YOUR Mobile Marketing Strategy?

The Beginner’s Guide to Mobile Marketing Strategy

Mobile-optimized websites and marketing methods are vital to business success in the modern market. Whether you wish to increase the bottom line for your brand or improve customer engagement at multiple touchpoints, your online marketing skills should include a knowledge of the mobile marketing realm to help enhance your marketing strategies. In this blog, you'll find out how to implement the key components of a stellar mobile marketing strategy targeted to the right audience, at the right time. Related Article: Instagram Tips For YOUR Small Business? What Is Mobile Marketing? In short, mobile marketing is the sharing of a brand or business in a way that is optimized for smartphones and other mobile devices throughout apps, social media channels, and websites. As a marketing strategy, mobile marketing allows a business to reach a larger audience than they would by focusing solely on desktop digital marketing processes. According to SiriusDecisons, 67% of the buying process now takes place digitally. In addition, Flurry reported that the average American spends around 5 hours per day on their mobile device. Marketing teams are taking advantage of the amount of time the average person spends on a mobile device. Because we’re on our phones every single day, it only makes sense that marketing campaigns be specialized for mobile viewers across various digital platforms. Why Mobile Marketing Strategies Matter? From a business perspective, it’s important to realize that the way in which their customers are consuming digital content has changed from desktop-based to mobile-based. In 2015, mobile use surpassed desktop use, with 51% of internet time being spent on mobile and smartphone devices. Related Article: 4 Steps To YOUR Social Media Brand? For marketers, online marketing skills that complement mobile marketing strategy optimization are an actively sought after skill for businesses around the world. No matter the size of your organization, it’s time to level-up your mobile marketing strategy by being a digital marketer with high-value mobile marketing skills. Examples of Best-In-Class Mobile Marketing Strategies Over the years, many brands and organizations have invested in high- quality mobile marketing strategies to make the most out of their marketing budget, including: National Geographic: In a bold move, the National Geographic Channel created a mobile marketing campaign that was aimed only at tablet users watching on their home’s Wi-Fi network. The campaign provided them with relevant information on their tablets for a co-viewing experience while a program played on their television. Related Article: YOUR Video Content Is King? Ford: During the release of new Taurus and Escape vehicle models, Ford created a future-forward mobile marketing strategy that connected mobile viewing and texting capabilities. If individuals were curious about either vehicle and wanted more information, they simply needed to send a one-word text to a short number. Once a prospect sent the text, they’d be contacted, provided the relevant information, and asked for their names and zip code. This information was then sent to their closest dealership, from where a sales professional reached out. Setting Up Your Mobile Marketing Strategy If you’re a newcomer to the world of mobile marketing, we’ve compiled the information you need to create a well-rounded mobile marketing strategy with ease. As with all marketing endeavors, your campaign must be customer-centric. Traditional marketing methods of selling features of your product or service area gone. Instead, customers are looking to invest in brands that they believe will provide a solution to a specific aspect of their life. Related Article: Should YOUR Business Advertise On Instagram? When it comes to skills required for digital marketing, understanding how to effectively market to mobile-based customers is key. This begins by making sure that you have an airtight strategy for making a customer want to invest in your product or service. The content that customers are shown is what will develop their brand awareness, and ideally pull them into your sales funnel. Because mobile users are often using their device in short bursts – during a commute or short work break – mobile marketing strategy content should be as succinct and clear as possible. When a user can quickly access and understand information that may be of use to them, the more likely they are to stay engaged. Optimize Your Web and Landing Pages for Mobile The first step in creating a best-in-class mobile marketing strategy for your brand is making sure that any content or information you’re marketing to a target audience can be seen accurately on their mobile device. For example, optimizing your web pages requires a specialized “design” for tablets and smaller screen sizes. This allows a prospect to browse the content on a web page similarly to how they would on a desktop. Related Article: The Future of YOUR Social Media Platform? High-converting landing pages often include well-placed visual aspects to share a message with an audience quickly. However, as some mobile devices notoriously take more time to load image-heavy web pages, try to keep mobile-friendly landing pages and web pages to minimize loading time. The Aberdeen Group found that just a one-second loading delay: Decreases customer satisfaction by 16% Causes a 7% loss in conversions Produces 11% fewer page views To keep your landing and web pages as mobile-friendly as possible, make sure that any photos or videos are made for mobile, and that they’re regularly updated to communicate a new message, streamlining your mobile marketing strategy. Find The Right Audience The most effective mobile strategies are those targeted to drive connection with a targeted audience. Chances are, your brand or business has already developed ideal client profiles (ICPs) and target buyer personas. Related Article: Crucial Social Media Strategy For YOUR Brand? To take these pre-developed strategies to the next level, these ICPs and personas can be used to guide the types of platforms you base your mobile marketing campaign on. For example, by knowing what social media channels your target buyer spends the most time on, you can create mobile content optimized for these channels. Some social media channels – like Instagram – are designed to be most effective on mobile devices, so do your research as to what content has high levels of engagement on these platforms. Make Your Call to Action Accessible for Mobile Users An integral part of any marketing strategy includes calls-to-action (CTAs) throughout your content. These short bursts of information invite a viewer to make the next logical step in a way that feels natural, pulling them further into your online sales funnel. However, on mobile devices, it’s vital that digital marketers create CTAs that don’t require too many steps to be completed. For example, make sure that any link to connect with your brand can be clicked on, prompting an email box to open, or a phone call to begin. Related Article: Social Media For YOUR Local Business? However, on mobile devices, it’s vital that digital marketers create CTAs that don’t require too many steps to be completed. For example, make sure that any link to connect with your brand can be clicked on, prompting an email box to open, or a phone call to begin. Use Mobile Capabilities to Your Advantage In an above example of best-in-class mobile marketing strategies, we discussed how Ford enabled texting capabilities to connect with audiences and increase their conversion rates. Because a customer’s phone is almost always on them, allowing them to opt-in to a text subscription can help you share service or product promotions quickly. For example, users can share their contact information with your brand online and be signed-up to receive mobile notifications when your brand has a sale or promotion for a limited time only. This prompts a user to act with urgency, with the average SMS marketing click-through rate sitting at 36%. Related Article: What Other Peoples Advertising Can Teach YOU In addition, brands can create coupons and codes that are mobile-friendly for quick customer access. Many major brands actively take advantage of this option, creating mobile barcodes that can be scanned at the point-of-purchase to access discounts. Optimize Your Email Marketing for Mobile In the same way that links contained in your CTAs on web pages and other forms of marketing content should be clickable and interactive, so should the links contained within email marketing content. Whether they connect to a phone call for a free consultation or a landing page designed to be high-converting, mobile-friendly email marketing should be a priority in any mobile marketing strategy. Embracing Your Mobile Marketing Capabilities By using the above tactics to create and optimize your mobile marketing strategy, you’ll be enabling your brand you interact with a larger population. In fact, according to Global Web Index, it is predicted that mobile usage will soon exceed the use of all other types of devices combined this year. To make it in the digital market, your brand must have a mobile marketing strategy to be successful. With individuals checking their smartphones and mobile devices anywhere between 150 to 200 times each day, your business's marketing process will be brought to the next-level when you focus on delivering high-quality mobile marketing materials. Related Article: Should YOUR Business Advertise On Instagram? Whether you’re an online brand or storefront-based business, now is the time to make sure that your marketing attempts are reaching the mobile devices of your target audience. Of course, like any other marketing process, you should constantly be conducting market research, redesigning your marketing materials, and optimizing your sales funnel. By staying on top of the latest mobile marketing strategy innovations, your brand can begin to generate new leads, increase conversion rates, and help your business thrive. Post Crafted By: Fred Hansen Pied Piper of Social Media Marketing at YourWorldBrand.com & CEO of Millennium 7 Publishing Co. in Loveland, CO. where I work deep in the trenches of social media strategy, community management and trends.  My interests include; online business educator, social media marketing, new marketing technology, skiing, hunting, fishing and The Rolling Stones..-Not necessarily in that order ;)

Making YOUR Social Media Life Less Stressful?

There was a time in the not-so-distant past when "social media" was adding glitter GIFs to your MySpace profile or making your AIM away message the perfect passage of song lyrics..

Now, it’s full-blown universe, the ecosystem for all news, comedy, hot takes, memes, and, not to mention, an abundance of anxiety.

Related Article: Keeping YOUR Social Media Marketing Current?

In their "Stress in America" report, the American Psychological Association found that those who constantly check their texts, email, and social media -- about 86% of Americans -- are more stressed than those who aren't as tech-dependent. This kind of unease stems from our neurological wiring; without visual, emotional and social cues, we’re more likely to misconstrue certain emails, Facebook posts, or tweets and alert the fight or flight part of our brain in the process.

"Our brains are not built at all for dealing well with text-based communication, which is hilarious because that is what our lives are now," says Deanna Zandt, a media technologist and the author of Share This! How You Will Change the World With Social Networking. "Without [body language and tone], incoming communications go straight to our amygdala, which is our fight or flight center. When you see something that upsets you on the internet, it’s going to give you the feeling that a cheetah is chasing you across the plains. It actually feels like you are personally under attack."

But because of the other neurological side-effect -- the dopamine boost that comes with an online interaction -- it makes it hard to just up and quit the internet. So instead of throwing up your hands and weathering the kill-or-be-killed conditions of your feeds or going on the offensive, take some concrete steps to de-stress your socials.

Related Article: Marketing Trends That WILL Shape YOUR 2018?

Start With Your Device

Think about where you’re accessing social media, then make it harder for yourself to get there. Zandt suggests turning off notifications on social apps, or one step further, deleting them altogether.

"Make it difficult for yourself to log in and check in," she says. "Give yourself some stumbling blocks rather than have this default setting be available to you."

Customize Your Feeds

On Twitter, create lists comprised of "essential" accounts, like family and friends, and make that your go-to feed. That way, you’re not stuck in a waterfall of tweets and treading water to keep up. Taking advantage of Twitter’s mute option prevents you from seeing certain words, phrases, hashtags, and accounts. If you’re looking to take more extensive measures, there’s Block Together, an app that allows you to subscribe to another Twitter user’s list of blocked accounts. You can also share your block list for other users to follow.

For Facebook, where feed customization is algorithm-based (and whose said algorithm is soon changing), there’s the News Feed Eradicator plugin that transforms your newsfeed into an inspiring quote.

Related Article: How Facebook's Changes Impact YOUR Social Media Marketing?

Stay Off Socials During A Breaking News Situation

While you think social media taps you into the most up-to-date info, you’re only stressing yourself out by closely following the breaking-news deluge. Researchers from the University of California, Irvine found that during a crisis (in this case, an active shooter lockdown on a university campus) people who received unofficial or conflicting information from social media reported higher levels of stress.

"When official information is not readily available, people are going to look at information wherever they can," says Nickolas Jones, a doctoral student at UC Irvine and the senior author of the study. "And there are consequences to being exposed to that information, especially if it’s false."

Jones also recommends taking social media messages with a grain of salt. Unless it’s coming from an official source, it’s OK to feel skeptical, and that being too trusting can compound your stress levels. "We found that people who use five or more social media platforms and who trusted the information that they saw, those were the people who reported the most distress about this event in the aftermath of it," Jones says.

Related Article: Future-Proof YOUR Social Media Marketing Career?

Curb Your Curiosity

Humans are naturally curious, and social media feeds the habit. But having a wealth of easily searchable material available on platforms -- some of which can be disturbing, like live amateur coverage of mass shootings or terror attacks -- makes our access to upsetting details a little too simple. Jones studies the psychological consequences that come from seeing some of these images and video, and the results aren’t peachy.

"Study after study that we do shows that there’s a negative association with seeing graphic content and experiencing distress symptoms," he says. "I think it’s really important for people in those situations to really ask themselves if they want to see something they can’t unsee."

Or pages that post videos of baby animals or cooking videos. Whatever gets you laughing or feeds your Zen. Tiny Care Bot dispatches multiple reminders to help you chill while the uber-popular We Rate Dogs combines absurdist humor and pups. Smash that follow button and flood your feeds with joy instead of doom.

Related Article: YOUR Audience Response Social Media?

Set A Time Limit

Jones sets parameters for how long he spends on social media: about an hour a day. If you find yourself frequently upset at rapid-fire opinions and political volleying, determine the max amount of time you’d need to catch up on the happenings without feeling stressed. To curb any concerns about missing too much, Zandt suggests all-encompassing news podcasts like NPR’s Up First and The New York Times’ The Daily.

Realize That if the World is Going to End, Someone Will Tell You

Sure, people will be tweeting through the end of the world, but what will that accomplish? You’ll likely find out about it the old-fashioned way.

"Someone’s going to call you," Zandt says. "Someone close to you is going to text you and say ‘Did you hear the world is ending?’"

Guest Authored By Allie Volpe. Allie is a writer based in Philadelphia. She has contributed to Rolling Stone, The Washington Post, Glamour, and more. Follow Allie on Twitter.

Related Article: How YOU Expose Yourself To Social Media Threats?

"The power of advertising for your business cannot be underestimated. But remember, you don’t need to break the bank to get there.

Stick to these simple tips to be resourceful with your message and spread the word about your unique value.." -Anuja Khemka

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  Authored by:

  Fred Hansen Pied Piper of Social Media Marketing at YourWorldBr@nd.com & CEO of Millennium 7 Publishing Co. in Loveland, CO  where I work deep in the trenches of social media strategy, community management and trends.  My interests include; online business educator, social media marketing, new marketing technology, skiing, hunting, fishing and The Rolling Stones..-Not necessarily in that order ;)

Marketing Trends That WILL Shape YOUR 2018?

In recent years, companies have turned to social media and content marketing as powerful tools to gain a broader and more engaged audience..

With new technologies and apps, social media is now embedded in almost everyone’s daily life, however common or complex your lifestyle may be.

Related Article: Future-Proof YOUR Social Media Marketing Career?

In the past few years, we have seen some notable changes from social media giants like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and from relatively new players like LinkedIn and Snapchat. With the influx of even more following suit, these platforms are poised to put an evolving game-face on, with no signs of stopping.

This year, Apple revealed the iPhone 8 and iPhone X with astounding upgrades like the A11 Bionic, which critics regard so far as the smartest chip making privacy, sharing, gaming, shopping and other processes better compared to its iPhone predecessors. Google is also aiming for its “next billion users” by way of Google Go.

As these new technological advancements go mainstream, social media companies and businesses are yet again expected to get another facelift, thus making the coming year even more exciting for marketers. As we dive into 2018, new social media and content marketing trends are about to unfold with distinct features we may have never seen before. But before we tackle these trends, let’s take a look at some marketing hurdles most companies face:

Related Article: Dominating Social Media Trends Coming In 2018?

Marketing Challenges

The ability to keep up: With a growing myriad of tactics and tools without a single rule-book to follow, businesses are becoming overwhelmed, and most companies find themselves fatigued with too long a list of content formats, game plans and tools.

Understanding which platforms work best for your audience:

Think of social media as a race where every marketer is geared to have a share of the pie. Even among social media channels, the chase toward which platform has a greater share of influence is an unpredictable battle.

For example, Twitter failed to grow its numbers considerably in 2017, and though it's closed the year with a steady and positive revenue, its rate of growth in terms of number of followers has slowed down compared to its rivals.

Related Article: Creating A Powerful Social Network?

Measuring ROI

There's now an added pressure on marketers to prove the effectiveness of the strategies employed thus far and to attest a positive impact on future investments.

Marketing teams now need to re-evaluate the impact their efforts have on overall business objectives, versus a focus on monetary investments made to bring those campaigns full-circle.

Over-Saturation

The increased spending on gaining higher click-through rates both in search and video advertising on social media has grown to new heights but has reached a considerable level of saturation in terms of content quality. The challenge of coming up with relevant but shareable and interesting content among a pool of video ads is now a challenge.

Now that we have a clear understanding of today's marketing challenges, let's look at what trends will shape the year ahead.

Related Article: Why Study YOUR Social Media Analytics?

Heightened Attention To Social Listening

To better understand and take advantage of opportunities, companies will have a more heightened consideration of social listening, the process of collecting and monitoring data from customers and competitors by way of tracking social mentions.

A 2017 study shows that there is a considerable increase of searches containing the phrase “Can anyone recommend?” This shows that 2018 will be more about finding the right social media and content tracking tools that can aid companies to come up with more personalized offerings to customers.

Volatile Content And Social Media Influencers Will Be Bigger

Short-lived content like Instagram and Snapchat Stories will continue to gain popularity. Why? Ephemeral content is more authentic, and since it is limited to mobile, it is able to reach a wider audience.

Related Article: YOUR Social Media Listening Power?

The Same Trend Goes For Social Media Influencers

For example, statistics show that nearly 40% of Twitter users claimed to have made a purchase as a direct result of a social media influencer’s tweet.

Its counterparts, like email marketing, paid searches, display advertising, content searches and affiliate marketing, have taken a backseat as the growth of influencer marketing comes at full speed. Companies like Nikon, Mercedes-Benz and even the Super Bowl have reaped the benefits of influencer marketing and reached a bigger audience much to the dismay of other companies that opted for traditional advertising.

Companies Will Focus More On The Segmented Millennial Market

Millennials are the driving force of social media as they cover the majority of users who rely heavily on the internet for information and connection. In 2018, the trend points toward Gen Z, the younger millennials born around the mid-90s. The oldest of Gen Z is currently 22 years old, fresh out of college and is starting to work to earn their own money.

Related Article: A $20K Per Post Social Media Influencer?

Mobile-Ready Content Will Become The Norm

In 2018, the number of smartphone users worldwide is projected to be around 2.53 billion. With the world getting busier and apps becoming more accessible, people will be turning to their smartphones to do the tasks that used to only be limited to desktops — say, online shopping or booking flights.

Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat being the leaders of the social media game right now have noted nearly 80% of their users accessing social media channels through their phones.

The demand for mobile-ready content has never been more unrelenting. Likewise, social media channels will continue to incorporate new technologies such as providing users augmented reality (AR) experiences, and social video content will likely be more mobile-friendly.

Guest AUthored By Natalie Norcross. Natalie is CEO of a Design Partnership, a Marketing Agency that serves as an outsourced CMO for Design-Minded Brands. Follow Natalie on Twitter.

Related Article: Major Milestones For Social Media In 2018?

"No matter what industry you belong to, what size your company is, what products or services you sell or how knowledgeable you are with upcoming trends, you always have to put your best foot forward.

In light of the latest advancements in technology, no one is an exception to the ever-evolving influence of social media any longer.." -NatalieNorcross

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  Authored by:

  Fred Hansen Pied Piper of Social Media Marketing at YourWorldBr@nd.com & CEO of Millennium 7 Publishing Co. in Loveland, CO  where I work deep in the trenches of social media strategy, community management and trends.  My interests include; online business educator, social media marketing, new marketing technology, skiing, hunting, fishing and The Rolling Stones..-Not necessarily in that order ;)