Part 1: Know your mobile customer
For most of us the 2012 resolutions look like this: lay off Hot Pockets, earn a ton of money and make a diligent effort to smile when your mother-in-law unexpectedly shows up on your doorstep for a visit. When it comes to resolutions for your business Mobile Marketing should be at the top of your list— especially if you’re playing catch up with competition. Last year was huge for mobile marketing and it’s getting even bigger. Technology innovations make it easy to shop, stay social, informed and entertained anywhere and anytime. Smartphones drive our life on-the-go and with it present constant opportunities to advertise. Why wouldn’t you reach your customer through something they carry and interact with every waking (and sometimes sleeping) moment?
Watch the video below to see some amazing mobile stats
Know your mobile customer
Gen-Y facetweets, youblogs, and mysquares faster than you can log into your email, while Grandma is still figuring out the whole webcam thing. Each customer uses a smartphone to satisfy a NEED while being restricted or empowered by their aptitude for technology. The game hasn’t changed, customers are still shopping, but they’re using mobile to simplify and enrich their experience.
Tracking mobile visitors
First step is to assess the situation. You might not know that people are accessing your website through mobile devices unless you have a way to track it. Meet your new best friend, Google Analytics. Study your traffic under the microscope and establish a baseline. What devices are your customers using? How does your marketing strategy affect traffic? Through analytics you will understand the current situation and pave way for future decisions.
Identifying Mobile Segments
The wonderful thing about customers is that they can be grouped together into segments. After you ninja your way through demographic/geo profiles think about the following.
Psychographic and motivational segmentation will force you to step into the shoes of your customer and focus on their attitudes, goals and emotional features.
-Think about what your users seek through their mobile devices: entertainment, information, social or a bargain. For instance, customers seeking a bargain may not like mobile technology, but will use it anyway if there is a reward (like a coupon or a discount).
-Is the customer skating on the high tech edge or staying away from technology because it invades their privacy? For example: Social oriented high tech users would be more likely to check in on foursquare at your store location, which presents a valuable opportunity to engage them.
-Is mobile a lifestyle choice or something they are forced to use? Gen Y vs Late adopters.
-In addition to insights you gather from this exercise, create a map to key customer touch points with your brand. Map out customer’s mobile shopping experience from interest about your product to purchasing decision.
-Do they browse and compare prices on the phone before purchasing? What brought them to your website? Was it to find store locations, order online, get a deal or check in on foursquare? How did they find out about it? Through company’s e-letter, a chat with company rep, QR code or external advertising?
I leave you with many questions to answer and priorities to fulfill. Moving forward in the Mobile Resolutions series, you’ll learn about mobile websites and implementing mobile advertising strategies. In the meantime, share some of your mobile experiences in the comment section and give Grandma a call, she still needs help.
Read parts 2 and 3 of this series: "Building a Mobile Friendly Website" and "3 Successful Mobile Case Studies & What You Can Learn From Them"
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Dmitri Pivtorak, On the move, going mobile
I’m still learning from you, while I’m trying to reach my goals. I absolutely love reading everything that is posted on your site.Keep the stories coming. I loved it!