Mobile marketing on track for rapid adoption in 2012
StumbleUponMobile marketing programmes and budgets are projected to increase, but many businesses are still held back by lack of strategy and resources, according to StrongMail survey. By Kara Trivunovic.
By Kara Trivunovic
StrongMail, a provider of digital marketing solutions for email, mobile and social media engagement, has announced recently the results of its “StrongMail Mobile Marketing Survey 2012.” The survey showed strong and growing adoption for a wide range of standalone and integrated mobile marketing programmes; however, lack of resources and strategy were also identified as the key challenges holding businesses back from embracing mobile marketing. Conducted in April 2012, more than 800 business leaders participated in the global survey.
Mobile websites (70%), mobile applications (55%) and QR codes (49%) are the most popular forms of mobile marketing, but less than half of marketers are currently running any of them. Of those who are, 57% have only been running them for a year or less. However, the opportunity is not lost with marketers, as 75% of businesses not currently running programs plan to within a year or more – and of those businesses that are, 70% expect to see their budgets increase over the same time period. The survey results also highlight a real opportunity for marketers to embrace and integrate mobile with email and other digital channels to properly engage customers at various stages of the customer lifecycle.
With smartphones now accounting for nearly half of all devices in use by mobile users, it is more imperative than ever for digital marketers to adopt and integrate mobile marketing tactics into email and their overall marketing mix. Email marketers who are serious about garnering and maintaining consumer attention in this new era of mobile need more than just a solid strategy; they also need the right tools and resources to execute – and that's exactly what StrongMail provides with its integrated solutions and comprehensive agency services."
Survey highlights
• 45% have adopted mobile marketing; 57% have been doing it for 12 months or less
• 37% cite lack of strategy as top reason for lack of adoption, followed by lack of resources (22%)
• 55% reported increased mobile marketing budgets for past 12 months; only 2% saw a decrease
• 70% expect their budget to increase in the next 12 months
• 43% have integrated email marketing and mobile marketing
Businesses understand the benefits of mobile marketing
Despite lacking a clearly defined strategy for how to get into the mobile space, respondents were clear about the expected benefits. More than 50% of respondents believed that a mobile programme could help them increase sales and acquire new customers, while nearly 50% of respondents say a strong mobile programme would increase brand awareness.
Mobile and email integration gains ground but lacks sophistication
43% of businesses have achieved some level of integration between their email marketing and mobile marketing programmes, but with mobile landing pages (32%), mobile number capture at email sign-up (25%) and mobile optimised templates (22%) being the top areas of focus, progress needs to be made in implementing more sophisticated programmes. To that point, only 27% are running cross-channel, lifecycle marketing programmes that include mobile messaging. Similarly, only 29% have used mobile response data to optimise offers in email or other channels.
Mobile marketing adoption held back by lack of strategy and resources
When asked to identify the top obstacle to launching a mobile programme, 37% of businesses cited lack of strategy, followed lack of resources at 22%. Mobile marketing budgets also remain a small fraction of overall interactive budgets, with 54% of businesses allocating 5% or less to mobile programmes. Nearly a quarter of businesses reported less than 1% allocated to mobile. On the positive side, 55% report increased budgets over the past year.
Survey data
For a full copy of the survey and results, visit: www.strongmail.com/pdf/SM_MobileSurvey2012
The “StrongMail Mobile Marketing Survey 2012” was conducted in conjunction with Zoomerang. The poll, which gathered feedback from 802 business executives in a wide range of industries, was conducted from April 11 - 23, 2012.
About the author and StrongMail Systems, Inc.
Kara Trivunovic is vice-president of agency services StrongMail. Every day, StrongMail helps brands to engage and grow their customer base through email marketing and social media, using cutting-edge lifecycle email marketing capabilities and the ability to deliver millions of highly personalized messages in minutes. The company provides end-to-end solutions for IHG, McAfee, Viacom and T. Rowe Price, among many other brands.
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