Mobile use has been on the rise for some time, and our pandemic lifestyles have pushed the trend into overdrive. Stuck in their homes, people developed even more ways to interact with the world via their phones — and the habit hasn’t slowed since.
Now that we’re living in a constantly evolving and growing mobile world, our need for strategic direction in mobile advertising has grown, too. If we want to engage mobile consumers, we need to understand how they are currently using their phones to live, work, communicate, and relax.
What Should You Note About Today’s Mobile Consumers?
The first thing we should note is that mobile video viewership is on the rise. More of us are using our phones to watch video content, whether it’s a live stream of a sports event or a spontaneous clip of a grandchild saying something funny. In fact, the average American adult is spending 30 minutes every day watching videos on their mobile device.
Online shopping via mobile has also grown, and App Annie predicts that mobile shopping will increase by 40% by 2025. The more consumers get used to shopping via mobile, the greater their expectations for the experience they have on apps. Personalization is key. According to research by Adweek, a personalized ad can increase spend efficiency by up to 30%.
People are increasingly using their mobiles to play games and create their own content, too. Opportunities to monetize these trends are growing as well, making user-generated content a golden ticket for advertisers looking to create influence with a trustworthy and authentic voice.
On top of these people-driven trends, mobile technology itself is creating more possibilities. 5G will offer richer experiences on mobile, supported by more data and delivered at higher speeds.
How Can You Convert Consumers With Mobile Advertising Strategies?
Considering the new and improved ways people are using mobile to navigate their lives, the advantages of mobile advertising have never been greater. When considering how to do mobile advertising in this climate, advertisers have to stop translating what worked for desktop advertising and instead use mobile-specific analytics to zero in on the best conversion tactics. Start with the following:
1.Understand your consumer.
Today’s consumers are unique. It’s important to understand where they spend time, who they are, and how they behave online if you’re going to have any chance of swaying their attention. Where is your audience engaging with brands, for example? Are social media users browsing the news or shopping for blouses? Understanding their mobile habits will ensure you’re able to build a targeted strategy with captivating mobile-first creative.
2. Ensure your ads are mobile-responsive.
This will sound like an obvious point, but mobile advertising can’t simply follow a desktop advertising template. Mobile ads need their own respective time and attention. How will the consumer zoom in and out of an ad on mobile? How will they interact with the CTA? What kind of font will look best on a mobile screen? The typical user bounces back and forth between apps while on their phone, so keeping your message short, clear, and to the point is essential.
3. Use video and voice search.
Video has become the bread and butter of mobile advertising. The popularity of video will determine what kind of content succeeds on mobile and how advertisers can monetize that content. Consumer spend on livestream content alone reached $3.7 billion in 2021. And voice search is another must-do for mobile advertising, with 71% of consumers preferring to use voice technology than typing.
4. Make everything omnichannel.
While we’re touting the mobile lives of today’s consumers, it’s always worth remembering how omnichannel their lives are, too. Today’s consumers are omnichannel browsers and, in turn, omnichannel shoppers. This is especially true at the actual point of purchase. There’s still a large group of shoppers that prefer making the actual purchase on their desktop. A cross-device retargeting campaign or an automated campaign to double down on cart abandoners will ensure your brand doesn’t lose out.
Mobile advertising is powerful, giving you the ability to connect with consumers wherever they go. Not only that, but mobile advertising attribution enables you to regularly iterate and optimize to ensure the greatest success. Gone are the days when you can just swap your desktop strategies for mobile versions; mobile requires its own unique approach. If you can dedicate some time to crafting it, engagement and conversion will follow.
To learn more, get in touch with the Digilant team today!