Insights, Tools, and Tactics to Power Your Mobile Marketing Strategy in 2015

It’s hard to imagine that just a couple of years ago, desktop computers were the central hub for all consumer digital activities. However, the introduction of smartphones, tablets, and phablets have dramatically altered digital consumers’ platform usage. Developed markets such as the United States and the United Kingdom are now considered to have “multi-platform” majorities. (Multi-platform users use both desktop and mobile platforms to access the Internet.)

Globally, Digital Consumers Use Different Devices to Access the Internet

As revealed in Global Web Index’s new report (@globalwebindex), which surveyed digital consumers across 32 countries in the Americas, EMEA, and Europe, 80% of Internet users now own a smartphone. Additionally, 91% of Internet users own a PC/laptop, and 47% own a tablet. Not surprisingly, new devices such as smart watches are also making modest gains. [See Figure 1]

global-web-index-gadgets-owned-by-internet-users

Figure 1 (Source: Global Web Index)

According to the latest comScore (@comScore) report on Smartphone Subscriber Market Share, 186.3 million people in the United States owned smartphones during the three months ending in February 2015—up 5% since November 2014. This translates to 76.6% mobile market penetration.

As we’ve surpassed the mobile tipping point, it is no longer a question of whether mobile marketing is relevant or not. (In case you haven’t realized—it is!) To succeed in this new arena, marketers need to review statistics and reports to understand how consumers behave when using their mobile devices, and use these insights to power their mobile marketing strategies. Moreover, marketers need to focus on providing consumers with a consistent experience across devices.

Marketers Need to Apply Mobile Marketing Tracking and Analytics

Another comScore report that analyzed the behavior of digital consumers in the U.K. noted that the vast majority of consumers in that country and other developed regions are “multi-screening”. Such consumers are accessing retail sites on mobile, tablet, and desktop, which further drives home the importance of delivering a consistent experience across devices.

It is vital for marketers to keep track of the split between mobile and desktop users on their sites as a means of identifying methods that increase conversion. Dave Chaffey of Smart Insights (@SmartInsights) said that one means of identifying methods that increase conversion begins with a structured analysis of the current effectiveness of customer journeys using Google Analytics. He provides 10 means of segmenting website visitors using Google Analytics (including segmentation by technology platform).

Another helpful article, also featured on Smart Insights, mentions the KPIs and tools that optimize mobile marketing results.

Consumers Spend More Time in Mobile Apps than on the Mobile Web

Another prominent finding from reputable reports concerns consumer preference for mobile apps. According to Nielsen’s (@Nielsen) report “An Era of Growth: The Cross-Platform Report” (published in March 2014), 89% of consumer media time is spent in mobile apps, while 11% of consumer media time is spent on the mobile web. [See Figure 2]

Figure 2 (Source: Nielsen)

Social networking, email, and news apps have contributed greatly to the increase in mobile app consumption. Businesses need to consider shifting their investments toward mobile apps to increase traffic, engagement, conversions, etc.

As Melanie Haselmayr (@melihaselmayr) noted in an article that was published on Forbes (@Forbes), “More and more small and midsize businesses are following the mobile trend, understanding that an effective mobile strategy involves more than just a mobile-friendly website.”

What tactics/tools will you use to optimize your mobile marketing strategy this 2015? State your opinions in the Comments below.

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Marketing Digest Writing Team

The Marketing Digest Writing Team provides the content you need to keep you well-informed on the latest developments and trends in the digital marketing industry.