The way people consume content has fundamentally changed, and as a result, marketing is evolving at unprecedented speeds. From spending an hour reading a magazine and consuming every word and image, to spending just about two seconds per post on Instagram, people's behavior has changed, and attention has become the most important currency.
The attention economy is fast, furious, and can be perplexing for brands built on traditional marketing tactics. How does a brand keep up? How can they connect with people when their audience is so fickle and fleeting? The answer is simple: mobile marketing.
Mobile marketing is a multi-channel, digital marketing strategy aimed at reaching target audiences right where they spend time most- on their devices. Mobile phones are now the most common consumer accessory- everyone has one. And rarely is it not in our hands, or, at the very least, within reaching distance. This is a complete transformation of the modern lifestyle. According to a survey by The Media Lab, 99% of the UAE population owns a mobile phone, and of them, 96% own a smartphone. A total of 8.75 million people across the region are active internet users via their mobile phones, with people spending an average of seven hours a day interacting with media through the internet.
When a brand is developing its marketing strategy, it must be mobile-first, or else, it will fail to capture and maintain the attention of consumers. This includes everything from copywriting to creative media, intent behavior, and conversion funnels. Mobile-first must be the primary consideration for every aspect of your strategy.
Does this mean we should turn our backs on traditional advertising? No, but the strategy must evolve in order to stay relevant. Brand marketing is no longer about getting your logo in front of as many eyeballs as possible. It's about making a connection with consumers. Brands can achieve this by showing personality and creating memorable moments that will grab people's attention.
Consider, for instance, US delivery platform Postmates and dating app OkCupid, both of whom are still bullish about the billboard space. Their creatives are smart, unique, and drenched in brand personality. Why does it work? Because the content is so good, it's shared on mobile. These are the kind of ads you snap a photo of to share with friends via WhatsApp, or upload to Instagram.
Right now, consumers are spending the majority of their passive time on their mobile devices. Here are the top three points to consider when creating a mobile marketing plan for your business:
1. Be data-driven According to the Marketing Rule of 7, the average person will see a brand seven times before converting. People are bombarded with ads on all platforms at all times. Consumers have ad fatigue and content-induced lack of focus. It is crucial that brands learn to understand their consumers, both existing and future, and use this data to help inform decisions. Too many marketers have an inside-out approach- they push who they want to be, what they want to do, and how they want to communicate, without bothering to really understand their consumers. It's time to transition to an outside-in approach. Understand who your consumers are, what they do, and how they want to be communicated. Let your consumers drive your marketing strategy.
2. Make meaningful content With mobile marketing, brands are able to reach audiences across multiple channels, sometimes up to several times in a single day. The Mad Men days are over. Brands need to think in a completely new way about content creation. It's simply not enough to push high-gloss images with the hope they will connect with consumers. You need to create authentic, relatable content at scale, and on demand. Focus on the why not the what of your brand. Create bite-sized content that can be consumed on the go via a mobile phone. Most people skip a YouTube ad as soon as they're able to, so ensure your message and USPs are clear and present in those first five seconds.
3. Think 360 Make sure your mobile marketing strategy has an influence on all customer touchpoints, including post-sales communications and community building. Maintain a clear focus on virality, and turn your customers into an extension of your marketing team. Real customers become advocates, sharing your brand with their inner circle who are more likely to listen to someone they know and trust, and, therefore, convert. Brands must prioritize lifetime value (LTV) over customer acquisition cost (CAC). At Surkus, our core focus is to help businesses connect with their ideal customers through custom activations, tailored to their interests and needs. Through our mobile app, consumers discover brands and try out their offerings, gaining rewards for doing so (free products, cash rebates, etc). By controlling the way in which a consumer meets and interacts with their brand, a business can actively encourage loyalty and return customers. They can also derive useful insights and data post-campaign, helping to fuel future digital marketing campaigns.
In essence, with so many options available to people at any given time of the day, the brands that win are those that cut through the noise to create meaningful connections with consumers. Consumers want to feel seen. They want to feel understood. Great marketing is the culmination of memorable touch points across all relevant channels until the consumer finally trusts your brand enough to convert. Mobile marketing and clever content will accomplish this.
Comments