6 Myths of Mobile Marketing

6 Myths of Mobile Marketing

Mobile devices are used for everything nowadays. We use mobile devices for communication, leisure, entertainment, news, research, and so much more. Mobile devices have become an essential tool for most consumers, yet there is still so much mystery in the mobile marketing field. I recently came across an interesting article on inboundmarketingagents.com called 6 Dangerously Unfounded Mobile Marketing Myths by Angela Suico. In order to better understand mobile marketing, let’s take a look at some of the most common mobile myths:

1. It’s for Millenials Only. Over half of those using mobile devices are over 35, according to Digiday. A 2011 Nielson study also concluded that baby boomers are actually adopting mobile technology faster than the younger generations. Older generations are using smartphones and tablets, so don’t miss out on reaching them because you think they’re out of touch with technology.

2. It Doesn’t Matter. Barbara Williams-Pamplim, mobile marketing global practice lead for Microsoft thinks that this is the most common misconception. Many businesses believe that their normal website is good enough for mobile devices, so they don’t need to mobile optimize. This is simply not true, as users are likely to turn to a business with a website optimized for mobile, and optimizing your sites appearance for difference devices can only benefit your company.

3. It’s Only for Apple Devices. As of August 2012, Google’s Andriod phones ranked as the top smartphone platforms, owning 52.6% of the market share. In addition to thinking about customer buying personas, businesses need to think about the devices dominating the market. You need to ensure that you are optimizing for all devices, not just Apple products.

4. It’s Only Good for Big Business. Actually, mobile marketing can be a huge boost for smaller businesses. Mobile marketing can connect you with customers outside of your regular social media efforts. A smaller customer base makes SMS marketing easier, and enabling check-ins can provide customers with special discounts when they check in on sites such as Foursquare or Yelp!

5. It Only Involves Apps. Wrong. It also includes mobile optimized websites, QR codes, and sometimes text messaging. Text messaging marketing is largely unexplored terrain but could be something for your company to consider, according to Forbes. James Citron, text message marketing expert says that 95 out of 100 of those who opt in to a text program open and read a message within 3 minutes of receiving it.

6. Mobile is All About the Device. Mobile marketing is more about the context it’s used for rather than the device itself. You need to think about the person behind the device. A great way to get a sense of the person behind the device is to ask them about their experience using your site on mobile devices, and ask if you can do anything better.

There’s no denying that mobile marketing is an extremely powerful tool to attract customers and get your name out there. You need to be taking advantage of it or your company is missing out. You need to be where your customers are, and clearly, mobile is the place to be.

Jaclyn Bickerton, Social Media, Raven5 Ltd, Oakville & Toronto Ontario, May 2013

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