Staying updated with mobile marketing trends poses a challenge for business owners, given the constant advancement of technology and growing customer expectations. The digital landscape moves at such a rapid pace that failing to keep up with trends or relying on outdated methods can hinder progress and erode brand relevance, and trust, within the industry.
More than 5 billion people worldwide possess a mobile device, using it to connect with friends, family, and companies. This presents an extraordinary opportunity for businesses to effectively reach their target audience on a large scale. By employing the right mobile marketing strategy and tactics, businesses can leverage technology to outpace the competition.
Let’s explore the latest mobile marketing trends and learn how to leverage them to connect with your target audience. This valuable insight will equip you to craft impactful mobile marketing campaigns that position your business at the forefront of the industry.
Mobile Market Trends
Mobile Commerce (m-commerce)
In 2020, interest in mobile commerce experienced a significant surge amidst the global pandemic, with a twofold increase compared to the previous year. The convenience of mobile shopping has propelled its popularity, as customers increasingly rely on their cellphones as their primary shopping tool. Initially, customers embraced home ordering as a convenient alternative when going out was not feasible. Remarkably, this trend shows no indication of losing momentum, indicating a sustained preference for mobile shopping.
Mobile Streaming
In response to pandemic restrictions, musicians and content creators began connecting with fans online. As a result, there’s been a significant increase in livestreaming viewers, from fewer than 127 million to 151.5 million. Interestingly, mobile livestreaming has emerged as the preferred choice among audiences, surpassing desktop and TV. This preference highlights the growing trend of consuming livestreamed content on the go. Social media apps have revolutionized the creation and consumption of videos, making it more effortless than ever. However, the success of video campaigns hinges on careful consideration of the brand, personality, and target audience, as these factors dictate the ideal type of videos and platforms to use.
Mobile Gaming
Mobile gaming has emerged as a dominant force in the gaming industry, accounting for 60% of revenue, as reported by Yahoo!. And we’re looking at a 5.3% year-over-year increase, which translates to a staggering 3 billion new mobile gamers. But it's not just the games that attract players to these mobile platforms. Many also utilize them as a means of fostering connections and community. A remarkable 43% of gamers have reported finding love or forming friendships through the chat features of their favorite games, with an additional 40% expanding their social circles through gaming rather than traditional in-person activities. The social dimension of mobile gaming is expected to contribute significantly to its growth in the years to come. This presents numerous opportunities for brands to capitalize on. By effectively leveraging the social aspects of mobile gaming, brands can tap into this thriving ecosystem and unlock its immense potential.
Mobile Influencer Marketing
Influencer marketing has experienced consistent growth in recent years, driven by the rise of ad-blocking software. By leveraging influencer marketing, you can bypass these restrictions and establish brand credibility by engaging with individuals whom your customers already trust. As more people shift away from traditional television and embrace mobile devices, the influence of social media and video influencers becomes even more compelling. If these influencers align well with a brand, enlisting their support to promote those products can be a strategic marketing decision. Looking ahead to 2023, micro-influencers are expected to play a pivotal role in customer engagement. While they may have smaller audiences compared to more prominent influencers, micro-influencers tend to generate higher levels of engagement.
How to Leverage Mobile Marketing
To thrive in today's business landscape, it is crucial for organizations to grasp the intricacies of mobile marketing and stay informed about emerging trends. From targeted location-based strategies to harnessing the power of augmented reality, there are numerous avenues for businesses to leverage current trends, raise customer engagement, and boost return on investment (ROI).
Shift to Visual Content
One of the most notable trends in mobile marketing is the ongoing shift towards visual content. With advancements in technology, images and videos have become more accessible than ever before. Visual content is proving to be more effective at capturing viewers' attention, prompting many businesses to incorporate it into their mobile campaigns. Video clips, GIFs, meme-style visuals, and interactive graphics have now become commonplace for engaging customers on popular social media platforms like Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, and YouTube. This type of content serves various purposes, from showcasing products or services to entertaining followers with brand-related humorous content.
Optimize for Voice Search
Voice search has emerged as an indispensable trend in mobile marketing, undergoing rapid evolution in recent years. As an increasing number of consumers rely on voice-controlled devices like Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and Apple's Siri to access online information, businesses must take heed of this growing phenomenon. To stay ahead of the competition and capitalize on voice search, businesses should prioritize optimizing their websites for local Search Engine Optimization (SEO). This can be achieved by incorporating location-specific keywords into their content and meta tags. By doing so, businesses enhance their visibility in mobile search results and offer customers an enhanced user experience when seeking out specific products or services online.
Embrace Messaging Apps
Mobile apps are an essential and ever-evolving trend in mobile marketing for businesses. Leveraging these platforms for communication and engagement with customers has proven to be highly effective, offering enhanced accessibility and personalized service. By developing strategies that utilize conversational technologies like chatbots, businesses can capitalize on the immediacy, convenience, and personalization of messaging apps to deliver interactive experiences. This allows them to quickly capture consumer attention, drive engagement, and boost sales. As the use of messaging apps continues to grow across various industries, it is crucial for businesses to embrace this trend as a vital component of their overall mobile marketing strategy.
Try Augmented Reality
Augmented Reality (AR) is a rapidly growing trend in mobile marketing, empowering companies to expand their reach and provide customers with a more engaging experience of their products and services. By harnessing AR technology, marketers can create immersive virtual environments that cater to users' specific needs, utilizing captivating visuals and sounds. For example, AR enables customers to virtually test products before making a purchase, allowing them to explore various options in-store without physically moving around. Users could go even further to check measurements of a product by ‘placing’ the item in their home and viewing it there through their mobile screen. AR revolutionizes mobile marketing by delivering interactive and personalized encounters, transforming how businesses connect with their audience.
Benefit from Geolocation & Beacon Technology
When it comes to mobile marketing trends, two powerful tools that businesses can leverage are geolocation and beacon technology. Geolocation enables companies to target potential customers based on their location, while beacon technology allows for the delivery of highly targeted messages within specific areas or venues. By harnessing the capabilities of both technologies, businesses can effectively reach their intended audiences and achieve a higher ROI. Geolocation is utilized by various services to provide personalized recommendations, offer location-based coupons or discounts, display relevant ads and offers, and track customer behavior in-store. It is also crucial for businesses to identify underserved areas in the market, enabling them to tailor their products and services accordingly. With the right implementation of geolocation and beacon technology, businesses can enhance their marketing strategies and gain a competitive edge in the ever-evolving mobile landscape.
Utilize Programmatic & Native Advertising
In the world of mobile marketing, businesses must stay ahead of the game to effectively target their desired audience. Programmatic advertising utilizes automated technology to purchase ads with greater accuracy and efficiency compared to manual methods. This approach enables businesses to target specific audiences based on factors such as geographic location, user behavior, and demographics. Taking it a step further, native advertising seamlessly integrates ads within the content of websites or apps. This strategy ensures a more organic and less intrusive appearance, increasing the chances of catching the attention of potential customers. By combining these two potent strategies, businesses can guarantee a meaningful connection with their precise target audience.
In the ever-evolving landscape of mobile technology, harnessing the power of mobile trends becomes crucial for businesses. It allows them to stay abreast of the latest developments in mobile marketing. By leveraging these emerging trends, companies can amplify their impact and connect with a wider audience, maximizing their reach and influence.