In 2016, great customer service will rely on quality, rather than quantity. Fortunately, the marketing world currently benefits from automated services. Now, business providers needn’t catalog every customer, every text and every promotion. Automated SMS senders have freed mobile marketers to focus on one-on-one relationships, and this year’s newest technology is taking the trend in stride.
Some strategies prevail, however, and they should be noted for their durability and innovation. In 2016, long-lasting mobile marketing strategy will succeed. Check out the seven top approaches currently sweeping the industry.
One: Enable Immediacy with QR Codes
Consumers need instant gratification. Current buyers enjoy instant offers, and they’re moving across marketing channels with the help of QR codes. 70 percent of mobile-initiated searches lead to action within 60 minutes. Additionally, a majority of consumers are vying for QR codes to seek out discounts, access branded websites and engage brands fully. Don’t omit them from your strategy.
Two: Become App-Centric
In 2016, apps are expected to become “central hubs” for mobile marketing. Apple’s iOS 9 is forcing Safari advertisers onto apps, and Google’s app indexing innovations have similarly provoked the trend. Right now, 20 percent of American consumers are considered to be “mobile app addicts.” They install over 17 mobile apps per month. Consumers between ages 13 and 7, as well as those between 18 and 24, download apps the most. Consumers age 35 to 54 carry similar download numbers, too.
Three: Attach an Email Campaign to Your SMS Campaign
Automated SMS campaigns are still dominating, but companies are discovering success in a text message’s ability to influence email opens. By including an email prompt in your text campaign, you can take advantage of a huge statistic. Mobile email opens have increased by 180 percent since the start of 2015. Smartphones have become “email machines,” and mobile consumers are vying for email-based brand offers more than ever before.
Four: Get Ahold of a Virtual Assistant
Siri and Cortana, soon, won’t be the only virtual assistants out there. Mobile is enabling brand innovation through artificial intelligence, wearables and virtual reality. Because the mobile platform is getting smaller, voice-activated services are becoming preferred. Already, the Internet of Things is driving brand innovation. Virtual reality, soon, will create experimental opportunities for brands and B2B marketers.
You can also like this post: Why branding is needed for business and its impacts on social media
Five: Get with Location-Based Services
Google has reported that 85 percent of the world’s top 100 retailers are expected to adopt location-based technology by the end of 2016. Mobile beacons are becoming big, and consumers have accepted location-based marketing to obtain one-time-only deals, in-store offers and location-specific amenities. Because smartphone technology is getting better, we’ll soon see “micro-targeted” services able to determine a product or service’s exact pinpointed location.
Six: Get Into Social Chat
Simple social media apps have become far more innovative. Now, SnapChat, Instagram and Facebook are full-fledged messaging platforms. Users can now connect with businesses, request services, get product information and even pay for goods. Social media chat will soon become the digital forefront of e-commerce, and your brand should jump into the world’s latest platforms. Both WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger are expected to surpass 1 billion users by 2016, leading the charge into intuitive social chat.
Seven: Prepare for Mobile Pay
Mobile wallets were reworked in 2015, bringing consumers a multitude of payment options via their favorite branded apps. In 2016, experts agree mobile pay will begin hitting mainstream audiences. While the movement is slow, it’s still movement. Apple Pay has already won many advocates, and the brand claims 80 percent of Apple Watch users are utilizing the mobile pay system to obtain goods and services. Because text verification is increasing fraud protection, too, mobile payments won’t only be quick and easy. They’ll be safe.
