Digital research experts, eMarketer, predict the amount that companies are spending on mobile marketing will soar a staggering 400% over the coming years. That’s from $8.4 billion in 2012, to a predicted $37 billion in 2016.
But how do you decide if your brand or business needs a mobile marketing strategy? As with each element of the marketing tool kit, it depends on your product and, most importantly, your customer and target segment.
High or low involvement?
Research shows that mobile adverts can be effective for practical and high involvement products. This could be because high involvement purchases involve a lot of careful consideration. You wouldn’t buy a washing machine or book an exotic holiday without taking the time to research its finer points and weighing up all the options. So mobile marketing can be effective here by targeting customers directly via their smart phone at varying times and in a different media, to make sure your product is front of mind.
This might not be the case for hedonic and low involvement products which people buy for pleasure. Products like a bar of chocolate or a magazine may not need as much consideration; they mainly require availability in the right place. So mobile marketing might not hit the spot. However, an arguably low involvement product, such as a book, could be considered high involvement for some people who might want the latest best seller or quality journal.
So before deciding if mobile marketing is right for your business, understanding your customers’ behaviour is paramount.