The mobile market is growing fast. How fast do you ask? At light speed. PCs are becoming an afterthought. Mobile is not just going to be defined to your smartphone anymore. Mobile is going to be on your tablet, car, and clothing. And if Google and Apple’s move into home appliances is any indication mobile will be everywhere. This graph put out by Business Intelligence shows how PCs are hitting a plateau and mobile devices are on the rise.   Another perfect example to show the rapid growth of mobile in the past decade is this comparison picture between the ordination Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis. It really shows how mobile is becoming an integral part of our everyday lives. Concerts, sporting events, and everyday life events are documented through a mobile device.   Mobile has woven itself into everyday life tasks and it is easy target for marketing messages. The average U.S. consumer is exposed to 1,200 ad messages/impressions per day¹. Most of those messages do not even resonate with a consumer. So how do we muddle through this to develop a strong marketing strategy? We need to understand what we want our customer wants during their mobile experience. After that is defined then we can get into mobile apps, mobile websites, messaging etc. To be successful on mobile you must choose between the following mobile strategies:
Experiential Where would Netflix be if they didn’t embrace the mobile revolution? Most likely hanging out with Blockbuster and Hollywood Video in the brand graveyard. Netflix extended their product line to mobile which, in turn, creates a great experience for its customers across multiple platforms. Their product creates a positive, accessible experience. An experiential mobile experience can help to connect your brand’s offline presence to the digital world.
Utilitarian When you think about mobile marketing an aspect that always resonates well with users is making their lives easier. The banking industry going mobile has really benefitted the consumer. Instead of going to a local bank branch for every withdrawal, deposit, or transfer you now can do all of that from your mobile device. The infographic below shows how a majority of users want some utilitarian aspect to their mobile experience.  Ask yourself, how can I make my customer’s life easier through the use of mobile? It could be as simple as creating a better mobile website experience or putting a “click to call” button on your website.   Evidential Having an evidential mobile strategy requires some out of the box thinking. You are providing your users with value that might not be directly tied to your brand. For example, the Nike+ app has nothing to do with buying sneakers. Instead, it tracks your fitness. The app adds more value to the brand without even trying to directly sell anything. You might not have Nike shoes when you download the app but don’t you think the next time you go to buy another pair of shoes you will at the very least consider Nike. Evidential mobile experiences try to improve the lives of their customers by offering them an extension of the product.