Mobile Marketing – Hot or So What?

We found a study just a couple of days ago from Business to Business Magazine that reported only 14% of Chief Marketing Officers polled were happy with their mobile marketing performance. Based on a survey of 250 people, the article also notes that  “43% of marketers are not satisfied with the progress they are making accessing and leveraging the mobile channel; 37% said they were still evaluating their performance in this area; and 6% were not sure.”

Whether or not you’re a marketer, mobile has very likely begun to impact your life. Perhaps you have an iPhone or a Droid. Maybe you have an iPad. Maybe you have both. We posted an article to our Facebook page last weekend talking about how many people now have a “second screen” when watching television, whether that second screen is a smart phone or a tablet. In fact, mobile is such a huge issue that Google has created a site called “Our Mobile Planet.” So what’s happening here? Why aren’t marketers feeling successful when using mobile for their efforts?

Part of the answer, we feel, can be traced to one of the statistics mentioned above. Out of 250 marketers polled, 6% were not sure if their efforts were working in terms of leveraging the mobile channel. This lack of certainty implies a few things. First, it suggests that the marketers did not have a clear objective upon beginning their efforts. If you have a clear objective, it is easy to tell if you have met that objective or not. The lack of certainty also indicates that the marketers did not have a precise way to measure their efforts. All of this together makes us wonder if that 6% jumped into mobile because they heard how “hot” the channel was without first thinking about what they wanted to accomplish and how they would accomplish it.

These same issues continue to plague marketers in the area of social media marketing. Back in February, I reported on survey results published by Penton Marketing Services in late 2011. The study, called “Truth from the Trenches” (available for free but requires a registration form) reported that:

 • 41% said they did not know if their website used metadata or meta-tags

• 14% didn’t know whether they were using a link building strategy

• 14% didn’t know if their competitors were actively involved in social media

• 26% said they are not engaging in social media because they don’t know how to measure it OR were not sure it  would be valuable (we assume the worst about things we don’t know)

• 32% said they are unaware of how their company is talked about online

Whether the tool is social media, an advertising campaign, or mobile, it is essential that when marketing your company, you approach your strategy as you have always done. Objectives must be set. Measurement must be executed so that you can tell if you are on the right track – the 37% in the poll cited above that are still evaluating their mobile performance should already have an idea if they are on track or not. It should not be a mystery. There will always be a hot new platform, a hot new communication methodology, or a new and exciting way to reach your audience. Avoid the temptation to jump into these new areas without a plan. Do not fall into that percentage of marketers who have no idea how they are performing in the world of mobile. Do not fall into the 32% who are unaware of how their company is talked about online.

We understand t’s a lot to remain aware of. If you need help, that’s why we’re here.

Image Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/rickyromero/2672913333/ via Creative Commons