Nearly everyone has a smartphone nowadays. In fact, according to eMarketer, there will be more than 2 billion smartphone users worldwide in 2019 – that’s nearly one-third of the world’s population!
With so many people using smartphones, it’s no wonder that businesses are increasingly using mobile marketing to reach their target audiences. However, as with any marketing strategy, there is a right way and a wrong way to go about it.
In this article, we’ll take a look at eight deadly mobile marketing mistakes that you need to avoid if you want to be successful.
1. Not Having a Mobile-Friendly Website
One of the most important things to consider when it comes to mobile marketing is whether or not your website is mobile-friendly. In other words, can people easily view and navigate your website on their smartphones?
If your answer is no, then you’re making a big mistake. A study by Google found that 61% of users are unlikely to return to a site on their mobile device if they had trouble accessing it and 40% visit a competitor’s site instead.
To avoid this, make sure your website is responsive, which means it will automatically adjust to fit any screen size. You should also use large font sizes and buttons so that people can easily tap on them with their fingers.
2. Not Sending Mobile-Optimized Emails
Another mistake businesses make is sending emails that are not optimized for mobile devices. After all, what’s the point of spending all that time and effort creating an email campaign if your subscribers can’t even read it properly on their phones?
To ensure your emails are being properly displayed on mobile devices, use a responsive email template or create a separate version of your email specifically for mobile devices. You should also use short subject lines and minimize the use of images so that your email can be easily loaded on slower data connections.
3. Failing to Use Location-Based Targeting
Location-based targeting is one of the most powerful tools in a marketer’s arsenal, yet many businesses fail to take advantage of it. With location-based targeting, you can send messages or ads to people based on their current location. For example, you could send a special offer to anyone who is near your store.
This type of targeting is especially effective for brick-and-mortar businesses such as restaurants or retail stores. However, it can also be used for online businesses by targeting people who live in certain areas or who have visited specific locations in the past.
4. Not Creating Mobile-Friendly Content
Another common mistake businesses make is creating content that is not optimized for mobile devices. Just like with your website and emails, your content needs to be easy to read and navigate on smaller screens if you want people to stick around. That means using short paragraphs, large font sizes, and plenty of whitespace between elements.
Additionally, your content should be designed with thumb navigation in mind since that’s how most people will be interacting with it on their phones. For example, you could include “swipeable” galleries or videos that can be easily viewed without having to pinch and zoom.
