To put it simply: mobile marketing is a method of marketing your business online that is optimised for mobile devices. This means that people can easily view and interact with your business online when they are using their mobile devices like tablets and smartphones. Sounds easy enough, right?

Ever since 2007 when the first iPhone entered the world, smart devices have become an essential part of human life. Raise your hand if the first thing you do in the morning, and the last thing you do at night, is check your smartphone. I’m guessing there are a lot of raised hands. Mobile usage has unlocked a huge amount of opportunities for marketers on a scale that has never been seen before. In 2014, the number of mobile phones exceeded the number of people in the world.  Does your marketing strategy include mobile marketing?

According to Hubspot’s State of Inbound 2017 business report, when marketing respondents were asked if they think their marketing strategy is effective, only 61% said “yes”. So, if you haven’t already, now’s the time to start adapting your marketing efforts to keep up with the advances in technology and how people are interacting with your brand. Mobile device adoption rates are increasing at lightning speed, exceeding 80% in 2016 in the United States, and more importantly, conversion rates for smartphones are up 64% compared to desktops. I cannot stress enough the importance of tailoring your marketing efforts to make sure they are mobile friendly.

Here are 5 more reasons mobile marketing should be a crucial part of your marketing strategy.

1. People spend a lot of time on their phones 

A 2016 report from consulting firm Ernst and Young showed that on average, Australians use smart devices for nearly 10 hours every day. And, 80 per cent of Australians currently use a smartphone, with many checking it as soon as they wake up. Essentially, for the first time ever, marketers are able to reach consumers 24/7. While this is an undeniably positive thing, it also means you need to be ready to interact with customers when they need you. Whether they need help with online shopping, services, a product or a complaint, you need to be prepared to handle it as quickly as possible. Get this right, and you’ll have a loyal customer for life.

2. Mobile commerce is here 

Once upon a time, most people shopped in brick and mortar stores. Then, they started to shop on their desktop. Now? They shop on their mobile devices. According to HubSpot, mobile commerce will command 24.4% of overall e-commerce profit by the end of 2017. Have you noticed Instagram’s “Show Now” button, and Pinterest’s “Buyable Pins?” It’s up to you to start thinking of ways you can capitalise on mobile revenue by using mobile-specific advertising, search engine marketing and creating mobile-friendly web pages. 

3. SMS open rates are higher than email

Did you know SMS has an open rate of 98%, and up to 90% of people who open the message will do so within three seconds of receiving it? These open rate stats are much higher than email marketing. If you haven’t tried your hand at SMS marketing, it’s never too late. Try tailoring your SMS messages to appeal to prospective customers. This will prompt them to do more research about your brand/company, and they’re likely to do it on the device they receive the SMS from. Get in front of where your customers are at – and where they’re at is on their phone.

4. Mobile-friendly sites rank higher in Google

As we know, Google likes to keep things fresh and change its algorithm every once in a while. Today, it’s a well-known fact that mobile-optimised sites rank higher than non-optimised sites. So it’s important that your website looks, reads and performs well on mobile devices. If not, people may not be able to find your business.

5. You’ll reach a larger audience 

This may or may not come as a surprise, but one in six people no longer use desktop and only use their mobile. So if you’re not marketing on mobile, you’re not reaching these potential customers at all. Smartphones are smaller, lighter and easier to carry on-the-go than laptops and computers. And, smartphone development is only going to get smarter and more convenient. This means that marketers have the incredible opportunity to advertise and reach a much wider audience, all day, every day.

There is no doubt that digital marketing is evolving almost daily, and mobile marketing is a key player. This enormous shift towards mobile devices will only continue, so now’s the time to make sure your business has an effective mobile marketing plan to connect with and reach the growing number of digital consumers.