Is Mobile Messaging the Marketing Answer You Are Looking For?

For years businesses have understood the importance of social media and have developed strategies to market their brands via Facebook, Twitter and Google Plus. But as with everything else, things change.

Often when brands are discussing mobile marketing and social marketing they focus on the big name networks of Facebook and Twitter and don’t realize that that may not be on the right network to reach their audience who may be spending their time somewhere else.

People from the younger generation consume a great deal of information on mobile devices and are essentially digital natives. Taking a mobile-first approach is important with younger demographics, they have been raised using mobile applications and interacting via mobile is a way of life for them.

Don’t be afraid to see if mobile messaging apps are right for you | Photo: AdamPrzezdziek (Flikr)

A great way to reach this tech savvy younger demographic is to present something fresh in a new space. To do this many brands are focusing marketing attention to red hot mobile messaging apps like Snapchat and WhatsApp.

People are spending a lot of time on mobile messaging apps, and it can be a challenge (WhatsApp doesn’t accept advertising), but the space is filled with opportunities that are being successfully navigated by many brands. Innovative brands have even found high profile ways to market via the dating app Tinder. During SXSW, Tinder was used to promote the Ex Machina movie, with an AI character named Ava from the movie in the app.

Key to a successful mobile messaging marketing strategy is to be able to respect the consumers’ point of view while they are on these applications.  The brands with the best results from these apps are those that have figured out how to utilize to each platform’s strength. Rather than utilizing one-size-fits all messaging or simply trying to blatantly promote your brand,  you must understand the consumers mindset for each and create messaging that works within the flow of use.

A good example would be to use Snapchat to show behind the scenes operations or previews of upcoming products. These can build excitement for your brand without seeming obtrusive like advertisements.

Remember that you need to be careful about how you utilize messaging apps for marketing. Hard selling will not work. These apps are built for personal communication and users will expect brands to respect that. However, with a little creativity, these apps can be used to deepen relationships with consumers.

Photo: http://bit.ly/1JxzMMh