It’s the Year of Mobile. But For Real This Time.
Marketers cry “mobile” like the boy who cried “wolf,” but this year, it’s looking like the real thing. Don’t believe me? Here are three charts that prove it.
For starters, 46% of marketers surveyed are using some form of mobile marketing — either SMS, push notifications, mobile apps, or location-based functionality — compared to only 23% in our 2014 report. The percentage of marketers who say mobile marketing is a critical enabler of their products and services is trending upward too, rising from 57% to 70%.
Fifty-eight percent of marketers have a dedicated team to manage their company’s mobile marketing program, up from 35% in 2014. Those teams are decent sized, too; 41% of those with dedicated teams say they have 4–5 people on staff. And just think, less than 10 years ago, our top option for a smartphone was a BlackBerry.
Location-based tracking is, in my opinion, one of the most interesting tools available to marketers. But you aren’t reading this for opinions — you’re reading for data! And the fact is that half of marketers (50%) are either piloting the technology, or planning to in the next year. Sixty-seven percent of marketers plan to substantially or somewhat increase spending on location-based tracking in 2015. And, from a previous Salesforce research report, we know that 76% of smartphone users agree that location sharing provides more meaningful content. The appetite for location-based offers is there. Now it’s the marketer’s turn to provide it!
