4 Mobile Resolutions for Marketers in 2015

Every marketing expert knows that success comes from being ahead of the game. That is why so many specialists in the field focus on trends to follow and apply them in their marketing strategies in the year to come.  After covering social media for B2B trends and the e-commerce key defining features in 2015, we decided to take a closer look at what the mobile landscape will look like this year and the mobile resolutions every marketer should make.

The importance of mobile

Digital mobility and connectivity grows more important every day, as consumers keep their mobile devices nearby and use them frequently.

A 2014 Mobile Behaviour Report found out that 59% of consumers rated as ‘very important’ the ability to access the content any way they want to. Nearly six in ten consumers now report connecting to the Internet on their mobile for reading emails, text messaging, social networking, online shopping, watching videos or downloading apps.

With this in mind, we raise a question: ‘why do so many brands still not use mobile as leverage for their marketing efforts?’ In 2015, the number of mobile users will increase even more and mobile marketing is considered to be the 4th most commercially important trend for this year. Here are some mobile resolutions every marketer should make and keep in 2015.

1. Mobile-friendly website

There are a lot of organisations that still don’t have a mobile-friendly website, either because they don’t see the value in it or due to lack of resources. If your organisation or brand still doesn’t have a mobile-friendly website, you should definitely get your act together and rethink your online strategy.

Here are the reasons why your organisation should have a mobile-friendly website in 2015:

  • More returning visitors: A while ago, Google started labelling optimised mobile-friendly websites in its mobile search results (see example above). Mobile-friendly websites ensure a positive customer experience and are by far one of the easiest strategies brands can use to retain visitors who use their mobile for Internet searches. Let’s say a user performs a search on their mobile device and 3 of 5 results are labelled by Google as mobile-friendly. It’s very likely that the user is going to choose one of the three mobile-friendly ones instead of the ones that are not optimised. Want to know if your site is mobile-friendly? Try this useful tool to check.
  • Retain or enhance revenue: If you think losing visitors from mobile is not that important, how about losing customers? It’s so simple losing customers to your competitors. More and more people are now shopping from their mobile devices, and a good mobile user experience can make the difference whether they will choose you or your competitor, which offers them a much better user experience.
  • Higher mobile ranking: Search engines have already started to penalise websites that are not mobile-friendly. Those which are get a higher ranking because they provide mobile searchers with a better user-experience. Google is in fact using this characteristic as a ranking factor to promote the sites that are optimised, as opposed to demoting those who are not.

2. Responsive E-Mail Marketing Campaigns

The 2014 Mobile Behaviour Report found that 91% of consumers use their mobile devices to check their email at least once a day. This number is absolutely stunning considering the number of brands out there that still haven’t aligned their e-mail marketing strategy to mobile. This number will continue to rise rapidly in 2015, therefore, the importance of setting up a responsive email marketing campaign has never been higher. Most email marketing tools already provide a wide variety of responsive templates to choose from. MailChimp, Constant Contact and AWeber are some of the more popular ones used by marketers.

3. Mobile Targeted Advertising

With consumers using more mobile devices to reach their interests, it’s expected that mobile targeted advertising will get more mobile. When setting up a PPC campaign, Google already does this job for you, by targeting both desktop and mobile users. Paid search advertising on mobile is gaining momentum and will overtake desktop search ads in the near future. Display advertising on mobile is also gaining a lot of interest from marketers, which in the last year invested more not only on web advertising on mobile-friendly sites, but also in-app ads. Smartphone users spend a lot of time using mobile apps, so in-app advertising offers great possibilities.

It is estimated that more than half of marketing budgets (50.1%) will be spent on mobile in the coming years. According to eMarketer, these numbers will continue to increase in the years to come, by up to 76.7% of the budget going into mobile by 2018.

4. Location-Based Mobile Marketing

Location-Based Marketing refers to the use of marketing to target mobile users in a specific geographic area. This strategy is used to increase effectiveness of marketing strategies and usually refers to sending customers close proximity messages with last-minute offers, promotions, coupons, events, by using Bluetooth or Wi-Fi.

According to a Pew Institute survey, 74% of adult smartphone owners use their phone to get directions or other information based on their current location. The survey also saw a 30% growth in the number of users that set their location and include it in their posts. These trends definitely show the important role played by location sharing in the life of users and how brands can use this information to target them with relevant messages.

Geo-Location is strongly tied to consumer behaviour and marketers can put that useful information to better shape their campaigns. Customers now rely on their mobile devices as a vital source of information they can use to find recommendations for places to visit, restaurants to grab a bite or retail stores to find a specific product. Nearly 65% of consumers say they check and open push notifications from brands because they like receiving personalised alerts, which suggests there is a valuable opportunity for brands looking to provide relevant location-based messages.

Have you made your mobile marketing resolutions for 2015? What’s on your list? We’d love to hear your comments.

Manu Kastia is Founder and Head of Strategy at Digital Dialog, an AI forward digital marketing agency and consultancy. With over 12 years of agency experience, Manu's expertise encompasses digital advertising, strategy, and media buying across social media, search, PPC and programmatic channels. He has successfully led numerous digital campaigns, enabling brands to achieve remarkable results. Manu's passion for leveraging Generative AI alongside proven marketing strategies has positioned him as a sought-after speaker at industry events and a trusted consultant for organisations across various sectors, including tourism, travel, and hospitality. He helps businesses enhance their operations with AI-driven solutions and optimise their digital marketing strategies for growth and efficiency. Manu has played a pivotal role in advancing AI knowledge through training sessions and strategy consulting, empowering professionals to harness AI for significant achievements. His extensive marketing background and innovative approach make him a trusted advisor for those looking to navigate the evolving digital landscape and capitalise on AI opportunities.