According to a recent Pew Internet study, 56% of Americans own a smart phone and 34% own a tablet. Looking forward, research from Canalys predicts that tablet sales will increase by 59% this year. So getting your mobile strategy right has never been more important for sales. Ignoring it is like perpetually succumbing to the Ostrich Effect. You bury your head in the sand hoping that whatever it is you don’t like will stop, if you ignore it. We all know this is not the case. Mobile use is not decreasing. 

Here are three things to understand before you can fix your mobile marketing and sales:

1. Know how your audience uses their mobile devices

The biggest mistake that marketers are making is NOT understanding how people are using their devices. A joint study released by AOL and BBDO revealed that 68% of consumer mobile phone use occurred at home. Yes, at home.

Marketers need to have a two-pronged approach to reach the ‘at home market’ and the ‘on the go market.’  They have different needs. Even more complex is the use of tablet versus smart phone.  Marketers who will succeed in mobile will be able to establish different strategies and tactics for each. 

2. Treat mobile phone use and tablet use differently

According to Pew, the demographics for those using tablets the most include: 

• Those living in households earning at least $75,000 per year (56%), compared with lower income brackets
• Adults ages 35-44 (49%), compared with younger and older adults
• College graduates (49%), compared with adults with lower levels of education

Effectively reaching tablet users versus smart phone owners requires different approaches, particularly when it comes to advertising. It is not a one size fits all approach.

3. Use the Right Advertising Tactic Depending on Mobile Device

If you are still using the old “push” model of broadcasting messages, including your advertising, you are likely failing. Marketers need to focus on micro-targeted “pull” campaigns that effectively result in the customer accepting messages. In addition to pull, marketers need to reconsider banner ads. While somewhat annoying to computer users, they are even less welcome on mobile. Many just aren’t scalable to mobile and are therefore ineffective. 

Marketers succeeding in the mobile market are seeing how sales results have built relationships with customers. They are learning their preferences and with real-time location information, they are offering up deals that result in real sales. 

Starbucks leveraged mobile by offering a $5 credit to those who joined the My Starbucks Rewards program. This resulted in more than 500,000 downloads of the mobile app in its two-week trial period. The lesson? Don’t push information. Pull Information by offering something up to your customer or prospect. What are the chances that someone who redeemed that $5 spent more than the credit? Probably pretty good. 

These are just three important things to keep in mind to make your mobile marketing and sales strategy more effective. Looking to really amp up your mobile efforts by building your own apps? Download the free ebook below.