As technology has moved forward over the past 150 years, marketing has had to move forward too. From it first being purely being seen in print form, it then was heard on the radio, seen in cinemas, then on TV, and with the introduction of the internet, marketing moved online. But that is not the end of the story, because, with the huge expansion in the use of mobile phones in recent years, marketing for mobile is now a massive opportunity for businesses.
By mobile, we are not just talking about mobile phones, albeit they are by far the most used mobile device, but other mobile devices too such as tablets, smartwatches, and even handheld gaming consoles. As we now take making a mobile phone call for granted it almost seems like it is the secondary reason for using a mobile device, with the ability to connect to the internet now being the primary reason.
With this point in mind, and given that almost every prospect is likely to have at least one mobile device which they use to connect to the internet, any business that cannot see the value of marketing to mobile devices is missing out on a huge opportunity. Further, if they ignore mobile marketing, and their competition embraces it, they are at an even greater disadvantage when it comes to finding and acquiring new customers.
For the doubters or those who want to start mobile marketing but think it might be difficult, the good news is that there are plenty of tools, software and apps that make mobile marketing possible. Most are relatively easy to use, and once set up and generating leads and prospects you will wish you had started sooner. As for those aids to mobile marketing, here are 5 of the top solutions.
Textedly
SMS messaging is a highly effective means of marketing and communication, and with Textedly, you have the means to implement and monitor SMS marketing campaigns. It allows you to schedule mass text message sending to your target audience and it also provides for inbound messaging too. This means you can react immediately if someone responds directly to one of your marketing text messages.
ActiveTrail
For businesses that have already seen the merits of email marketing and wish to add SMS messaging to their marketing armoury, ActiveTrail is the perfect solution. It allows you to plan and development marketing campaigns that use both email and SMS, and then to follow the results using its advanced analytics. One of its top features is A/B testing, which enables you to constantly improve the effectiveness of your email and SMS messaging.
SharpSpring
This is a highly regarded SMS marketing platform especially amongst small and medium businesses as it automates much of the process. Used for both SMS and email marketing, it assesses the behaviour of recipients and then adjusts the specific marketing to that individual where applicable. Its analytics provide robust data on your campaigns, and it can also integrate with third-party CRM platforms
Iterable
The use of AI in marketing has increased in recent years due to advances in how well it can create and adapt campaigns to target audiences using the data and feedback produced. Iterable is a mobile marketing platform that embraces AI so those businesses that use it for their mobile marketing campaigns can be sure of fully optimised messaging and targeting. Its features include detailed workflows, customer segmentation and a user-friendly interface.
Customer.io
For any business owner who wishes to automate as much of their marketing as possible, Customer.io provides an excellent solution. Known for its superb customer support, Customer.io’s workflows can be automated, meaning campaigns can be set up and then programmed to operate with both SMS and email messaging. A/B testing is a key element of this platform as it enables ever-improving results, and those results can be analysed via detailed tracking and analysis.