Everywhere you look, someone near you is using a mobile phone, tablet, or laptop. Come to think of it, you’re probably using one of those devices right now too! This is the age of networking on the run, and it’s showing no signs of slowing down. Of particular interest is the rise in mobile device ownership.
Although a laptop is a device which has mobile capability, it’s not a mobile device per se. A mobile device is defined as a hand-held electronic device that can easily fit in a pocket. Thus, smart phones and PDA’s are mobile devices; laptops, Chromebooks, or tablets aren’t. Or so the majority says. Mostly. Usually.
Anyway, we’re about to zoom in on the surge in mobile popularity and how it impacts mobile marketers. After all, if the world is going mobile, as the article “The Future Is Bright For Mobile Marketing” says, then marketing professionals better have a handle on how to reach all of those people, right?
Everyone’s using a mobile device these days, including this idiot who’s texting and driving. Don’t be this guy…
The Numbers Are In
Mobile phone usage hit 4.08 billion users in 2012, then hit the 4.33 billion mark in 2013, and over 4.55 billion users in 2014. By 2017, the total mobile phone usage should hit 5.13 billion users.
What’s more, about 1.58 billion users accessed the Internet in 2012 via their mobile phones, which is 67% of Internet users. That number cranked up to 74% (1.91 billion users) in 2013, and 2014 had been forecasted to hit around 80%. Looking ahead to 2017, the expectation is that 2.9 billion users will use the Internet over their phones, which break down as 91% of total Internet users and 58% of mobile phone users.
That’s a pretty eye-opening set of statistics, don’t you think? It sort of makes one stop and think, especially when the natural question becomes …
What Does This Mean For Marketers?
The whole point of marketing is to get a company’s message out to current and prospective customers. In order to effectively do so, marketing professionals need to meet the people where are they are. Based upon the above numbers, it’s abundantly clear that the people, the target audiences, are online and mobile. While this doesn’t mean that other media are to be ignored, at least it becomes clear where the top priority lies.
If mobile phones are the preferred way for most users to connect to the Internet, then marketing campaigns need to be mobile phone friendly, or at least have enough multi-platform flexibility to them so that they can be just as effective over mobile devices as they are on regular desktops/laptops. Downloadable applications that have even the remotest connection with marketing must be easily available and usable by people who have mobile devices.
Finally, the tone of marketing promotions needs to change as well, tapping into the whole mobile lifestyle. Campaigns need to embrace the real-time, immediate, on the go mindset, with promotions, themes, and incentives meant to appeal to the mobile user attitude.
One thing’s for sure: mobile marketing is going to be one hot career for quite some time. If you want to read more about the rise of mobile devices, check out “The Unstoppable Rise Of The Mobile Device”.
