, if you take them into account, you’d be able to produce a better app.

Once you have that clear, you should try to do your best to convince others to download your app. Indeed, even more crucial than that is to persuade them to use it on a regular basis. How many apps have you downloaded but never used?

The logical following step if you no longer use an app is to uninstall it. Thus, it’s necessary to develop a mobile app that is useful for your customers/clients. But also one that meets their needs.

Improve your App Store Optimization (ASO)

How your app looks on the iOS or Google Play Store matters. Think that you will have to make it appealing for people to download. It is advisable to have a simple design, but also one that makes your app stand out from your competitors.

Certain aspects can actually help your app to rank higher in app store search results. For example, choosing the right title is fundamental. The title needs to be simple but clear and easily recognizable.

In your app description, you will have to use relevant keywords and explain what people can do with it. It is also advisable to show what can be done with your app with screenshots—for instance, its main functions and most relevant features.

Make use of push notifications

Push notifications can be extremely useful, but don’t forget to give users the option to opt-out when they download your app. This way, you may lose some of them, but those who remain would be more interested.

It is better they don’t want to receive push notifications than they get annoyed and uninstall your app. Once this is clear, push notifications can help you address your app users more personally.

The messages you use in the notifications should be valuable for them. What’s more, it’s advisable to make use of visuals. They’re more catchy than just text.

One of the best advantages of sending push notifications is that you do not necessarily have to send the same information to all your app users. So, you can send different messages to different segments. Thus, making the information more relevant and personalized.

Create a landing page about your app

It’s a great idea to explain the value of your app on your website. Thus, you should create a landing page just for your app. This way, you would be able to drive some of your website visitors to your app.

Not surprisingly, not any landing page will work. The one you are going to design has to be focused on your app and its features. How you design your app landing page is critical.

So, the first thing is to think about the objective: drive people to App Store search engines, show the advantages of your app as regards your competitors, persuade people to make purchases from your app, etc.

The goal will affect the design. Yet, any app landing page should include a link to download the app, the app’s name and features, and some screenshots that illustrate what people can do with it.

Develop a demo video of your app

A demo video of your app can bring you many benefits. The most obvious one is that thanks to this video, you would be able to show your audience what’s what they would be able to do with the app. You can use the video to make them understand the value of your app.

On top of that, your app video can also help you promote your brand. Not to mention that you would have the opportunity to attract new audiences, prospects, customers, investors, etc.

As we all know, video is currently one of the most valuable channels. It is easy to provoke quick reactions and cause an impact with videos. Besides, people like them because they are easy to digest. You just have to watch them. They combine visuals with words and explain to others what’s what they can expect.

Incorporate referral programs into your mobile app marketing

One of the best ways to get more people to use your app is to ask loyal users to share it. People will be more inclined to download your app if others tell them to do so instead of if you try to persuade them.

Both options are necessary. If you get your loyal customers to convince others to download and use your app, the chances of success will be better. Apart from word of mouth, you can ask your app users to share a link to download your app on their social media networks – highly effective.

You can also send them an SMS and ask them to share it with others. The same for emails. But, you should somehow track who has helped you and if their help has been useful. This will help you to reward them. You can offer them a special promotion as a reward, for instance.

Be creative for the new version app updates

Whenever you decide it’s time to update your app, it’s king to be creative. Apart from more appealing than before, the new app version has to be worth downloading.

You can inform your users of the existence of a new app version through an in-app pop-up. This would make it easy for them to download the latest version. Indeed, in-app pop-ups are a great way of communication with your users.

The best advantage is that they don’t even need to open the app to receive them. But, they would have had to opt-in when they downloaded your app.

Make it easy for users to rate, review and give feedback

One of the most important aspects you have to consider when it comes to your in-app pop-ups is UX. Yet, as a marketer, you would probably want to ask your app users to rate, review and give you feedback about your app.

Well, any of these three actions can result in you annoying your app users and they giving you bad ratings and/or negative reviews. You want them to help you have more visibility on App Store search results, not to worsen it.

So, it’s critical to choose the right time to send them these in-app pop-ups. But, what’s the best time? Well, you don’t want to be intrusive and annoy your users. Then, it is not advisable to bother them in the middle of an operation or when they are downloading the app.

Instead, you should ask them to help you with ratings and reviews after completing a pleasant action. For instance, when they’re about to leave the app after using it for a while. And of course, after a prudent time since they downloaded the app.

Feedback is really useful for app owners, but the aim is to get real feedback, not just negative, because you have annoyed users. Ratings and reviews, positive ones, can significantly help you rank higher on App Store searches and persuade more people to get your app.

Work on press release

One of the best marketing channels you can think of is a press release about your mobile app. This would do wonders for your app reach and your brand awareness. Yet, it’s not that easy to achieve.

The first thing you have to do is to write a good press release. But, be careful a press release is not the same as a marketing campaign. So, you cannot openly advertise your app here. Instead, you should talk about something newsworthy and as objective as possible.

If you manage to get a journalist covering your press release, it will be a huge help, and it will guarantee wide exposure.

9. Update your strategies with your mobile app analytics

The last step is to track and monitor the performance of your app. You can do this with the help of your in-app analytics. But, you should also consider online ratings, reviews, user feedback, etc.

Most importantly, focus on your app’s usability. That is to say, what works well, do not change it. Those aspects or features that are causing trouble fix them or replace them for others, etc.

Now, you know how to make the most out of your mobile app and its advertising. I hope my advice and proven strategies have been useful for you. In the last chapter, I’ll talk about how you can maximize your mobile marketing effectiveness. Therefore, you cannot miss it!

Chapter 8

Maximize Your Mobile Marketing Effectiveness

Are you ready to get the most of your mobile marketing? Do you want it to exceed your expectations? Then, you’re in the right place.

In this last chapter, I will focus on how you can maximize the effectiveness of your mobile marketing strategy. I will talk about the importance of putting into practice a data-driven approach.

Then, I will explain the latest mobile marketing metrics. And finally, I’ll share my proven strategies to maximize your mobile marketing effectiveness. Let’s get into it!

Data-driven approach

A data-driven approach is the one a company uses to make decisions based on previously analyzed data. I mean, it refers to using information to your benefit when it comes to putting into place a new marketing strategy.

This way, companies can focus more on what their audience wants and develop more personalized strategies to meet their customer’s/client’s needs.

As regards SEO, a data-driven approach is the one that focuses on using relevant keywords. As you all know, this is fundamental today. But what keywords should you use? That’s a difficult question to answer.

There is no doubt that you have to use keywords that are relevant to the content you want to share with your audience. So, your keywords have to be main words.

Yet, you should also try to use keywords your competitors do not use. This way, you’ll have more chances to rank high on search engines. Thus, to be found by your audience. How do you know that? Analyzing information, or else you would be lost!

But, that’s just one of the aspects that can be improved due to a data-driven approach. Indeed, you can use this method for analyzing each and every feature and strategy of your mobile marketing.

If you do so, you will see that basing your decisions on past experiences, customer feedback, data-driven information from your app’s metrics, etc., can be extremely beneficial for you.

Now we no longer need to guess our target audience’s wants and A/B test with different campaigns. Thanks to a data-driven method, you can use tons of information out there for your benefit. This way, you will be able to give your audience exactly what they want.

These days, people in general and mobile users, in particular, want personalized treatment. You have to be as specific as possible. But, at the same time, make them feel special and that you care for them.

How on earth are you going to be able to provide all of that and in real-time? Thanks to a data-driven approach. Yet, easy as it may seem, you need to know where to look for information, or it would be all for nothing.

Mobile data collection

When it comes to mobile data collection, you need to be immensely careful. To begin with, you need to know why you are gathering this information. And then, bear in mind that you have to be responsible with the data you get.

Most marketers want to get consumer’s information to better manage their marketing strategies. That’s fine as long as you ask for permission and explain to your customers/clients why you are doing it. For instance, to offer a more personalized service.

Indeed, collecting details through a mobile device has endless benefits. The most obvious one is that in comparison to traditional means of collecting data, mobiles save a lot of time. But mobiles also reduce the amount of effort, improve the quality of the information collected, etc.

Sadly, collecting data is not a piece of cake. Many consumers don’t want to share any personal details since once they do it, those details no longer belong to them. That is to say, many people are afraid of what companies can do with their personal data once they have shared it.

There’s nothing you can do to prevent them from this fear, and you should understand it if some of them do not want to give you their details. Yet, it’s of utmost importance that you are extremely responsible with the data you do get from others.

Let me give you some quick tips:

• Give users the chance to opt-in and opt-out from your data collection.
• Tell them why you want to have this information – offer a better service, more personalized.
• Protect the information you get – antivirus, malware, firewalls, etc.
• Make sure you respect people’s rights, privacy and security.
• Do not annoy people once and again just because you’ve got their details.
• Do your best to guarantee data quality – be careful not to mix information.
• Become familiar with the latest rules and regulations as regards data collection.
• Update your data regularly.

Mobile marketing analytics for success

Had it not been for the fact that mobile marketing analytics is key for your mobile strategy success, it wouldn’t be necessary to keep an eye on some relevant KPIs. But, they would significantly help you to improve your strategy.

Indeed, as usual, only analyzing how things are going is not enough. Afterward, you will need to make changes to improve your performance. Analyzing your mobile marketing success is king these days if you want to succeed.

On top of that, it’s relevant to mention that you will also need to be up-to-date because due to technology everything is changing quite quickly. Depending on your mobile marketing strategies and the data you collect, some metrics would be more critical than others.

Key mobile marketing metrics

There’s no doubt you would benefit from analyzing them. Let’s have a look at the metrics below!

Average Revenue Per User (ARPU)

This means how much revenue each of your users generates on average.

Cost Per Acquisition (CPA)

It gives you information as regards how much it costs you to get others download your app and use it.

Return On Investment (ROI)

ROI tells you your profits in comparison to the money you have invested.

Lifetime Value (LTV)

This helps you to find out how much value each of your users brings to your app.

Downloads and installs

It provides you the number of people who downloaded and later installed your app.

App acquisition

App acquisition shows you where those downloads come from. That’s to say, it tells you where your users discovered your app.

Active users

They are the ones that use you app on a regular basis.

Average session length

This tells you how much time a user normally spends interacting with your app.

Average daily sessions per daily active users (DAU)

DAU tells you of those active users you have, how much time they spend using your app per day.

Screen flow

This gives you more specific data about how your users engage with your app screen by screen.

Retention Rate

Retention rate provides you data as regards those users who keep on using your app after a particular period of time.

Churn Rate

Churn rate tells you how many users no longer use your app after a specific period of time.

Return on Ad Spend (ROAS)

It helps you to predict profitability due to revenue generation. It allows you to predict the effectiveness of your advertisements.

Star Rating

This gives you feedback as regards what your app users think about your app. And, it also helps other users to decide whether to download your app or not.

How to maximize your mobile marketing effectiveness

It goes without saying that internet users have undergone a complete shift. Now, mobiles are used non-stop to browse the internet, more than desktop computers. Thus, as a marketer, you need to take mobile users into account.

Yet, adapting your site a little bit here and there so as not to upset mobile users when they visit your website is no longer enough. You have to think of them first and create strategies to make things easier and user-friendly.

If you want to succeed, you will need to put into place some effective strategies. Think that the people who use mobiles to surf the internet are on the rise. And they don’t only use their phones to interact with family and friends. They now use mobiles to interact with companies.

On top of that, purchases via mobile devices are increasing too. So, if you do not adapt your mobile marketing strategy, you would be left behind. Please have a look at my proven tips for mobile marketing effectiveness below!

Prioritize on mobile experience and personalization

There is no doubt that if you focus on offering your users the best mobile experience possible, you will be able to retain them. And also, giving them a better mobile experience can strengthen your relationship with them. So, you would be able to gain more loyal and happy customers.

With a personalized mobile experience, I mean offering them in-app messaging, product recommendations, individualized customer experience, etc.

Something that makes them feel they matter to you. But also, you have to offer them useful information. For instance, you can provide different offers to your audience segments according to their age, gender, where they live, etc.

This “special” treatment would do wonders for your brand as most mobile users would be more than happy to share with others how nice you are. Indeed, happy users buy more. And, if you make them feel special and offer them some promotions, they might even leave positive reviews online.

So, it’s like a cycle that has to be beneficial for you both to be successful. Give them an outstanding treatment, and they would reward you.

Enable mobile shopping from social media

Don’t underestimate how important is mobile marketing for e-commerce. You have plenty of tools and resources to level up all your marketing results; let’s focus on social media, for example.

Social media is one of the best channels available to engage with your consumers. And, most people also like to casually interact with companies on the networks.

The same applies to mobile shopping through social media. They feel comfortable chatting and sharing personal data there. So, you need to allow users to order your products from social media.

For your mobile shopping success, make sure it’s a smooth process. Otherwise, you will lose prospects, and your current customers will choose others that offer a better mobile shopping experience over you.

Strengthen your SMS marketing

The benefits of mobile SMS marketing are endless in comparison to other channels such as emails. The chances of people opening an SMS are a lot higher than with emails.

Many emails are classified as spam. So, people don’t even receive them in their main inbox.

But, this doesn’t happen with SMS. People not only always get your messages, but most of them open them. Thus, the chances of getting them to perform the desired action like click on a CTA are higher.

Most mobile users prefer to receive personalized SMS. So, you can combine mobile coupons with your message to add value to your SMS.

Focus on your SEO efforts for mobile

Mobile SEO is mandatory. You need to optimize your content to get better rankings on SERPs.

Why? The number of people using their mobiles to search for information is on the rise. Mobile search helps you with sales. Mobile content affects your Google search ranking. Voice searches affect your site’s ranking on SERPs too.

Therefore, it’s a must to focus on your mobile SEO efforts and track your performance. This will help you to see how much traffic you get from mobile devices and valuable data for customer engagement.

Whatever the strategy you decide to follow, it’s key you make sure your site and content are optimized for mobile users.

Monitor and study from mobile user behavior

Understanding your customers will help you to target them better. Hence, you will be able to get better results. You can get tons of information from your customer’s mobile devices and how they use them.

You can learn from how they engage with you in your app on social media. But knowing specific information is not enough. You will need to analyze it and think about why they do what they do.

I mean, if many people decide to uninstall your app, this is bad news, but you have to look for the reason why they did it. Otherwise, you won’t be able to change anything.

Indeed, when you know your customers better, you are able to meet their needs better. That’s to say, your customers’/clients’ understanding will help you to provide them a more personalized service that is adapted to their particular needs.

So, it’s key to pay attention to how your users utilize their devices. This will significantly help you to create better marketing strategies and be more effective.

Update your strategy with the latest trends and technology

There is no doubt that technology is changing our lives and how we live them. Mobiles have undergone a complete change since they first appeared on the scene. Now, we use them for almost everything.

As a marketer, you will need to be aware of the latest trends. Failing to do so could result in a complete waste of time. If you do not create strategies that match the advances in technology, you would be lost. Or even worse, nobody will pay attention to your products, and you may waste your time and money.

Then, it’s fundamental to be up-to-date and pay attention to the latest trends in technology. Thus, you would be able to put them into practice sooner and more easily.

I hope you have enjoyed this last chapter. Now, you’re ready to maximize the effectiveness of your mobile marketing strategy!