The use of mobile internet is growing at a staggering rate. In 2015, mobile internet finally suppressed the desktop browsing. Smartphone ownership is growing in developing countries, and in the United States, more than two-thirds of digital media are viewed on mobile devices. These trends have brought mobile advertising into the marketing spotlight. Big companies and the world’s most respectable marketing agencies are adapting their content and marketing strategies to smartphone browsing, and the number of mobile apps has tripled over the last few years.

Mobile marketing is a very dynamic field. It is influenced by the development of mobile technologies and communication patterns. Each year when Samsung, Apple, Microsoft, and Google present their new phones, the mobile marketing strategies are complemented with the new set of features. The vast popularity of mobile apps has reshaped the marketing teams, which now contain at least one app developer and UI designer. In this article, we have shared the latest mobile marketing trends that will help you to engage mobile users and turn them into customers and brand advocates.

Messaging bots

Today, messaging apps like WhatsApp, Viber and Facebook Messenger, are the most popular social platforms. Marketers have combined them with the advanced technologies in the artificial intelligence field to create chat bots. The purpose of this software is to ignite conversations and answer users’ questions and requests. The introduction of chat bots coincided with the beginning of the new phase of more personalized marketing. This one-to-one marketing approach is directly connected with the increasing popularity of messaging apps.

Chat bots allow marketers to engage thousands of consumers at a personal level and present them with a highly customized sales pitch. Since they use the concept of deep learning, they can provide consumers with answers and bring them into the company’s sales funnel. For marketers, the bots’ learning abilities are their most important feature. Constant learning and fast data analysis improves bots’ abilities and enables them to have meaningful conversations with consumers.

Streaming and 360 video

In 2016, digital marketing was revolving around videos. By 2019, online videos will represent more than 90% of consumer-based traffic. Mobile internet users prefer video content over articles. That is one of the main reasons why the video views on Facebook have jumped from 1 to 8 million in only one year.

Marketing agencies have been closely following these statistics. A few years ago, they started offering social media video production services. This includes the production of 360 videos, which is the next logical step in video content evolution. In 2017, the ad expenditure on mobile video will grow by another 30%. Streaming is also ‘the new black’ in the mobile marketing field. It allows companies to involve millions of consumers into their promotional events.

One-time apps

Since the 5 most popular mobile apps account for more than 85% of mobile app usage, companies that have invested huge sums into app development are now facing a grim reality. There are thousands of mobile apps that lay completely forgotten on Google Play and iTunes. Google have decided to put an end to this and help app owners and developers. They’ve recently announced the launch of the Instant Apps store. At this brand new app store, users will be able to launch an app by simply clicking on its icon. They won’t need to download it or set its permissions. This new app-as-a-service concept will inspire companies to develop thousands of simple one-time apps and use them for promoting limited offers and various promotional events.

Mobile marketing automation

We have already mentioned the chat bots, but they are just one small part of the growing mobile marketing automation trend. Most automation platforms offer top-notch mobile analytics, together with a long list of other functionalities, including:

• The management of mobile channels;
• Real-time messaging;
• A/B testing;
• Deeper integration of installed apps;

Sending direct and push messages to consumers’ mobiles is a privilege for any marketer. The automation of this segment helps marketers to get exclusive data of consumers’ needs and behavior that will help them create valuable, relevant and personal mobile marketing content.

Snapchat lenses and augmented reality

Pokemon Go! has shown us the promotional capacity of augmented reality technologies. We’ve seen thousands of people chasing imaginary creatures around city streets and parks. Snapchat is the first social network that has implemented augmented reality technologies. Their lens tool is very popular among marketers and consumers. Several musicians have sold out their albums after their songs have been featured on a lens filter. Studios like 20th Century Fox and Pixar used Snapchat lenses to promote their movies, and cosmetic companies create campaigns that involve special makeup filters, and apply them on customers’ selfies.

Geofencing technologies

Geofencing is a new concept, which allows location-based companies to advertise their offer by using push notifications. Beacons, installed in stores, restaurants, and cafes can send out push notifications to all registered users, within their area. This way, stores can advertise limited-time offers and discounts and influence consumers while they’re making purchasing decisions.

Starbucks is one of the first big companies that have installed beacons in their stores. Their “Mobile Order and Pay” feature uses geofencing to allow customers to order their coffee before stepping inside the store. The further development of geofencing technologies will help location-based retailers to compensate the losses caused by increasing popularity of e-commerce.

Mobile advertising uses much more personal approach than any other form of digital marketing. Since smartphones allow marketers to contact their consumers anywhere and at any time, in the future, they’ll need to work on creating a highly personalized content for targeting different groups of mobile users. That is why the fast development of mobile analytics and the shift to the app model are the most important mobile marketing trends that will completely reshape this industry in the next few years.

Author:

Emma Miller is a Sydney based writer with a degree in marketing. Interested in digital marketing, social media, start-ups and latest trends. She’s a contributor at BizzMark Blog.