Companies of all sizes are expanding their allocated budgets for mobile marketing, but not necessarily the strategies behind those digital advertising dollars.
StrongMail, a provider of digital marketing solutions, has just announced the results of its “StrongMail Mobile Marketing Survey 2012.”
The survey showed that a lack of strategy is one of the key challenges holding businesses back from embracing and making the most of mobile marketing.
Conducted in April 2012, more than 800 business leaders participated in the global survey.
Mobile websites (70%), mobile applications (55%) and QR codes (49%) are the most popular forms of mobile marketing, but less than half of marketers are currently running any of them. The survey results also highlight a real opportunity for marketers to embrace and integrate mobile with email and other digital channels to properly engage customers at various stages of the customer lifecycle.
“With smartphones now accounting for nearly half of all devices in use by mobile users, it is more imperative than ever for digital marketers to adopt and integrate mobile marketing tactics into email and their overall marketing mix,” said Kara Trivunovic, vice president of agency services at StrongMail. “Email marketers who are serious about garnering and maintaining consumer attention in this new era of mobile need more than just a solid strategy; they also need the right tools and resources to execute – and that’s exactly what StrongMail provides with its integrated solutions and comprehensive agency services.”
When asked to identify the top obstacle to launching a mobile program, 37% of businesses cited lack of strategy, followed lack of resources at 22%. Mobile marketing budgets also remain a small fraction of overall interactive budgets, with 54% of businesses allocating 5% or less to mobile programs. Nearly a quarter of businesses reported less than 1% allocated to mobile. On the positive side, 55% report increased budgets over the past year.