Preparing Your Mobile Marketing Strategy for the Future

Featured article by Sarah Landrum, freelance writer and blogger

If you’ve been holding off on changing your marketing strategy to cater to mobile device users, the time to act is now. If you’re hoping to stay relevant to target consumers and to keep up with rapidly evolving technology, preparing your mobile marketing strategy for the future is officially mission critical.

Not sure of why acting now is so important? Wondering where to start? Keep reading to learn more.

Statistics to Be Aware Of

As of July of this year, digital users spent 51% of their online time on smart devices, as opposed to 42% on desktop computers and laptops. This means we’re past the tipping point — more time is officially spent on digital devices than on any others.

When the above statistic is coupled with the fact that 80% of Internet users own a smartphone, that’s 7.2 billion active mobile devices in total. The need to modify and future-proof mobile marketing becomes clear. If you’re not able to effectively reach this market, your business will suffer — not 10 or 15 years from now, but in the immediate future.

Where do you start? Where should you focus? Think about the areas listed below:

Developing and Modifying Mobile Apps

In the past, it was enough to simply develop a partner mobile version of your site for users to access on mobile devices. Today, however, apps are more important than ever. In fact, mobile users spend 89% of their media time on apps. This averages out to around two hours and 19 minutes each day.

Regardless of the app you’re developing, whether it’s native, HTML or a hybrid, it must integrate with your existing site infrastructure. Consumers should be able to find the information they need on whichever platform they access, and you should be able to change both platforms without doubling the work.

Instead of focusing on existing information and content, think forward during the build process. Content and features should be easily updated and changed, without causing a hassle of any kind. Developing a mobile app and keeping that app current should be a top focus for preparing your mobile strategy for the future.

Focus on User Experiences

It’s a fact: Page abandonment rates skyrocket for every second the page in question takes to load. This, coupled with the fact that every second of load time leads to 7% fewer conversions, means users care about their online mobile experiences.

Your target market uses mobile devices in the same way they would a computer. Now that the days of dial-up are ancient history, patience levels have become nearly obsolete. This means factors like load times, readability and design clarity matter more than ever before.

Test your new app for speed. Find a focus group and ask about how easily they are able to find the information they’re looking for to make a conversion decision. Ask about how the design appears on their screens.

Asking questions, testing and making changes in the beginning could save time moving forward. Your customers, or users, are the bread and butter of your business. Catering to them from day one should be a central focus of your mobile marketing strategy.

SEO Optimization

Where do your traffic levels currently stand? Have you noticed a downward trend in the past few months? This spiral might not have anything to do with your content or the interest of your consumers. However, it might have everything to do with your mobile marketing strategy.

Search giants Bing and Google have each released new algorithms that focus on promoting mobile-friendly apps and websites. This means if your site or app isn’t up to par, your search rankings are going to suffer.

Because 48% of mobile users access search engines on a regular basis, you could miss out on half of your target market just by being unprepared. This is especially critical for local businesses where 50% of mobile searches are for local results, and 80% of local searches convert.

Unsure of where you stand or how to improve? Plug your site or app into Google’s Mobile-Friendly test and follow through on the results.

Pay Attention to Consumer Insights

Following through on generic mobile marketing tactics is a good starting place. But, at some point, your strategy becomes dependent on your ability to reach your target market in a way that’s effective for them.

Think about customer needs and wants. What conversations have you had with those who have purchased your products or interacted with your business?

Are you in the dark about what your customers are looking for? Consider creating a digital survey or questionnaire to find out how effective your current marketing strategies are. Be sure to ask about what your customers are looking for in the future. For best results, offer an incentive for completion.

Be Willing to Change

While the statistics referenced above are critical and important to mobile marketing today and in the immediate future, trends change and evolve. This means your strategy must be flexible to continue to harness results into the future.

On a regular basis, take the time to test your strategy and methodology. Make changes as necessary. When a new trend appears, you want to be on the front of it, not lost somewhere in the back.

Preparing your mobile strategy for the future is an important endeavor that shouldn’t be placed on the back burner. Start with the methods above to increase your staying power starting today.