Mobile Marketing – Where are we now?

Mobile marketing encompasses all mobile devices, so smartphones and tablets of all types. Statistics show us that use of these devices in increasing rapidly and the way they are used is changing too, more and more people are relying on their mobile devices to do those things that they would have done previously on their desktop or laptop. We live in a world of fast moving technology where there is a requirement to access information quickly and from any location, this is the main thrust of why mobile devices are so popular.

The amount of internet traffic that comes from mobile devices is ever increasing, in fact according to eMarketer, as of June 2011, 5.02% of all Internet traffic worldwide came from a mobile device. Because so many are wanting to use mobile for so many day to day tasks, companies are working hard to accommodate this, so things like being able to do your grocery shopping or check your bank account will be as easy to do on your mobile device as they are on a desktop or laptop.

Because of this change marketers are looking at how they can harness this opportunity to communicate with potential customers and their existing customer base via mobile devices. Let’s start with the website, most have one now but try and view it on a smartphone and you might get a nasty shock. We are seeing a clear move towards companies having mobile websites that are aimed purely at mobile use so that users can quickly and easily get to the information they want.

According to a recent study*, worldwide advertisers stated the following key reasons why they use mobile marketing:

• 78% said they use mobile because more consumers have access to smartphones
• 61% said they like the ability to target certain demographics based on devices
• 42% said they like the attractive ad formats

* Data is from the June 2011 Google and the Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) report titled “Global Perspectives: The

Smartphone User & The Mobile Marketer” conducted by Ipsos and TNS Infratest.

In our next blog in the mobile marketing series we will be looking at whether mobile is right for your business.