With mobile handset manufacturers continually pushing the barriers of mobile computing and releasing ever more powerful mobile internet phones, it is no longer the domain of the technology savvy to expect to go online with your phone. As such, B2B marketers need to make sure they are on top of their mobile strategy to answer the needs of their business customers who are increasingly interacting with them via the mobile internet.
However as building a comprehensive mobile strategy necessitates attention from several different areas of expertise such as design, technical, creative, advertising and marketing, it can seem like a daunting task to get started with. To get going, it is a good idea to ask the following 3 questions:
– How is your website performing on mobile internet enabled phones (across all operating systems)?
– Would your brand benefit from a mobile application?
– Would it be beneficial to advertise within the mobile channel?
We know that more and more people have Smartphones and accessing the internet from them is now a regular and normal activity, not something that only techie people do. Many people are spending more time online via their phones than at their laptops, for work or socialising. People expect to be able to visit your website and perform tasks without interruption or problems. If they don’t have a positive experience, it’s an opportunity missed. They will have a negative perception of your brand, and you don’t want that to happen simply because you weren’t prepared.
Will you create a specific, separate version of your website for Smartphones? Or will you optimise the existing architecture and design of your site so it can be accessed on a mobile and be fully functional? Don’t worry, you don’t have to decide right this second…
Mobile apps – adding value to the brand experience
Mobile applications (or apps) are often are the way in to the discussion of mobile marketing with clients. Some might feel that they should have a mobile app for their brand as it seems to be ‘the thing to do’. Apps can be really effective ways of engaging with your audience. The key consideration is value: does the application (whether it’s a game, site function, nifty tool or otherwise) add real value for customers when they are interacting with your brand? Consider whether you need an application – or maybe you need a mobile internet version of your website? The two are different entities. It is also worth noting that a marketing strategy must be created alongside to ensure return on investment.
Advertising and marketing to a mobile audience
The world of mobile advertising has moved on since SMS and MMS marketing. This is still a well used direct marketing method, however the technological advances of the Smartphone have brought about other routes to customers via advertising on apps, location-based advertising, and mobile search. You can now advertise on a wide variety of media within mobile, with the added benefit of mobile advertising being highly targeted.
Start winning! Prioritise the area which will bring the most value to your customers
When deciding which area of mobile marketing to prioritise when creating your mobile marketing strategy, ask yourself: what would be the most valuable improvement in our mobile offering from our business customers’ perspective? What would improve their experience of our B2B brand when they interact with us via their mobile phone?
All brands, B2B and B2C, need to face the big challenge of mobile marketing and all that it encompasses… which are the specific challenges within mobile marketing for a B2B marketers do you think? Interestingly, there isn’t a category for Mobile Marketing in the Community area, so I posted this in Direct Marketing. Is that because the B2B audience doesn’t consider itself to be Mobile Marketing relevant I wonder… what do you think?
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Rachel Cummins is Marketing and Communications Manager for technology marketing agency, Bright Digital.
