How mobile technologies are changing marketing

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My article from last week generated an interesting debate concerning the youth who are destined to turn out to be the brand that will never be. One of my avid followers suggested that I should immediately do a follow-up article this week and I decided to co-write with Mufaro Zhou. Our partnership continues to grow, with him being back to pen what he is truly passionate about, combining technology and marketing.

My article from last week generated an interesting debate concerning the youth who are destined to turn out to be the brand that will never be. One of my avid followers suggested that I should immediately do a follow-up article this week and I decided to co-write with Mufaro Zhou. Our partnership continues to grow, with him being back to pen what he is truly passionate about, combining technology and marketing.

brand savvy with Stha Magida & Mufaro Zhou

brand-savvy

Technology continues to make digital communication cheaper by the day, therefore giving an added advantage to those who leverage on such type of communication within their jobs. With local ISPs rolling out fibre around Zimbabwe, the competition to reduce voice and data tariffs has grown stiffer. Internet is now within anyone’s reach from the palm of their hand due to reduced prices and availability, including reduced prices of mobile technologies. In my neighbourhood, overhead fibre cables are now just as common as TelOne overhead telephone lines used to be back then. Yes, these cables can be an eyesore but they come with an advantage of offering a wider choice for the consumer, not forgetting other cables running underground to provide the same service. Simple mathematics from the Potraz 4th Quarter 2015 Report shows that 6,4 million active internet subscriptions are through mobile technologies, be it through smartphones, feature phones, tablets or laptops. So what does all this mean?

A transformation of marketing is underway as we spend more time on our mobiles, tablets and laptops. With so many different ways that customers can access media, whether through Facebook, YouTube, news websites or via mobile or tablet apps, a strong idea can quickly gain huge scale. A wave of new technologies exists today to aid marketers in reaching and researching existing and prospective customers.

The challenge for brands is to connect with customers through all these devices in real time and create campaigns that work across social media and other information dissemination channels. Marketers need to become savvier about technology to match or surpass the technological level of the individual they are trying to reach. The marketer must now rise above just setting up online platforms to market their service and must be sure indeed that they have reached their target market with the right information package.

Consumers, businesses and marketers are doing everything to adapt to the daily changes in this technology. However, it seems to be moving too fast, especially for the 3rd world countries. That being the case, businesses and brands should play their part to give attention to mobile technologies henceforth and beyond. The following tips concerning mobile technology biased marketing could lead to an improved brand image, increased customer contact and subsequently improved sales:

Responsive web design and content First and foremost (and regardless of your product or service and geo-market), your digital assets need to be responsive. Understanding that soon the majority of consumers will be mobile and using mostly their smartphones to access your website and other digital content is step one. Therefore, it’s imperative that you have a responsive web design.

Payment systems Retailers need to incorporate payment systems like mobile money transfer systems and debit/credit card readers. Bank account details are no longer a safely guarded secret like it was in the past.

Mobile video ads The demand for media consumption via mobile devices along with faster cellular and WiFi connections, means mobile video advertising will continue to increase. The growth in video ads indicates that advertisers and consumers are in favour of this technology over traditional media. For advertisers, it provides their potential customers a personal experience via smartphones and other mobile devices.

Apps Marketers need to take advantage of App Store and Google Play to get apps onto customers’ mobile devices as a great opportunity to deliver ads and information to consumers who use those apps daily. Kudos to the most “visible” and “famous” local emergency road rescue services company for their informative Android road assist Android App. On that technological note, till next week, keep reading and remain tech-brand savvy.

Stha Magida is contactable on [email protected]. Her co-writer in this article is contactable on [email protected]