Marketers are spending more and more on mobile advertising with no signs of slowing down. In fact, U.S. mobile advertising will grow from $12 billion in 2015 to $19 billion in 2018 according to PwC. Unfortunately, in today’s economy, a lot of that money isn’t being well spent.
The problem: Treating mobile as a silo rather than a touch point in the complete customer journey.
The solution: A cross-channel approach that allows marketers to understand consumer behavior across all platforms to provide the right experience leading to purchase – regardless of which channel is ultimately used to make that purchase.
Take the results from a recent PhoCusWright survey: It found that while 41 percent of travel shoppers will browse for flights and hotels on a mobile platform, only 23 percent will book that travel using the same device. When looked at in a silo, the data suggest that nearly 44 percent of shoppers use mobile devices to do research but then abandon the transaction before booking.
However, when viewed in context with other channels, that’s not the case at all. Some 53 percent of those same shoppers simply preferred to book on their desktop computers rather than on mobile. If marketers aren’t connecting the dots between mobile and other touch points, they’re not only getting a small snapshot of that traveler’s journey, they’re likely getting the wrong one.
While most marketers clearly see the vast revenue opportunities in mobile – PewResearch found that 64 percent of American adults now own a smartphone of some kind, up from 35 percent in the spring of 2011 – many aren’t putting in place the right mix of strategies.
With this in mind, here are six tips on implementing an integrated approach to mobile marketing and analysis:
1. Mobile is not a separate strategy
Ensure mobile is not a separate initiative, but is integrated within your broader marketing strategy. Mobile then becomes a channel within your marketing mix rather than a siloed initiative.
2. Know the customer journey
Understand the role mobile plays within your customer’s journey across digital touch points. What matters is how the customer engages with your brand through mobile on their path to conversion, whether that be a download, a purchase or a subscription sign-up.
3. Mobile measurement is foundational
Implement measurement up front – do not wait. There is nothing more important than to measure the performance of your mobile channel, but you need to cut through the maze and measure the right things – not everything. Be sure you can compare and contrast between mobile devices and platforms since context is very important. You will need to justify your investment in mobile and show how it delivered business results, so be ready.
4. Segment your customers
Understand which of your customer segments engage with you via mobile and where that happens along their specific customer journey. Customer segmentation is critical in providing a more relevant experience.
5. Start small, experiment, fail and learn
Don’t boil the ocean. Consider the customer experience and start with a single mobile touch point for a specific segment of your customers. Test messages and optimize its role in moving a customer through his or her journey. Don’t be afraid to fail, but fail fast and apply your learnings.
6. Develop and educate the organization
Internal education and evangelism are really important when you are investing in new channels, especially mobile. Educate internally on the results of your mobile initiatives (see the need for measurement in point #3). Then educate and educate again. Keep banging the drum in order to democratize the insights you have found in mobile to gain buy-in and secure investment for the next program.
