Why Mobile Marketing? Living in the Moment
Mobile is Changing the Way We Live
With the ever-changing world of technology, we are no longer living by the day or even the hour. We live our life in moments. We now expect more immediacy from businesses offering products and services. It has fractured the consumer journey into hundreds of real-time, intent-driven micro-moments. Each one is a critical opportunity for brands to shape our decisions and preferences. Thus the need for a mobile marketing strategy.
A couple examples:
- You’re at lunch and you see someone in the restaurant with a great-looking handbag in purple. You think, “I could definitely use a purse like that!” So you pull out your smart phone and Google ‘purple handbags’.
- You walk in on your 5-year old daughter in the bathroom. She’s got scissors in her hands and there are lots of hair clippings on the floor. Again, you search for kid’s hairdressers.
- You’re shoveling three feet of snow, thinking, “I need to go someplace warm!” Googling “vacation spots on the beach” or “warm weather destinations” will pull up lots of places to choose from.
If you are a company selling purses, offering haircuts or have properties in tropical climates, you want to be on top of those search results at all times, because you never know when people will have those “moments”.
Why Your Business Needs Mobile Marketing
Mobile is definitely changing the way people search. Now more searches are done from mobile devices that computers. People are using different search phrases when they are on a mobile. And with mobile devices, the GPS on that device can result in returning searches based on proximity of the searcher.
With smart phones so prominent and accessible, people use them for tasks besides texting their spouse or checking the time or weather. They are using them to act on any impulse at any time. They can immediately find information when they want to learn, find, do or buy something. Their expectations on results are also very high; they lose patience if they have to work too hard to find what they are looking for. Ultimately, the brands that do the best job of addressing the needs of consumers in each moment will win.
Here are some statistics accumulated by Google regarding smartphone users:
- 82% turn to their phones to influence a purchase decision while in a store.
- 62% are more likely to take action right away toward solving an unexpected problem or new task because they have a smartphone.
- 90% have used their phone to make progress toward a long term goal or multi-step process while “out and about.”
- 91% turn to their phone for ideas while doing a given task.
Taking Advantage of Mobile Micro Moments
Google has published a guide for Winning the Shift to Mobile. The guide provides tips on getting found in the age of the Mobile Moment shift. In summary, businesses need to be available no matter what devices consumers use to search for products and services. Not just keeping up with current trends, but ANTICIPATING what consumers want will keep you ahead of the pack.
The moments that matter – where consumers want to know, want to go, want to do and want to buy – are referred to as “micro moments” by Google. Consumers are using mobile devices to get answers, discover new things, and make decisions. Marketers can be there to take advantage of these micro-moments, but many are not.
The brands that are putting this to good use are the ones that are useful, not just there.
A great example is the Walgreens app. You can use it to refill prescriptions taking a photo of the prescription bottle’s barcode with your phone’s camera. It can also be used to send photos on your phone to a local store for pickup. Walgreens has seen a 600 percent increase in spending by shoppers using their app, compared to those who shop without it.
There are several tools you can use to get on the bandwagon with the mobile marketing strategy. Google Trends, Google Consumer Surveys, and YouTube Trends are some that offer valuable insights into what consumers want and need. Also, don’t ignore the old-fashioned method of just talking to your customers about what they are looking for.
Need Help with Mobile Marketing?
At St. Louis SEO for Growth, we build content-driven websites that get you leads and will help you get found in search engines. We have the expertise to build your mobile and online marketing strategy so that you can concentrate on attracting and keeping customers.