Six of the Worst Mobile Marketing Rookie Errors

When marketing to mobile users, just be smart. Check out this quick list of the worst mobile marketing errors and prove you’re not a rookie.

1)Overlooking Mobile Limitations

Your smartphone is not a PC or a Mac. You’ve got no mouse, and no printer. There’s a small screen and an even smaller keyboard. Data can be slow and it costs money, so don’t inundate the mobile user with GIFs and content streams. The key is to be creative with what you got: mobile users will appreciate it.

2)Not Focusing on Mobile Capabilities

Your smart phone is better than a PC or a Mac in some ways. It’s a phone with text messaging and email. It’s a video camera and player; it takes pictures and plays music. It can tell where you are and when your next appointment is. And best of all, you can purchase anything you want with it. So utilize these capabilities in your marketing campaigns... or be left in the dust.

3)Confusing Mobile Users with PC Users

Mobile users don’t have time for downloads or site navigation. They need a good .mobi site catering to the device they are using. Give them quick access, relevant data, fast-paced service, and localized info. Eliminate too many words, images, downloads and clicks. And remember: less can much, much more.

4)Making Direct Connection Difficult

Communication over the data stream is great, but nothing beats a direct connection. Make it easy for consumers to contact you via telephone, and supplement your operation to allow for inbound calls. If you can’t afford to hire phone operators, try an interactive voice response system to receive your calls. Be sure to utilize chat and IM technology as well: a whole new generation of mobile users is consuming this form of communication like wildfire.

5)Underestimating Privacy

Mobile consumers are more concerned than ever with personal privacy. Your mobile marketing strategy must follow all regulations when collecting info about mobile users. Always ask permission. Give links to privacy policies on your site and within all of your ads. Don’t abuse the info you collect on your customers: if you make some privacy errors with several of your customers, you’re likely to lose a great deal of your customer base. No joke.

6)Overtargeting Users

This is a biggie. Consumers are getting pretty savvy about the info that businesses collect about them. Since marketers track shopping trends and navigation trends, the marketing messages can become super personalized. Group your customers into categories based on their similarities, and market to these groups accordingly – that way you aren’t spending too much on highly generic ads. Try marketing based on the device a given consumer uses, or perhaps location-based advertising. In any case, if you’re drunk on highly general mobile marketing, perhaps it’s time to start getting more personal.