State of Marketing 2015: Mobile Integration is Vital to Success

Mobile usage is predicted to surpass desktop usage this year. According to Salesforce’s 2015 State of Marketing report, nine countries likely surpassed 50% mobile penetration in 2014. As consumers’ screens get smaller and multi-platform usage becomes the norm rather than the exception, mobile marketing will play a greater role in marketers’ overall strategy.

Previously, marketers faced a difficult challenge when it came to maximizing the opportunities brought about by mobile—but that is changing today. With increasing smartphone, tablet, and phablet adoption, marketers need to effectively integrate mobile marketing into their overall strategy to ensure success.

According to Salesforce’s report, as much as 90% of marketers surveyed believe that integrating mobile into their campaigns helps them produce significant ROI for their organizations. Meanwhile, 70% say mobile marketing is a critical enabler of their products and services. [See Figure 1]

Figure 1 (Source: Salesforce’s 2015 State of Marketing)

As a result, 68% of respondents said they have integrated mobile technology into their overall marketing strategy, meaning they have incorporated SMS, push notifications, mobile apps, and location-based functionality into their campaigns. [See Figure 2] Sixty one percent agree that the integration is effective or very effective—up from just 46% in 2014.

Figure 2 (Source: Salesforce’s 2015 State of Marketing)

Marketers are, without a doubt, heeding the call of mobile marketing. Among all B2C marketers, 76% percent believe that mobile integration is “core to their business,” while 68% report having a dedicated mobile marketing team. Results from B2B marketers reveal some similarities: 64% of B2B marketers believe that mobile integration is “core to their business,” while 43% report having a dedicated mobile marketing team.

“Integrating mobile is a major step to delivering the personalized brand experiences that customers expect today,” stated the report. “As it stands, B2C companies are far more likely than B2B companies to have integrated mobile marketing into their overall marketing strategy.”

The rise of mobile technology has also paved the way for responsive design. Statistics from the report show that “mobile email is now the rule—not the exception”. A study by Forrester found that 72% of online adults in the U.S. send or receive personal emails through their smartphones at least weekly. In 2015, 33% of marketers surveyed by Salesforce say they are reading emails on a mobile device at least half of the time—an increase of 9% from last year’s results.

More and more, marketers are looking to integrate mobile into their marketing strategies, not only to cater to the growing number of mobile users, but also to maximize the improved effectiveness of mobile integration for all other marketing technologies and channels.

What are your mobile marketing plans for 2015? Do you agree with the statistics provided by Salesforce?

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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.