3 changes brands must recognize for mobile success

Kristina: How are mobile devices changing the way businesses interact with customers?

Julie Ginches, CMO, Kahuna: It's often been said that "mobile changes everything." But there are three big changes that marketers should be aware of.
First, there's the behavioral insights that they can gain on mobile devices. With this kind of insight -- never available before to marketers -- you can think of ways to connect with customers with the right message, at the right time, and on the right device.
Second, there's new technology available to marketers that enables them to do all these right things at scale. It's a huge new competency.
But third, and perhaps most important, marketers that approach this new competency with thought and care can use this technology to create unique, branded, personalized experiences for their customers.

Kristina: What trends are you seeing in mobile marketing?

Julie: Beyond what I note above, there's a trend in marketing worth watching that goes to the heart of budget: the trend toward prioritizing budget and resources on "owned" versus "paid" communication. By paid, we mean advertising, in all its forms. By owned, we mean email, push messaging, in-app messaging, etc. This is a pretty big deal and allows for the opportunity to connect more and more with customers directly, from top of the funnel to lifetime value. Already, some brands have become aware of the ROI impact of this shift. But I believe we are in the first days of an exciting new era.

Kristina: How can brands better use mobile technology to create on-going customer conversations?

Julie: Again, if more and more interaction with customers are happening on "owned" channels, the onus on brands is to equip themselves with the best technology and the best practices to make the ongoing experience for customers a branded one. It also means that brands will need to think about the experience at every customer touchpoint that they own, online and offline. How does your customer feel when he sees your email in his in-box? When he gets a push message? When he receives your product in the mail? When he enters your store? We are entering a time when all touchpoints that the brand owns will be the experience customers have with that brand. And mobile -- the technology that enables us to know our customers well enough to provide those experiences -- is helping to make this happen.

Image via Shutterstock

Tags: advertising, Kahuna, mobile ads, mobile marketing, mobile trends