Local3 Myths That Block Mobile Marketing Success

3 Myths That Block Mobile Marketing Success

These three mobile marketing myths are holding search marketers back from building high-converting mobile campaigns.

Content Takeover Mobile & Local SearchIn the last few years, mobile has evolved into a global force of nature. According to a report prepared by Mary Meeker of venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, mobile device shipments are dramatically outpacing desktops and televisions by four to five times. A study from Cisco points out a similar trend — that in 2014, average smartphone usage grew by 45 percent.

For marketers, mobile was the next frontier yesterday, but even the most innovative companies are struggling to get started — the biggest challenge being that companies aren’t sure how to build high-converting mobile campaigns. What’s holding them back are the following three mobile marketing myths.

1. Mobile Is an Extension of Desktop

The problem is that many marketers think a mobile marketing plan is as simple as a responsive site. Desktop strategies, however, won’t necessarily translate into a mobile campaign — that’s because user experiences are fundamentally different on desktop and mobile.

On the computer, digital audiences are typically stationary and can very easily scroll and type with their trackpads and keyboards. On mobile, interactions are a series of quick swipes and taps — not to mention, digital audiences are often on-the-go and in highly distracting environments. As usability researcher and vice president of product at Hint Health puts it in a recent article for The Content Strategist, “Mobile experiences are often a series of micro interactions – quick tasks that the user performs, often in a highly distracting, public environment using a very small screen. A good mobile experience keeps important tasks quick, obvious, interruptible, and performable with a limited about of input.”

Desktop audiences will have much more space, maneuverability, and flexibility to learn. Mobile campaigns, on the other hand, must deliver information fast.

2. Mobile Conversions Are Challenging to Measure

Campaign attribution is challenging on almost any device — but mobile often introduces an even bigger “black box” in that conversions often start online and end offline with a phone call or in-store purchase. As one example, 70 percent of people have called a business after conducting a mobile search. Marketers, who are often bound to aggressive growth quotas, may feel hesitant to take a “leap of faith” in launching campaigns that are seemingly impossible to measure.

By following this mindset, marketers risk overlooking a crucial part of their mobile conversion funnels. When on their lunch breaks or riding in a car as passengers, mobile audiences don’t want to spend time completing lengthy forms on tiny smartphones. When seeking information quickly, they’d much rather pick up the phone and call.

These conversion events are measurable through call tracking and intelligence technology. Call tracking enables marketers to see the online and mobile interactions that are prompting people to pick up the phone, while NLP can tell marketers exactly what’s happening during the conversation.

3. It’s All About the Immediate Sale

Marketers have a tendency to measure success by measuring direct sales. The reality, however, is that paths to conversion are often complex and span a series of steps. Especially on mobile, audiences may want to do a bit of research before committing to becoming paid customers.

Marketers should also pay attention to the nuances in key performance indicators (KPIs) between desktop and mobile. On desktop, for instance, high average times on site may represent engagement. On mobile, however, that same metric may represent confusion — an inability for audiences to find the information that they need quickly. In some mobile contexts, bounce rates may be less relevant than they are with desktop campaigns.

On mobile, marketers should pay particular attention to conversion metrics that signify purchase intent. Pay attention to whether audiences are looking up directions to a store, researching product inventory, or making calls. Mobile campaigns will often drive conversions through other channels. That’s why marketers should look beyond whether audiences are making calls. It’s equally, if not more, important to understand what’s happening on that call and tying end conversion data from online interactions back to ROI reporting.

When choosing KPIs, marketers should focus on their mobile audience’s unique story. According to one study from Google and Nielsen, three out of four mobile searches trigger follow-up actions. After conducting a mobile search, 51 percent visit a store, 19 percent call a business, 19 percent continue their research, and 22 percent visit the retailer’s website.

Final Thoughts

Mobile is a blank slate, and the best way to navigate this extremely promising marketing opportunity is to think about what audiences need most. Don’t be afraid to try something new and most importantly, don’t let myths get in the way.

Interested in learning more about how you can better optimize your paid search campaigns for mobile? Download Invoca’s new e-book, Paid Search in the Mobile Era, for actionable tips and takeaways.

Invoca* Sponsored content in collaboration with Invoca. Views expressed in this article are those of the guest author and do not necessarily reflect Search Engine Watch’s opinions.

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