Did you know, in a recent survey, a third of the people questioned were more willing to give up sex for a week than give up their mobile phone, and two thirds sleep with their smartphone next to them? Recent research from Ofcom reflects the startling extent to which adults have become “addicted” to their smartphones.
Clearly, any commentary that simply says that these devices are ubiquitous ignores the existence of a much deeper emotional connection. Yet, despite this powerful insight, even savvy B2B Marketers seem to be struggling with how to design a mobile marketing experience that fits with their customer’s buying journey.
As marketers, we need to respect how users view their devices. At the very least, mobile marketing needs to be two things: 1) relevant to the user now and 2) contextual to his or her immediate situation.
Think like the buyer and anticipate their behaviours.
A good place to start is thinking about who your prospects and influencers are and the buying journey they are likely to take. Then consider the following foundational questions:
- At what points in the buying journey are buyers going to connect with your brand, and which connection points make sense for engaging buyers via mobile media?
- Is mobile marketing becoming more important in your category?
- Does your brand benefit from being perceived as innovative in the mobile space?
- Mobile marketing is 100% measurable, so what are the important measurements of the success of your marketing efforts?
- Are there opportunities for deeper levels of engagement as you convert branding into buying and beyond?
Based on the answers you develop to these questions, some or all of the following options can help successfully establish mobile programs as part of your marketing ecosystem.
- Mobilize your current content marketing, optimize for mobile search and evaluate opportunities for app-vertising.
- Incorporate mobile as an important touch point in your lead nurturing and point-of-presence marketing programs.
- Enable Sales with mobile tools – why should Marketers have all the fun?
- Seek out opportunities for deeper levels of customer engagement.
In Part II of this post, we’ll begin to unpack these options in greater detail and help you further consider how to take advantage of this important and evolving marketing channel.
