10 February, 2025

Blog

The Rise of Mobile-First Strategies in Today’s Marketing Campaigns

In the last several years, mobile devices have officially become the standard for how people access information, shop online, and interact with brands. However, not all brands have adopted a mobile-first marketing strategy. In the past, it was enough to make a website mobile-friendly, but mobile-first marketing involves much more than serving up mobile-friendly web pages.

What is mobile-first marketing?

Simply put, mobile-first marketing is when a business optimizes all of their marketing efforts for smartphones and tablets first, before considering desktop platforms. There has been a fundamental shift from laptops and desktops to smartphones and tablets, and marketing strategies need to follow suit.

Mobile-first marketing takes the entire user experience into account. For instance, ecommerce sites should make it easy for users to get information about items without being forced to click on each product listing.

For example, right on the homepage, i-Blason’s phone case listings offer a drop-down menu so users can easily choose their phone, plus there’s a “quick add” button that will add the item to the cart without leaving the page.

According to data sourced by Perficient, in 2020, 64% of web traffic came from mobile devices, and that number has since grown. People prefer mobile devices because they’re compact, convenient, and don’t require sitting down at a desk. Now that smartphones and tablets are primary devices, this approach is essential for running effective marketing strategies.

Reasons to implement mobile-first marketing

Mobile users may never run into technical issues with your ads or other marketing efforts, but mobile-first marketing also accounts for the psychology that drives mobile users, as well as leveraging features only found on mobile devices

Here’s why you need a mobile-first marketing strategy, even when your ads already look great on smartphones and tablets.

  1. Mobile-first marketing gives you unique UX data

When you use mobile-first marketing, you’ll gain access to user experience data you can’t get from desktop users. For instance, mobile devices use a touch screen, and that allows you to track exactly how users tap and scroll through your web pages. If you’re using advanced marketing strategies, you can obtain data on user eye movements, as tracked by the front-facing camera.

  1. Mobile users are impulse buyer

If your goal is to get impulse purchases, mobile users won’t disappoint. However, you’ll need to tailor your ads specifically for people reading a small screen who probably don’t have much of an attention span. For example, instead of making a 5-minute video ad where you talk about your company, make a short clip (10-45 seconds) with an attention-grabbing introduction and encourage users to click or buy now.

According to a variety of studies, shorter ads work better to drive engagement, sales, and brand recall. However, you can’t just rely on one format. You’ll need to experiment with a variety of lengths on different platforms to find what works best for you. 

In any case, mobile video ads shouldn’t be longer than 30 seconds since people are always looking for a reason to keep scrolling. 

  1. You can leverage mobile-specific features

Certain features that will strengthen your marketing strategies are either limited to mobile devices or work better on mobile devices.

 

  • Geolocation based on GPS. Mobile devices track a user’s location based on GPS rather than just the IP address, and that gives you more control over delivering personalized content. IP address tracking is often inaccurate since internet service providers issue shared IP addresses that get shuffled around. If you’re trying to reach a specific market in a specific city, you don’t want people from the next county over to be in your pool of leads.

  • Push notifications. Sending push notifications to mobile users will keep them informed and engaged with your brand, and can drive higher retention rates and repeat business.

  • In-app ads. When you have a mobile app, targeted marketing is easy with in-app advertisements that reach your market in a contextually-relevant environment.

  • Easy integrated payments. Mobile devices facilitate seamless online purchases. The easier it is for customers to pay, the less likely they are to bounce.

Embrace the mobile-first future 

In an age where mobile devices are integral to daily life, adopting a mobile-first marketing strategy is now a necessity rather than a choice. By optimizing your marketing strategies for mobile users, you’ll meet their needs and expectations while providing a seamless experience that drives engagement and sales. There’s no going back. Businesses that prioritize mobile-first strategies will have an advantage in achieving long-term marketing success.

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