Think Mobility, Not Mobile

Capitalize on all that mobile has to offer by shifting your approach to customer-centric mobility marketing.

When it comes to mobile marketing, marketers can learn a lot by looking at how a baker uses his mobile device to make a chocolate lava cake. He first needs to find a recipe (search, social and discovery), then read the recipe (smartphone or tablet), physically buy the ingredients (geolocation of store and offline transaction), actually make the cake (mobile advertising-supported content) and, finally, share the delicious results (social media and messaging). Because consumers have adopted mobile devices en masse and constantly use those devices for so many tasks such as making lava cakes, mobile is much more than “just a channel.”

“Mobile is the foundation of a connected marketing strategy and marketing leaders must embrace this reality.”

“A number of trends are converging that require marketers to change their thinking,” says Mike McGuire, VP Analyst, Gartner for Marketers.

The trends mandating a change in perspective to something more than just “mobile marketing” include the shift from smart devices to smart environments and intelligent agents, the need to utilize data that is already available with the right investments in analytics and the demand for connected, synchronized mobile marketing.

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Marketing leaders focused on mobile marketing should move away from their “mobile-centered” approach and focus on customer-centric mobility marketing.

The distinction between mobility marketing and mobile marketing is important:

Mobility describes customers and prospects interacting with mobile devices and the context in which those interactions occur. This includes frequency of usage of an app or website, content consumption, web and app searches, use of location services, and more.

Mobile describes mobile technologies and devices that enable customer and prospect mobility. This might include smartphones, tablets, wearables, software (e.g., OS, apps and browsers) and components (e.g., screen technology, CPUs, storage, GPS and Bluetooth radios).

For every channel interaction that takes place, mobility places a different lens on the engagement and offers a way to differentiate.

Synchronize mobile marketing with other channels and business units

To move to a more mobility-centric approach, create the synchronization that is necessary to deliver contextually relevant engagements to customers or prospects that are based on information that extends beyond just the device they are using.

Make sure all marketing disciplines have specific mobility awareness that supports marketing’s ability to create ladders of engagement that move a customer or prospect along their buying journey.
Develop KPIs and use mobile marketing analytics that move across channels.
Ensure each customer profile has a mobility rating or ranking that calls out the user’s mobile preferences.

The distinction between mobile and mobility is crucial to the notion of a connected marketing strategy. Focus too much on mobile (as in technology) and you risk creating islands of mobile technology or techniques that don’t benefit the marketing department.

How to become mobility-focused

Demand that KPIs for all other channels include mobile-engagement metrics (e.g., email opens on mobile devices, social media/social listening tools tracking mobile usage, etc.). Build mobile marketing strategies and tactics that connect mobile marketing to all channels and ensure that all online marketing efforts are mobile-enabled.

“Mobile is the foundation of a connected marketing strategy, and marketing leaders must embrace this reality,” says McGuire.