It’s not easy to create a mobile marketing campaign. There are many ways you can go wrong, and it’s important to understand what the most common mistakes are so that you don’t make them yourself. Here are 20 of the most common errors made in mobile marketing efforts that you should avoid at all costs:
1) Forgetting to Optimize – Your site needs to be optimized and configured properly if you want people to download it (apps and mobile sites) or visit it (mobile websites). Make sure your website is configured properly for mobile devices and that the content of the pages works well on a small screen.
2) Making it Difficult to Download – If people are interested in your app, make it easy for them to access. For example, make sure you include links in the right places and that the download is clear.
3) Setting Up Without Knowing Your Target Audience – You need to understand your target audience before creating your campaign. Think about what interests them and how to attract their attention before you launch something new.
4) Assuming iOS is the Only Smartphone – More than 50% of mobile users in North America have an Android device. In addition, most app developers create apps for the iOS platform first and then port them over to Android or other platforms.
5) Not Tracking ROI – You need to track your results to know what works and what doesn’t so that you can adjust accordingly. Remember, it costs money to build mobile applications and websites, so be sure you know how to measure the return on your investment.
6) Not Sending SMS Text Messages – SMS (or text messaging) is an excellent way of reaching customers, particularly if you are targeting less tech-savvy people. First, ask your clients if they are OK with receiving text messages from you, then craft a good value proposition that adds to the customer experience.
7) Not Using Analytics – You need to understand who comes to your site and where they come from so that you can improve your campaigns. Analytics can help you understand your customers and their preferences so that you can create more targeted content.
8) Copying Apps – Many apps out there do the same thing or look almost alike. You need to stand out from the crowd, so try coming up with an innovative idea rather than doing something that’s been done before.
9) Not Customizing Your Offers – Mobile marketing is about more than just using apps and mobile websites. Use social media outlets like Facebook to create an exclusive offer that your customers can access via their app or website. Partner with another company to do a special promotion that applies only to people who use your app.
10) Not Knowing Your Legal Limits – There are a lot of rules and regulations you need to follow when it comes to marketing via mobile devices. Ensure you know what is allowed and what isn’t when it comes to location-based information, text messaging, etc.
11) Not Building a Community – You can do a lot more than create apps. For example, you can use social media to build up your community by connecting with people interested in your brand or subject matter. This will help increase conversions.
12) Not Using QR Codes – QR codes are easy to direct people to your mobile website or app. They are easy to create, and they can help make your marketing more effective. So make sure you use them!
13) Overloading on Ads – Some people think that the best way to get mobile conversions is to bombard users with ads, but this is counterproductive. Instead, your content should be engaging and interesting if you want people to convert.
14) Not Connecting with Customers – You should always be willing to hear your customers out and consider what they have to say. This will help you adjust the content of your app or mobile site so that it’s more relevant and interesting for them. If you don’t already have a way of doing this, you can use social media channels to start a conversation with them.
15) Not Using Push Notifications – Mobile marketing is not just about creating your app or mobile website and then forgetting about it. Instead, use push notifications to keep your customers up-to-date on what’s going on in their world. They can also send you valuable feedback so that you can keep improving your campaigns.
16) Not Optimizing for Every Device – Mobile marketing is not just about creating apps for your customers to use on their phones, but also tablets and other devices. Unfortunately, some companies will only build one version of an app and then never update it, which means customers will move on and stop using it.
17) Not Understanding Device Capabilities – If you want to reach people via their mobile devices, you should understand what each type of device is capable of doing. For example, apps that require a great deal of memory or battery power won’t work as well on an iPad as they would on an iPhone because of the different specifications.
18) Not Paying Attention to Battery Life – When you create an app, you should pay attention to how much battery life it uses up. If your app is too taxing for a device, people will stop using it and uninstall it. While there isn’t much, you can do about this, and you should at least try to make your app use minimal battery power.
19) Not Responding to Feedback – You must monitor how people respond to the content on your mobile site or in your app. If you notice a problem with one feature, take it offline and fix it right away. If you ignore complaints, your customers will feel ignored and may even stop using your app.
20) Not Understanding the Goal – Do you know why you are using mobile marketing? If it’s because everyone else is doing it, then chances are you won’t be very successful with your campaign. So you need to understand why you are doing it and how you will measure success before you start.
Conclusion:
There are many things to consider regarding mobile marketing, but mobile marketers should avoid the above 20 errors at all costs. Instead, consider them as red flags that will cause you to lose potential customers if not corrected. Do everything you can to steer clear of these mistakes, and you’ll have a much better chance at mobile success.