What is Mobile Marketing? Basics, Strategies and Tips

The U.S. has 450 million wireless mobile subscribers, and 84.2% of those subscribers access the internet on their phones. Mobile devices play an increasing role in users’ purchasing decisions. Consumers search for nearby businesses, use retail store apps, and check prices and reviews at the point of sale.

And marketers have taken note, shifting marketing budgets from traditional advertising to digital marketing in recent years. In fact, digital spending grew 14.3% between February 2020 and June 2020.

As a result, mobile marketing is changing how companies think about engaging their prospects. To fully take advantage of mobile marketing, it’s important to develop the right mobile marketing strategy. This article will cover:

• What is mobile marketing?
• Why is mobile marketing important today?
• Parts of a good mobile marketing strategy
• Eight mobile marketing best practices in 2021

What is mobile marketing?

Mobile marketing is a digital marketing strategy to reach a target audience through their mobile devices. Marketers might engage consumers through websites, email, text messaging, and mobile apps to deliver time-sensitive content to smartphones, tablets, and other devices.

While in traditional marketing, audiences are grouped by demographics, mobile marketing targets audiences by behaviors. The ability to micro-target potential consumers as they enter a grocery store, drive near an airport, or play mobile games led U.S. marketers to spend around $120 billion on mobile advertising in 2020.

Why is mobile marketing important today?

Mobile marketing is important because it allows businesses to reach consumers where they are, virtually and in their actual location. While tablets are an important channel for mobile marketing, smartphones make up 77.5% of the global mobile device market.

And what are users doing on their phones? They are checking social media, of course! In the U.S., users spend 49% of their smartphone time on social media. Facebook is the most popular platform used by 68% of Americans as their primary social media channel. The average Facebook user spends nearly one hour a day liking and sharing. Instagram (35%), Pinterest (29%), and Twitter (24%) round out the top four primary social media channels.

When they decide to shop, around 73% of online purchases are made on mobile devices. But even when shopping in-store, 74% of consumers use a mobile device to compare prices or read reviews.

Parts of a good mobile marketing strategy

A cohesive mobile marketing strategy involves a multichannel approach and using different mobile marketing components. These include:  

‍Text message (SMS messages)

Short message service (SMS) or text messages are direct ways to send customers certain content, such as informing customers of offers, sales, order status, or delivery status. With a 99% open rate, nearly every text is read, most of them within the first three minutes.

However, there are rules to follow when engaging with customers by text:

• Obtain consent. Marketers are required to obtain consent to text customers. Consent can come in written form or by responding to a text with a keyword. Marketers are also required to include an option to opt-out. A simple statement like “Text STOP to unsubscribe” can suffice. It’s also important to have a disclaimer noting that “message and data rates” apply.
  

For example, in this promotion, Subway invites customers to text “Offers” to opt in for weekly offers.‍

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• Be consistent, but don’t overdo it. Keep in touch with your customers by sending one or two texts a week. But don’t inundate them with too many texts. That can annoy customers and cause them to opt-out.
• Text during business hours. Schedule marketing messages for times when they won’t disturb or irritate customers. The best times to message customers are during business hours.
• Add value. Keep customers engaged with content that isn’t available on your blog, emails, or other channels. Examples include exclusive discounts, special access, or links to a blog.
• Make it MMS. A standard text message includes 160 characters of text only. Adding a file like a video or a photo makes the text multimedia messaging service (MMS). With an MMS text, you can use visuals and GIFs and up to 1,600 characters of text.‍

Push notifications

Push notifications are clickable ads that appear on a user’s browser. These pop up on any device or browser the subscriber is using as long as they’re online. Abandoned cart notifications, reminders, and proximity-based notifications are a few common types.

The average consumer receives 46 notifications per day. Consumer opt-in rates for push notifications are 81% for Android devices and 51% for iOS users. However, Android devices are set to accept notifications by default, while iOS users have to opt in to receive notifications manually.  

The advantages of push notifications include a small ad format that captures the consumer’s attention. However, when push notifications are poorly targeted or too frequent, users can view them as nuisances. In fact, 40% of app users disable push notifications if they receive three to six ads in a week. Consumers might also view push notifications as spam when they come at the wrong time of day, have irrelevant information, or lack a defined call to action (CTA).

So, to improve the performance of push notifications, consider the following:

• Segment your audience. To target your messages accordingly, divide subscribers into user groups based on activity, location, and other factors.
• Use strong visuals. A rich push notification includes photos or videos. The use of rich formats can increase open rates up to 56%. For example, adding images to their push campaigns helped apparel retailer Anthropologie achieve a click-through rate (CTR) of 22% above the industry average.

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• Time them right. Schedule notifications for when customers are using their devices. Adjust the delivery for the time zones of your subscribers.
• Use notifications to interest subscribers in an upcoming event. Then, create a sense of urgency with messaging like “Last day to save!”
• Create great content. Write content with your audience in mind. Use simple, direct language and avoid jargon. Use catchy headlines and include a strong CTA.

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In-app messaging

In-app messaging appears while the app is in use—providing a better experience and increasing engagement for customers using the app. Research shows that the 30-day retention rate varies by category. Only 2.3% of mid-core gaming apps are in use after a month, while 5.6% of users still access e-commerce apps. In-app messaging is one way to engage and retain your users.

For instance, onboarding messages help users learn the features of an app and make them more likely to use it. Here’s an example of an onboarding app that allows users to choose the types of movies they prefer. ‍

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In-app inbox

Unlike other mobile notifications that disappear after viewing, in-app inbox messages remain on a screen within the app. They’re similar to an email inbox housed within an app.

Because these messages persist, the in-app inbox feed enhances the user experience in several ways:

• It provides a personalized news feed of information relevant to the app, such as offers, order status, workout plans, etc.
• It shows long-term offers. For example, the in-app inbox can promote a month-long coupon code or new product launch.
• It shows personalized menus, playlists, movie recommendations, or other personalized choices.
  

Makeup retailer, Sephora, uses its app for every phase of the buying cycle. Through the use of location-based marketing, the app recognizes when a customer enters a Sephora store. It then gives information about the store, including deals and a map. After the customer leaves the store, the app sends makeup tutorials and product information. The image below shows in-app inbox messages regarding product news and upcoming events.‍

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In-app search

In-app search helps users navigate an app quickly and efficiently. Users expect in-app navigation to function as efficiently as Google. Therefore, for the best in-app search user experience:

• Make it easy to find. Whether you use a search bar or search icon, it should be easy for users to locate the search function.
• Add help functions. Assist users’ search with spelling auto-corrections, predictive text, and suggestions while the user is typing text.
• Filter and sort. Help users organize their results with filter and sort options.
  

The value of in-app search is that it allows a business to auto-suggest products based on the user’s history. A user’s search or purchasing habits influence the products, services, features, or updates displayed during the search or promoted in push notifications.

Here’s a practical example of using the in-app search function. Imagine you’re shopping at Target with limited time. You’re looking for organic sunscreen. If you have the Target app on your smartphone, you can search for the product, see if it’s in stock, and view its precise location in the store.

Organic search—local and national

The majority of local searches happen on a mobile level. In 2021, mobile devices accounted for 61% of organic search engine visits in the U.S. For example, “hotels near the airport” is considered a local search.

Local searches can lead to in-person shopping. In fact, consumers call or visit a local business within 24 hours of a local search 88% of the time. Users may research the closest store, whether an item is in stock, hours and directions, and contact information.

So, to convert mobile searches into sales, businesses should have mobile-friendly websites. Sixty-one percent of mobile searchers are likely to contact a local business if they have a mobile-friendly site.

Video search is also a growing practice, with YouTube now the second-largest search engine after Google. Consumers search for product-related videos to learn how to do something, such as applying makeup or using an electronic device. Businesses can upload free tutorial videos to build traffic, generate leads, and promote their products.

For example, an online hair care products company, Curlmix, hosts weekly tutorials for its customers to help them learn how to get the best results from their shampoo and conditioners. Customers can join a Facebook group where they share hair care tips.  The weekly tutorial includes giveaways and new product announcements.

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Google mobile ad extensions

Google mobile ad extensions allow you to display additional information on mobile ads, like telephone numbers, addresses, or links to specific webpages.

Call extension

Call extensions allow you to add a phone number to a Google ad. Users can click a button to call your business or click your ad to go to your website. It’s also possible to create ads where your number appears only during hours when your business can take calls.

Ads are fine tuned so that call campaigns won’t appear on devices that can’t make calls. Extensions expand an ad to give it greater prominence and visibility. For that reason, adding a phone to an ad can significantly increase the CTR.

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App download extensions

App extensions let customers access your app from a mobile ad. A link below your ad leads to your app in the app store. Google shows users the app store that corresponds to their operating system. So, users on Android devices will go to Google Play, and those on iOS devices are directed to the Apple App Store.

A link at the bottom of this ad takes users to the iTunes store to download the Clash of Clans game.

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Coupon offer/promotion extension

Promotion extensions highlight sales for users searching for deals. The promotion extension shows beneath your mobile ad. For example, “Back to School” or “Valentine’s Day” would appear in bold text beneath your promotional text. In addition, the extension displays up to two lines of text with your promotional details.

When potential customers click your text, they go to the special offer on your site.

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Mobile-first websites and landing pages

A mobile-first website is designed based on how users interact with mobile devices. Instead of adapting a website built for a desktop screen to a smaller format, a mobile-first design is built for small screens. In 2020 alone, more than 3.6 billion mobile users accessed the internet via their phones. So, it makes sense to develop websites to optimize their user experience.

Google uses mobile-friendliness as a ranking signal on mobile searches. That means mobile-friendly sites rank higher when the search is done on a smartphone or tablet.  Here are some best practices for mobile-first design:

• Check your speed. Landing pages should load quickly. Page speed is the time it takes to display all the content on a specific page. A slow speed increases the likelihood that users will click away. When a page takes four seconds to load, 25% of users will abandon it. Google’s Core Web Vitals offers stats about page experience signals, like loading, interactivity, and visual stability. Optimizing these elements can improve the user experience and your ranking.
• Keep key information above the fold. Above the fold refers to information you can see on a screen without scrolling down. The phrase is borrowed from newspapers sold folded on newsstands. Scrolling is second nature for mobile users today, but without a compelling home screen, users will lose interest.
• Focus on function. Rather than designing primarily for screen size, design your site based on how customers use it. Focusing on the app’s function will provide a positive experience for users on any type of device.
• Use responsive design. Responsive web design allows websites to adapt to the screen size of a computer, tablet, or smartphone automatically. Although your website may have a mobile-first design, mobile devices come in a multitude of sizes.
• Use the same content on desktop and mobile. While the design of your mobile site can look different, the content should be the same. Search engines pull data from your mobile site for indexing, which affects the content ranking.
• Go easy on ads. Having too many interstitials or popup ads on your site is intrusive and can undermine the user experience. Further, Google penalizes websites for large ads that appear at the top of the page.
• Check your structured data. If you have structured data on your site, be sure it’s present on both versions of the site.

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These Airbnb web pages are well-designed for small screens. Each page has a concise message and consists of a title, picture, graphic, or profile text.

Mobile promotion and giveaways

Once the infrastructure is in place, you’re ready to reach your mobile customers with promotions and giveaways. Promotions and giveaways allow brands to engage with consumers. The challenge is to find the right level of contact to motivate customers to make a purchase.

For example, Pizza Hut launched a loyalty program. Customers received a text inviting them to the loyalty program. To enter, they texted “PIZZA” to a five-digit shortcode. In response, Pizza hut invited the user to provide their ZIP code. By users provisioning their ZIP code, this allowed Pizza Hut to target them for location-based offers.‍

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Proximity ads pop up when a person is within a geographic area. For example, an ad for inexpensive coffee at a nearby McDonald’s shows up in the Waze app.

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Mobile display advertising network

Display ad networks take your ads and target them to potential customers, such as people searching for a particular product or who have previously visited your website. Two of the largest display advertising networks are Google AdSense and Facebook Audience Network.

As part of a mobile marketing strategy, ads appear in the mobile apps of targeted customers. The ad formats can be banners, native ads integrated into the app, and mobile video ads.

For example, Twitter ads are integrated and appear to be part of the newsfeed. They’re distinguished from regular content by the word “promoted” at the bottom.‍

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Social media marketing

Through social media marketing, businesses use social media platforms to connect with their audience, build their brand, drive website traffic, and increase sales. To do the same, it’s a good idea to post engaging content, interact with followers, review your results, and run social media ads.

In the U.S., users spend 49% of their phone time on social media, with mobile users spending 769 minutes on Facebook each week. However, social media marketing goes beyond reaching potential customers in their favorite media. It involves creating tailored content to engage customers and promote your business.

To craft a successful social media marketing plan, define your target audience and which social media platform they use. Establish key performance indicators (KPIs) and continually track your results. Use a consistent voice in your social media posts. For more guidance, read Upwork’s “Ultimate Guide to Social Media Strategy in 2021.”

A good example of social media marketing in action involves GoPro, which launched its third annual Million Dollar Challenge on Facebook. The contest invited fans to submit their best-unedited footage. The contest received more than 29,000 submissions from people in 125 countries. The brand made 56 of the submissions into a video, which now has more than 664,000 views.

GoPro continued to recognize contributors by scheduling posts, quotes, and clips from the winners even after the competition closed.

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Email

Email is a method for exchanging messages over digital devices, and it’s still an important communication channel between businesses and consumers. In fact, 60% of email campaigns were opened on mobile devices in 2019, compared to 10% on desktop computers.

With email open rates on mobile devices growing to 68% in 2016 compared to 21% in 2021, businesses have a great opportunity to engage consumers. On top of in-app messaging, email can be used to send a welcome message that guides the user to complete their account setup, engage with unused features, or alert them to coupons and special offers posted in the app.

A good example of this is Pei Wei’s email promotion. Users can enter the keyword “THURSDAY5” when ordering online (most likely in the app) to receive a $5 chicken dish.

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QR codes

Quick-response (QR) codes are scanned with a camera’s phone. The code directs customers to the marketer’s website, where they can learn more about the brand.  

There are several ways you can use QR codes in mobile marketing campaigns, such as:

• Direct customers to a landing page or website
• Dial a business number
• Send a message
• Download an app
• Show a business location
• Lead customers to social media pages
• Access promo codes or receipts
  

An example of QR codes in action involves Reebok. The shoe retailer uses QR codes to send different Spotify playlists to athletes based on their sport.

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Augmented reality (AR)

Augmented reality (AR) is a technology that lays digital images, sound, and text over real images. The popular Pokemon GO app is an example of AR. The mobile game lets users explore their real surroundings to find Pokemon characters that appear on the screen.

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Another example of AR for mobile marketing is IKEA Place. A consumer shopping for furniture can superimpose a digital image of a chair onto a photo of the room where it’ll be placed. Using AR mode allows the user to see if the furniture will fit the rest of the room. This new trend of encouraging app engagement is gaining in popularity.

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8 mobile marketing best practices in 2023

If you want to achieve optimal results, mobile marketing should be seen as just one element of a multichannel marketing strategy. The following are mobile marketing best practices in 2021.

1. Know your audience

Understanding your audience’s psychographics and demographics helps you create a buyer persona. A buyer persona is a fictional person who represents various types of customers. However, it’s also important to know which sites, platforms, and communities they belong to—thus creating an even more accurate persona.

To start, create a profile of your target customer segments. For each customer type, you must understand their background, job description, goals, challenges, spending power, and pain points. Learn their mobile habits and conduct A/B testing to determine the most effective messaging approach. ‍

2. Align on KPIs

As with any other marketing initiative, you must align your KPIs with your mobile marketing strategy—otherwise, you may not be able to monitor your results effectively and see which mobile marketing campaign is seeing success.

Measurements of your campaign’s results might include:

• Download rate: If your business has a mobile app, it’s important to know your download rate, as other KPIs are built on it. Downloads essentially signify how popular your app is.
• Engagement: Engagement KPIs include the app’s open rate, session length, churn rate, and session interval. By measuring engagement, you get insight into how, where, and when users engage with your app.
• Conversion rate: This indicates how many visitors to your site are completing a sale or other action.
• Return on ad spend (ROAS): This measure calculates a campaign’s success by dividing the ad spend by the revenue.
• Customer acquisition cost (CAC): This metric measures how much it costs to acquire new customers. To find CAC, divide the total marketing spend on customer acquisition by the total number of new customers.

3. Understand mobile behavior vs. desktop behavior

Consumer behavior is different on mobile devices than on desktop computers, and it’s important to know the distinction between both. Many people use both devices each day. So, marketers should understand how customers use technology and create responsive websites that function efficiently in all formats.

For example, mobile devices accounted for 31% of all retail spending in 2020. Additionally, search queries on mobile devices tend to contain keywords like “who,” “what,” and “where.” Mobile searches are also more likely to include a location and are more brand-specific.

But while shoppers research products on their smartphones, they’re more likely to purchase them on a desktop or laptop computer. They also tend to spend more. The average cart size is 24% higher for desktop users and 14% higher on tablets than on smartphones.

4. Have a local mindset

Local search is when consumers search within a certain neighborhood or geographic area, such as “coffee shops near me.” Typically, it has a high transactional intent because users are looking for specific businesses to buy or purchase from. In fact, 72% of users who perform a local search visit a store within five miles. So, businesses that want to attract customers to their physical location should think about having a highly localized marketing strategy that revolves around paid and organic search.

For example, make sure your listings in online business directories are accurate and consistent. Build your social media presence and encourage your customers to post reviews. For more recommendations, read Upwork’s “15 Key SEO Tips for Small Businesses.”

5. Use promotions

Promotions let you target the consumers you want to reach. Limited offers create a sense of urgency or fear of missing out. To engage mobile users, you should schedule consistent promotions. Targeted mobile promotions benefit marketers and customers because:

• In-app promotions make customers more engaged.
• Apps have a higher conversion rate than mobile websites.
• Marketers can create personalized ads.
  

In-app promotions can help your business connect with consumers in the following ways:

• Onboard new users.
• Make special offers, including discounts or coupons.
• Announce new features offered by the app.
• Confirm purchases, shipping, etc.
• Share news of new products or services.

6. Retarget cart abandonment

Retargeting ads go to users who visited your site and put merchandise in a cart but didn’t buy anything. The top reasons for shopping cart abandonment are high additional costs, forced account creation, and complex checkout procedures. Retargeting reduces cart abandonment by 6.5% and increases online sales by almost 20%.

7. Product updates

Because so many people use mobile devices, it can be more efficient to use mobile platforms to inform consumers about product and service updates, such as changes in pricing, new services being offered, or even product line discontinuations. They’ll most likely visit your business’s mobile platform before visiting the desktop version.

One way to announce product news is through in-app messages. Send a brief message about any new pricing, services, or product updates. You can also encourage users to adopt the new product or service by guiding them through the new feature with a tutorial. ‍

8. Evolve the strategy

It’s important to continually assess your mobile marketing results and adjust your strategy as needed. Use Google Analytics to monitor mobile traffic to your site. The data will show the amount of engagement with your mobile audience. Track your metrics and evolve the campaign strategy as a result.‍

Conclusion

Mobile marketing has the unique opportunity to follow users wherever they are and to greet them in social spaces. Yet, executing a successful mobile marketing campaign takes research, planning, and strategy. If your team needs marketing professionals to create a multichannel marketing strategy, search for top mobile marketers on Upwork to help meet your needs.