It’s no longer just teenagers who have smartphones glued to their hands, 139 million Americans today own smartphones to not only keep in touch with others but receive news updates, send emails and stay up-to-date with social media. With so many people consuming information on their smartphones, this handheld device has opened up a whole new area of opportunity as far as marketers are concerned.
It’s safe to say that smartphones will continue to be a large part of our lives for the considerable future, but how can marketers use this information to reach their customer base? Consider some of the advantages and recent trends smartphone marketing is experiencing:
- Customer Transactions – This article from Marketing Land cites recent Nielsen data on just how much people are using their smartphones and tablets for their shopping habits. For smartphone users, the top three shopping activities they perform are using a store locator, checking prices and conducting product research before a purchase. And sometimes customers even come across great discounts they wouldn’t have been aware of otherwise.
- Location – The same article mentioned above checks to see where customers performed these habits. They almost exclusively used their tablets at home, but used their smartphones at stores, home, in-car commuting and other places. Obviously a huge advantage of smartphone marketing is the ability to reach the consumer virtually anywhere.
- Social Media – Another benefit of smartphone marketing is how much our culture cares about social media. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Tumblr are just a few of the popular platforms people can visit countless times a day. And they’re visiting them from their phones. The key here is to post engaging content so the customer can easily comment, like or reply to something with just a few clicks of their keypad.
However, in order to use smartphone marketing to the best of its ability, the consumer’s smartphone has to be, well, smart. Pitch discusses how users must have customized their phones just enough so that apps and websites will be able to personalize their ads and suggestions to really make a difference.
Do you think smartphone marketing has a future? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!