Did you know that the average adult spends 5.6 hours a day on the Internet? And that 2.8 of those are from a mobile device? As the number of people who regularly access the internet from their phone rises so does the need to market to these people effectively.
Unfortunately, mobile marketing is a science that has not been completely mastered by many. Some mistakes are made far too often that hurt brands, cause customers to disengage, and yield less-than-optimal results.
Below are three of the most common mobile marketing mistakes and tips that you can use to avoid them.
1. Building an Unnecessary App
When Apple first brought the concept of Apps to the mainstream, people couldn’t wait to install games, tools, and resources to their phones in this format. But what you may not know is users delete 26 percent of Apps the same day they install them, and 90 percent of the daily active users of an App remove it within the first 30 days. The majority of App users have already dedicated their phone space to running the major Apps like Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, etc. These App giants require a lot of data and storage, leaving smaller applications fighting over a smaller piece of the pie.
So, how do you know if creating a mobile application is the right move for your business? First, you have to be sure that it will have value for your customers. What will your App offer them that they can’t already get through channels like your website or social media pages? You’ll have to determine this early before making any other moves. Also, App development isn’t cheap. Only you will be able to decide if the potential is worth the investment.
With all of this being said, useful, well-developed Apps that provide added benefits for your customers can be powerful, helpful marketing tools.
Some great features to consider are:
• A points or rewards system
• A mobile shopping platform
• Appointments and reservation bookings
• Delivery orders
Chatting with a marketing agency can be an excellent way to gain valuable insight into whether or not a mobile App will work for your business. At BubbleUP, we can assist you in this process and in the development of your App!
2. Not optimizing for mobile
You’ve probably heard of search engine optimization (SEO) for websites. But optimization for mobile devices isn’t as talked about. When it comes to apps, websites, e-newsletters, and essentially any media that are accessed through a phone, the little things matter.
For example, finger size is something that to consider. If your buttons are too small, people will accidentally click the wrong link and have trouble navigating through your content. If the buttons are too large, you take up valuable content space that could be used for engaging photos, text, or videos.
Also, there are hundreds of devices out there, all with varying screen sizes. Without a responsive mobile design, your site or content could look different on all of them! That inconsistency could easily cause frustration for users who aren’t seeing your sites or materials the way they are meant to be viewed.
Many great ideas and businesses have suffered because their online channels weren’t optimized for mobile use. This is an important mistake to avoid!
3. Generic call to actions
On a mobile device, you have even less time to capture the attention of your users than you would on a desktop. Within milliseconds, users will decide to scroll past your content or close out of your website, so you have to put extra thought into how you will break through the scrolling cycle and entice those users to do something.
For example, you could send out a mobile-friendly e-newsletter to your customer base, letting them know about this week’s specials at your restaurant. After the photos of the delicious meals and the information about what will be offered, your goal is to get people to reserve a table. So, how will you do it?
The more obvious option would be to put a clickable button at the bottom of your newsletter that says “Make a Reservation.” But is this the best way to motivate your customers?
Why not try making it more personal by having the button say “Reserve Your Table,” or offer an incentive by saying “Reserve Your Table Today and Get 10% OFF Your Next Meal with Us!”
The more creative and direct you are with your calls to action, the more likely you are to see conversion. And at the end of the day, that’s what counts!
