You might not consider yourself to be the trendiest CMO on the block, but if you want your company to maintain an edge on its competition, you need to look into what’s hot. In 2014, it’s all about the mobile world – but you already knew that, right?
Think of how many mobile devices you rely on daily: your tablet, smartphone and laptop. Could you realistically collaborate and conduct business without these tools? Many of us find this hard to envision with the abundance of technology at our fingertips.
That being said, your customers are also looking for ways to make their lives easier on the go. They expect personalized service that caters to their needs as if they're VIPs. This sounds like a lot to deliver, but it’s possible if you utilize the following mobile trends.
1. Personalized emails
Something as simple as your recipient’s first name at the beginning of a message can do wonders for your relationship with him or her. Offering deals through emails that personally address recipients is also an effective way to keep them interested.
“To convert searchers into buyers both on mobile and in store, marketers must present personalized offers,” Steve Cole, CMO of Gladson, told CIO Magazine. “For example, if a consumer searches for green bean casserole recipes on a grocer's mobile app, offer coupons for mushroom soup and green beans to give the consumer an extra nudge.”
2. Flashy smartphone messages
Marketers have been providing text message updates to customers for years now, but it’s about to take a turn in 2014. Think flashy, engaging MMS (as opposed to SMS) on your phone that encourages interaction. Wouldn’t you want to actually see a picture of a product you want to buy instead of a text message describing it? Companies know this, which is why they’re working hard to provide better visuals to prospects. This is one trend you’ll want to take advantage of sooner rather than later.
3. Brief, appealing content
In the Digital Age, people want information delivered to them quickly and efficiently. When you’re on the go checking your mobile device, you don’t want to be bogged down with large ads and emails. To fall in line with marketing trends of today, you can benefit from adopting the “short and sweet” approach. While it may be challenging to try to engage interest with a few sentences, doing so can strengthen your marketing strategy and keep prospects interested.
Trends come and go, but as far as 2014 is concerned, these are the top three that you should keep an eye on in order to keep your marketing team ahead of the game. If you put yourself into the shoes of the customer, you can make it easy to reel in your target audience.
