5 Best Mobile Marketing Strategies & Tools
Are you using mobile marketing to bring more people to your store? You should be. The global pandemic changed how people shop. Now, it's more important than ever to reach your customers where they are.
More and more, people are shopping on their phones. In 2024, time spent on shopping apps went up by 30% compared to 2023. On average, users now spend 4 hours a week browsing or buying products on their mobile devices.
What is Mobile Marketing?
Mobile marketing is promoting and advertising to people using smartphones and tablets. It often uses features like push notifications and location tracking to send more timely and relevant ads.
In 2024, mobile devices will continue to dominate online activity. There are now over 7 billion mobile phone users globally, with this number projected to keep growing.
Smartphones have become essential for shopping. By 2024, 85% of smartphone users have made an online purchase. Mobile commerce (buying through a phone) is expected to account for 12% of retail sales by 2025, reflecting the rapid growth since the pandemic.
Beyond just purchasing, shoppers use mobile devices to research products. This creates a huge opportunity for businesses to reach customers with personalized, location-based, and timely messages, helping drive engagement and sales.
5 Best Mobile Marketing Strategies
When creating a mobile marketing plan, there are several approaches to think about. Some key mobile marketing strategies include SMS marketing, social media marketing, location-based marketing, proximity marketing, and in-app marketing.
1. SMS Marketing
SMS marketing means sending text messages straight to customers. Businesses use it to share deals, promotions, and important alerts. SMS is very effective because 90-99% of messages are opened, and most are read within 3 minutes. Since texts are short, links or discount codes are often included for more details. SMS marketing works best for time-sensitive offers like flash sales or event reminders.
2. Social Media Marketing
Social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube are popular on mobile devices. As part of their mobile strategy, businesses use these platforms to engage with customers through comments, direct messages, and by posting updates or ads. Paid ads on platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram can target specific groups of people, helping to increase brand visibility and boost sales.
3. Location-Based Marketing (GPS)
Location-based marketing sends ads to people based on where they are. It uses smartphone GPS to show relevant offers. For instance, a restaurant can send a special discount to people nearby. This type of marketing is effective because it shows timely offers that are useful based on a person’s location.
4. Proximity Marketing
Proximity marketing uses Bluetooth to send ads to people close to a physical location, like a store or car dealership. Beacons (small devices that send signals) are placed in certain areas, and when a person’s phone gets close, it receives a message or promotion. This method encourages more people to visit a store by sending them special offers as they walk by.
5. In-App Marketing
In-app marketing involves placing ads within mobile apps, such as TikTok, Instagram, or games. Ads can show up as banners, videos, or pop-up messages. Some in-app ads are native, meaning they blend in with the app’s content, while others show up between actions, like between levels of a game.
These strategies help businesses connect with customers directly on their mobile devices, where people spend much of their time. Using these approaches, companies can engage users more effectively and increase their chances of driving sales or visits.
5 Best Mobile Marketing Tools
The five mobile marketing strategies mentioned earlier are just the start. To implement them effectively, you’ll need the right tools.
1. GroundTruth Ads Manager
GroundTruth Ads Manager lets you target up to 120 million monthly visitors based on the places they visit and shop. You can customize ads by distance, direction, and click-to-call, paying only when someone visits your store.
For example, a coffee shop uses GroundTruth Ads Manager to target nearby office workers, showing ads for their daily coffee specials. The campaign ensures they only pay when a potential customer visits the shop.
2. Geofencing Advertising
Geofencing creates a virtual boundary around specific locations, like a shopping area or a competitor’s store. When someone enters that boundary, they receive targeted ads. GroundTruth’s technology ensures precise geofence creation.
For example, a clothing store sets a geofence around a nearby mall. When people enter the mall, they receive a mobile ad offering a discount on their next purchase at the store, encouraging foot traffic.
3. Weather Targeting
Weather influences consumer behavior, and you can use it to your advantage. GroundTruth’s weather targeting allows you to show ads based on local weather conditions such as temperature, wind, or UV index.
For instance, a local umbrella retailer uses weather targeting to show mobile ads during rainy days, offering a discount on umbrellas. People seeing the ad are more likely to stop by the store to make a purchase.
4. Audience Targeting
Audience targeting helps you reach customers based on their demographics, online and offline behavior, and location. You can combine audience data with geofencing for even more precise targeting.
For example, a restaurant identifies frequent customers who have previously visited the restaurant. Using audience targeting, they send personalized offers for a free dessert if the customer visits again during the weekend.
5. Brand Insights
Brand insights provide valuable data on customer behavior, including foot traffic, market share, and customer preferences. These analytics help you design better mobile marketing campaigns.
For instance, a sportswear brand uses brand insights to track foot traffic and customer behavior around its stores. The data reveals that a nearby gym drives many customers to the store, allowing the brand to create targeted campaigns promoting fitness-related products to gym-goers.
The Importance of Mobile Marketing
Mobile marketing is important because it helps businesses reach customers on their phones, where they spend a lot of time. With billions of mobile users, it’s a powerful way to connect with people through personalized messages, location-based ads, and app promotions.
Mobile marketing lets businesses engage customers in real-time, boost brand awareness, and increase sales. It also allows businesses to target specific groups and track how well their campaigns are doing, making marketing more effective and increasing the chances of success.
Plant the Seeds of Success!
Implementing mobile marketing strategies and tools in 2024 is like laying a strong foundation for business growth. SMS, social media, location-based, proximity, and in-app marketing are powerful tools that directly connect you with customers where they spend most of their time—on their phones.
Using these strategies effectively, you can drive traffic, increase sales, and build a lasting relationship with your audience. Just like nurturing a garden, these mobile marketing efforts will help your business grow and thrive in the competitive market.
FAQs
What are the five strategic drivers of mobile marketing?
The five key drivers of mobile marketing, often used by agencies, are SMS marketing, social media marketing, location-based ads, proximity marketing, and in-app ads. These strategies allow businesses to reach customers directly via texts, social platforms, GPS ads, proximity-triggered ads, and in-app promotions.
How to use mobile marketing?
To use mobile marketing effectively, ensure your website is mobile-friendly, send SMS offers, engage on social media, use GPS for location-based targeting, and place in-app ads. These strategies help connect with customers, boosting engagement and sales.
Why mobile marketing is the future?
Mobile marketing is the future for small businesses as more people rely on their smartphones for daily tasks. It helps businesses reach their target audience in real-time with personalized promotions, making it a powerful tool to boost sales and foot traffic.
How to create a mobile marketing strategy?
To create a mobile marketing strategy, businesses must understand their audience and goals. They should select the right methods, like SMS, social media ads, or location-based targeting, and craft engaging content such as offers or promotions to send directly to mobile users.
