If your company is considering mobile marketing in its plan for this year, you are not alone. Mobile is expected to take on an even greater percentage of marketing spend in 2013. Many are expecting mobile marketing to have a “breakout” year.
With key stats showing the importance mobile devices play in our lives, it’s no wonder more and more ad dollars are being devoted to mobile marketing. Consider these facts if you are questioning the importance of reaching the mobile consumer.
- 48% of US households have smartphones, roughly 83 million people.
- 29% of US adults now own a tablet or eReader (iPad, Kindle, Nook, Google Nexus, etc.).
- In 2012, 24% of Black Friday online shopping came from mobile devices.
What should we expect from mobile advertising in 2013?
Look for big impact from the new Apple Passbook app. Passbook allows brands to offer passes, coupons, gift cards, and other loyalty rewards via this app that cannot be deleted. It is standard on a majority of Apple’s phones, and let’s face it, a lot of people own Apple devices. The Passbook app can be a useful tool to marketers because it cannot be deleted there by giving the user permanent access to your coupon or loyalty card. But perhaps most importantly, the app is both time and location aware allowing marketers to combine the power of mobile commerce with location-based marketing.
Facebook’s new Nearby app should bring some exciting changes to mobile advertising. Nearby allows you to search for restaurants, nightlife, outdoor activities, arts, hotels, shopping, and other points of interest when you arrive at your destination. With nearly 60% of Facebook users accessing the site via mobile devices, the Nearby app is sure to be a powerful add-on tool for consumers and marketers alike.
With the increased importance of mobile advertising comes the increased importance of mobile analytics. As more companies vie for the all-important mobile consumer, mobile analytics will play an even bigger role in how marketers define and evaluate their campaigns. As more marketers seek to understand the behavior of mobile consumers and strengthen these relationships, mobile analytics will no longer be the often overlooked item on the data sheet.
Possibly one of the most interesting trends facing mobile marketing is the transition of location-based apps from an active state to a passive state. No longer will you be required to manually check in via your app to qualify for rewards. These passive state apps will do it for you while generating awards, coupons, reminders, and more all without the consumer lifting a finger.
The trend for hyperlocal marketing is also leading to the advent of new tools including indoor maps that allow a customer to better navigate a store and the ability to present real time offers based on the consumer’s location in the store.
With all of these trends expected to make a major impact on the mobile marketing segment in 2013, it becomes more important than ever to have the basics in place and your strategy set.
If your company is interested in exploring mobile marketing opportunities, please contact us at (404) 496-6841.