Consumers have a strong relationship with mobile devices because they empower freedom while maintain the user completely connected. There isn’t a single day that passes by without checking the mobile phones regularly — even if it’s only to see if there’s a new notification or to check the time. (Hopefully with the new iWatch we’ll stop using our phone to check the time).
Mobile phones are no longer just communication means and started to become distribution channels. Mobility became the status quo of attention span from consumers, creating an opportunity for brands to be nearer the mind and hearts of their target audiences.
With mobile marketing, a brand creates access for its own content, asking the consumer for permission to receive that same content. “Mass marketing”, however, involves “permission marketing”, which requires personalized information that comes with a counterpart: a commitment and investment (too high) to match consumers’ high expectations on quality content and the ability to scale.
Considering the mobile context, there is a shift on consumer’s habits, motives, and consumption that changes the focus from the product to the consumer because ultimately it is he that decides to share or to be contacted by brands. Luckily, with mobile marketing there are many ways to engage consumers, such as push notifications, messaging, e-mail, passbook campaigns, apps and social media. However, in order to do so it must always be highly relevant because we’re talking about a media that is much more personal and intimate. One that stands in a world where the attention time frame is very short. Also, it has to be thought as a strategy and not just as a communication plan that uses mobile marketing as a mean because competition in the mobile context is for interested attention. With the stimulus that populates the audience’s mind the goal is to fulfill consumer’s goals at specific moments.
46% of consumers think that brands don’t provide relevant content and 54% think that mobile websites just aren’t enough. However, they all agree that it is easier to find information. Why does this happen? Despite what you might think, it’s not about what mobility allows you to do – which is to provide information at any given time and moment to any consumer – it’s about what it means: the ability to move or be moved freely and easily. Adaptability. Flexibility. Versatility.
The ability to move or to be moved:
In order to engage with a consumer a brand must know how to be the most relevant, especially if we live in the Era of “2-Second-Attention” generation. Every second is a chance to engage and it only takes a glance to be on top of mind or to be ignored. The consumer needs to be moved by the brand while he has the freedom to be on the move and to feel that particular bit of information is going to change his life.
Mobile marketing is redefining commerce and retail:
In the end, the biggest challenge for a brand is to know how to manage all this scalable messaging into a sustainable relationships — in a time where mobile marketing control depends on the consumer — while keeping its own identity and maintaining a personal 1:1 connection (which makes every marketing strategy even more fleeting).
Nevertheless, it’s possible. And an amazing opportunity.
A brand just needs to know how to use the right channels for this new “opt-in” consumer and to understand what is the exact content consumers’ look for to be relevant for them.
