| | JULY - 20228IN MY OPINIONWHY MOBILE MARKETING REPRESENTS A NEW ERA OF DIGITAL MARKETINGBy Kyle Keith , SVP - Digital Strategy, Marketing Technology & Creative Services, Cadence Bank (NYSE: CADE)Kyle KeithTwo decades ago, the widespread adoption and popularity of the internet ushered in the era of digital marketing. Today, we're entering a new phase of digital marketing that's not unlike what happened 20 years ago.This new era is focused on marketing to customers using their mobile devices. Eight out of 10 people in the U.S. now have a smartphone, according to the Newzoo Global Mobile Marketing Report 2019. What's more, the number of mobile website users has surpassed the number of desktop users globally, according to Morgan Stanley Research, while mobile commerce now accounts for more than one-third of all e-commerce sales.Video-sharing app TikTok is one of the great mobile marketing success stories of this year. TikTok is surpassing all expectations by generating unprecedented revenue through in-app advertising and purchases, all while becoming the most downloaded mobile app in the world.The Key Strategic ElementWhen you consider statistics like these, it's not surprising that savvy marketers today are embracing mobile marketing. The fact is, many customers today are starting conversations and relationships with businesses and brands in the online, not offline, world. That's one reason that I believe mobile marketing is the key strategic element of a robust marketing technology strategy in 2020 and beyond.But what exactly does "mobile marketing" mean? Here's my definition of mobile marketing: An extension of traditional digital marketing with an emphasis on reaching customers and prospects via their mobile devices. These can include smartphones, tablets and wearable technology like smart watches. The beauty of mobile marketing is that it allows marketers to reach individuals with highly personalized, time- and location-sensitive information wherever they might be at any given point in time. Customers can be targeted with specific offers based on where they are physically located right now.Mobile marketing also enables marketers to implement data-driven strategies by collecting and segmenting users' information digitally. This, in turn, enhances the ability of customers to interact with the business digitally and vice-versa.Executing a Mobile Marketing StrategyThere are several different ways to execute a mobile marketing strategy. These include app-based and in-game mobile marketing, QR codes, mobile search ads and image ads, SMS- (or text) based mobile marketing, and location-based marketing.
< Page 7 | Page 9 >