# Mobile Marketing Strategy for Ecommerce – Why it Matters & How to Get it Right ## What is Mobile Marketing? The phrase mobile marketing strategy is a broad one. It’s an umbrella term that covers a range of marketing tools, techniques, and processes. What they all have in common is their target audience. At the most basic level, that target audience is mobile users. Your mobile marketing strategy is how you reach and engage with potential customers while they use their mobile devices. It can – and often should – be a multichannel strategy. You might try to connect by [SMS](https://www.bigcommerce.com/blog/sms-marketing/), email, social media, [content marketing](https://www.bigcommerce.com/blog/content-marketing-strategy/), via a mobile app, and more. It’s the ubiquity and popularity of smartphones that makes mobile marketing so vital. On average, people [spend three hours and 15 minutes per day](https://blog.rescuetime.com/screen-time-stats-2018/) on their mobile phones. In online marketing, it always pays to meet your target audience where they are. Increasingly that means connecting with them via mobile. ## Mobile Marketing Statistics As we’ve seen, web usage on mobile devices is higher today than ever before. Desktop users are increasingly in the minority. When you drill down further, you also discover that we now prefer our smartphones for all kinds of activities. Take using Google or other search engines, for example. [Statista found](https://www.statista.com/statistics/297137/mobile-share-of-us-organic-search-engine-visits/) that in the first quarter of 2020, mobile devices accounted for 56% of organic search engine visits. This makes mobile SEO and online marketing essential for small businesses with an online presence. Opening emails is something else we’re far more likely to do on a smartphone, too. Campaign Monitor research found that [68% of email campaigns](https://www.campaignmonitor.com/blog/email-marketing/2019/05/mobile-friendly-email-tips/) now get opened on a mobile device. That’s up on just over 40% in 2015, which in turn was up 30% from the mark in 2010. It’s to our mobile phones we now turn, too, for consuming media. According to Broadband Search, the average person spent [203 minutes consuming media via mobile](https://www.broadbandsearch.net/blog/mobile-desktop-internet-usage-statistics#post-navigation-0) in 2019. That includes browsing social media platforms, watching videos, and reading ebooks. It compares to only 128 minutes spent on desktop. ## Why Use Mobile Marketing Strategies? In an increasingly mobile-first world, targeting mobile users is a necessity — particularly for ecommerce businesses. If you don’t actively engage with consumers where they are, you’ll lose ground on your rivals. That’s why it’s important for small businesses as well as larger ones. There are many other compelling reasons to use mobile marketing strategies, too. ### 1. Easy access. Unlike some marketing efforts — like SEO or even [PPC campaigns](https://www.bigcommerce.com/blog/ppc-strategies/) via Google Adwords — there’s a low barrier to access for many mobile strategies. Whether you try SMS marketing or a social campaign, you don’t need much technical expertise. ### 2. Cost effectiveness. Mobile marketing is a broad church. There are many diverse strategies and processes from which you can choose. That means you can adopt campaigns and channels which suit your budget. ### 3. Instant transactions. Mobile is an immediate medium. By reaching out to mobile users, you can engage with people in real-time. Every element of mobile marketing, therefore, is like point of sale (POS) advertising. You’re always reaching people when they’re only a few taps from making a purchase. ### 4. Localization. Most of us take our smartphones wherever we go. That means that via mobile marketing, you can utilize localization. That means presenting content or offers based on the physical context in which prospects find themselves. ## Challenges that Face Mobile Marketing ### 1. User costs. Certain strands of mobile marketing could see targets of campaigns incur unexpected costs. ### 2. Little room for error. If your first touchpoint with a potential customer leaves them cold, it’s tough to win them back. With mobile marketing, initial contact is critical. ## Steps for Building a Successful Mobile Marketing Strategy ### 1. Create a mobile buying persona. As with any marketing campaign, knowing your audience is vital to mobile strategies. You must first define the typical characteristics of your target audience. ### 2. Set goals for success. Define clear objectives for your mobile marketing strategy. ### 3. Explore mobile marketing options. There are a multitude of mobile marketing strategies and alternatives. Not all of them will suit every business. ### 4. Optimize and test. Continually assess your metrics to tweak and improve your efforts. ## 7 Mobile Marketing Strategies for Ecommerce ### 1. Mobile-friendly content. Ensure all your content is mobile-friendly, from landing pages to checkout. ### 2. Voice search optimization. Optimize your webpages for voice search by researching natural language queries. ### 3. Text message marketing. Use SMS as a communication channel; it has high open rates. ### 4. Videos. Videos engage users and can be shared on social media platforms to influence purchase decisions. ### 5. Personalized campaigns. Deliver personalized campaigns across all channels to foster connections. ### 6. Mobile apps. Consider developing an app that engages your customer base. ### 7. Search and display ads. Utilize both search and display ads to reach specific audiences effectively. ## Wrapping Up Mobile Marketing A robust and effective mobile marketing strategy is no longer optional. You must engage with consumers where they are, and increasingly they’re on mobile devices. With many strategies available, you can tailor your approach to maximize effectiveness.