Marketing trends: Welcome to the weekend... Oh, and mobile marketing.

Day 2 - Hello and WELCOME to the weekend everybody. We did it. 

So, slowly post-uni the weekend is becoming fully distinct from weekdays. Isn't that a good feeling? That TGIF feeling this week - after spending the week working 9-5 (with an hour lunch break, don't worry about that) to find employment - has been fully embraced with a weekend of London Athletics. Any keen sports fan will tell you that there's no better activity on the box compared to athletics that's suddenly sprung upon you. No greater experience than observing Team GB perform the perfect baton change...... Really good today. (oops).

And that man Mo Farah. Absolutely unreal by the way. 2600m, one lap to go, signals to the crowd to cheer louder - and then waltzes away to beat the field by 50m, that man cannot be described in words. Unbelievable.

So good was he, that I felt he deserved a tweet or two from my iPhone 3G (old school - sorry), which leads me onto today's topic, and trend number two, mobile marketing.

2. Mobile Marketing
The ever increasing rise of smart phones, tablets and all things mobile naturally possesses the ability to catch many marketing managers off guard. Woah there marketing managers, chill your beans, it's not a criticism. BUT it should be noted that some websites record 30-40%+ of all traffic from mobile devices and well over 12 million people in the UK are now looking at the internet on their phones each MONTH. It follows, and is worth noting that consumers are now viewing content, receiving emails and buying products on impulse from those small screens that allow our fingers do the talking at the drop of a hat.

Mobile, mobile, mobileeeee...

That only leaves one question, what company wouldn't want to tap into mobile marketing? Dur. Well, let me hit you with some knowledge.

1. Only 25% of brands have a mobile strategy. (Econsultancy)
2. 45% of companies rely solely on desktop sites to showcase their content. (Adobe)

In all seriousness, what are we doing here UK? This is a criticism.

One simple way of incorporating mobile marketing into a business marketing strategy is to redesign websites and blogs (like this one) and make them 'responsive' (respond to all devices screen sizes for optimal viewing and usability) to ensure they are optimising for mobile devices. Responsive or device specific websites provide continuity between viewing contexts. The same website will present an optimized layout regardless of which devices is loading it.Try reading this on a laptop and then on a mobile, you'll get what I mean. For a business, without doing so is only costing money and also very importantly, missed opportunities. It's no coincidence that US Mobile Ad Revenue has quadrupled since 2009 (socialmediatoday.com)

What about all that content marketing and consumer interaction we were droning on about yesterday? Well, there are best practices a company should take when it comes to consumer interactions, particularly by utilising text messaging as a key channel through which they can make both direct and personal communications with consumers. Here - knowing your audience - is key, nobody wants to receive an offer outside of their interests, nor do they want an unattractive benefit. Segmentation of customers ensures a more effective approach.

Right person, right message, right moment.

The opportunity for an immediate discount, or the possibility to collect points and additional benefits as part of a loyalty program or even a gift from the brand provide perfect examples of beneficial consumer interactions. Example: O2 priority moments. They are great at just this - download their mobile app and as an O2 consumer - that discount to that film, or that free starter (who doesn't appreciate free dough balls) at a restaurant is only a finger click away.

Result: respect builds loyalty. By developing positive relationships with your mobile audience - customer retention increases. Customers remain engaged with your company - oh - and don't forget that key message from yesterday - people talk. If there's one thing I learnt from my degree course, it's that word of mouth recommendations provide a vital means of advocacy and brand awareness.

Beware, inspirational message:
So go marketing managers, out there is a world of mobile marketing - know your consumer, build that loyalty, deliver that free gift - you just might enjoy the repercussions. (film voice).

Over and out, czzzz.

CLD - BSc Sport Management Graduate - Loughborough University

Twitter: @callumldraper (https://twitter.com/callumldraper)

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