It's no secret that smartphones and tablets have embedded themselves in the life of the average consumer. An increasing number of people use their mobile devices to either buy a product online or research before purchasing. Younger consumers, in particular, use mobile devices for practically everything. After all, they grew up with smartphones almost from birth, and up to 98% of Gen-Z consumers own a smartphone.
In addition, users who search for a product or service via a mobile device often visit websites with high intent on making a purchase or visiting a location. That makes mobile marketing a golden opportunity for businesses to expand their reach and grow their brand.
Let's talk about the benefits of mobile marketing and how you can implement effective mobile advertising strategies for your business.
An Overview of Mobile Advertising
As the name implies, mobile advertising refers to ads specifically designed for smartphones and tablets. Mobile advertising includes a wide variety of marketing methods, including:
- Search engine ads
- Display ads
- In-app adds
- Pre-roll ads
- Interstitial ads
One of the most significant advantages mobile advertising offers businesses is targeting consumers on a very granular level. For example, mobile apps often gather consumer data regarding their demographics (age, gender, location, etc.), user habits and behavior, and even their personal preferences. Many mobile devices and apps allow users to opt in to receiving targeted ads that align with their interests.
Setting up or taking advantage of such customer analytics helps you stay up-to-date on who your customers are and then deliver engaging ads to them in the most effective way possible.
Why You Need to Optimize for Mobile Advertising
Mobile advertising isn't going anywhere anytime soon. More than half (55.4%) of Internet users make online purchases with their smartphones and almost 70% use shopping apps on their mobile devices. The point is that you need to seriously consider investing in mobile advertising now, before your business gets left behind.
Here are just a few of the many benefits associated with mobile advertising:
- It reaches a wide and varied audience. Young consumers of virtually all backgrounds use smartphones, and many older consumers are quickly catching on.
- It inspires immediate results. Many purchases made via a mobile device are "impulse buys" — and even when they're not, many consumers feel very comfortable making their transactions over their smartphone or tablet.
- Mobile ads can be simple and convenient. You can adapt pre-existing ad creative to the "small screen" in many cases without too much hassle.
- It reaches customers directly. Mobile advertising can engage with consumers in a much more direct, personalized way compared to other forms of marketing (like TV commercials, radio spots, and so on).
- You can track mobile advertising analytics through use. The more you invest in mobile advertising, the more insights you'll gain into the composition of your consumer base, the performance of your ad creative, and other fundamental data points.
Developing Mobile Ads
Mobile advertising may seem daunting to the uninitiated, but they are typically straightforward to implement, usually requiring only a few clicks to match with your targeted user's intent. A few examples of how you can develop mobile ads are listed below:
- Banner ads. You can make your mobile banner ads effective by keeping your copy short and to-the-point, using a striking image or visual theme to catch the eye.
- Video ads. How you develop your video ad will depend on the platform and the goal of your campaign. Remember that even a short, 7-second video can work wonders for brand awareness. On the other hand, longer videos with clickable CTAs can drive your conversion rate.
- App advertising. Native-app ads are embedded within the app's content, giving them an organic, authentic feel. You can also leverage attention-grabbing interstitial ads (for instance, ads that play after mobile games) to capture your consumers' interest.
Implement Mobile Advertising to Grow Your Business
In summary, mobile advertising is a critical component of many successful business growth strategies. Mobile search has eclipsed desktop for several years now, and smartphone and tablet-sourced web traffic promises to grow larger and larger with each passing year. Consumers are becoming ever more comfortable making purchases from their phones and ever more willing to do their research online before making those purchases.
If you haven't done so already, explore the different ways that your business can make use of mobile advertising — either through in-app ads, mobile-optimized PPC campaigns, or other marketing channels. The realm of mobile e-commerce is expanding daily, and any forward-looking business with a strong online presence should take heed. If you do, no doubt you'll enjoy a high ROI from your efforts in this sector for years to come.
