7 Mobile Marketing Mistakes to Avoid for Startups

Did you recently create a startup business? Do you want to increase your reach and create more conversions? Then you need to implement mobile marketing as one of your strategies. 

Statistics reveal that about 2.5 billion people around the world own at least one smartphone. That’s too big a crowd to ignore! 

You need to engage in mobile marketing, but the problem is most startups tend to commit certain mobile marketing mistakes. As a result, they experience a disruption in their growth. They fail to reach their targets and lose precious opportunities.

But what exactly are these mistakes you should avoid?

Continue reading as we discuss seven crucial mistakes to avoid in mobile marketing.

1. One Message for All

No mobile marketing strategy will succeed if the right message doesn’t come to the right people. Thus, you need to avoid the mistake of sending one message to all your customers. This is one of the most common mobile marketing mistakes of startups who are eager to connect with their target market.

This error applies to both your SMS and emails. The root of the mistake is failing to consider the different ways customers interact with their mobile devices.

For example, if you want to send an urgent announcement, SMS is your best bet. If you want to send something with a short video attachment, social media or email is your best option. 

2. Missing Out on Mobile Optimization

You always hear the importance of optimization in digital marketing. In the same manner, you need to optimize for mobile.

As we mentioned earlier, millions of Americans buy online using their mobile devices. Hence, you need to ensure that you are using a mobile-friendly website design.

If you miss out on this, users will not be able to appreciate your website to its fullest on their smartphones. Don’t hesitate to ask for help from a professional advertising agency to discover how you can take advantage of this even more.

3. Inefficient Payment Methods

If you’re running an eCommerce store, you need to pay close attention to your online payment methods. Some startups fail to come up with mobile-friendly payment methods. When this happens, you risk losing customers who are a few steps away from purchasing.

To address this, consider investing in a payment service provider (PSP). This way, you can sync your mobile campaign to directly integrate a mobile-friendly payment method.

4. Failing to Maximize Customer Data

Another crucial mistake you need to avoid is failing to gather customer data. And when you fail to gather data, you miss out on using that information in your marketing strategies.

The idea behind data gathering is to get a better grasp of the customers’ experience with your brand.

This also includes how they interact with your website using their mobile devices. You need to get the data that will give you a picture of their behavior every time they interact with your brand. 

Here, a customer data platform (CDP) will massively help in categorizing your users. A CDP will give you additional insights not only on behavior but also on the differences between your customers.

From there, you can create smarter flows. You can formulate more relevant messages that will better appeal to your target market.

5. Poor Call-To-Action Buttons

Since you want to connect with prospective customers through their mobile devices, you need to have an attractive call-to-action (CTA) button. Unfortunately, some startups tend to overlook this. 

Though some may have a CTA button, they fail to consider its proper placement. Ideally, you want your CTA button to be visible. Hence, the best spot to have it is right above the fold.

Placing the CTA button above the fold yields exposure. It also means your customers don’t have to scroll down to access it.

Apart from the CTA button, don’t make the mistake of creating a weak CTA. A poor CTA will only make your customers hesitant. When they become hesitant, they will not click or tap the button.

They will never reach the landing page where you want them to be.

You want to have a clear CTA. You want to persuade users to buy your product, or sign up, or leave a review.  Never use weak CTAs. 

Avoid an overused or uninspiring CTA like “Click Here” or “Buy Here.” This is one of the simplest ways to boost UX for mobile.

6. Not Going Beyond SMS

Though SMS is the basic tool that businesses use in mobile marketing, it’s not the only method available. Don’t commit the mistake of limiting yourself to text. Instead, you need to branch out to other channels.

Over 3.8 billion people across the globe are using social media. Hence, you need to tap prospective clients using Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter. Furthermore, create marketing content that comes with rich media.

Analyze the demographics of your target market. Do you cater mostly to younger people? Then you need to focus more on content for social media. 

Go beyond SMS and adjust the channels according to your target audience. 

7. Having No Retention Plan

Last but not least, don’t go into battle without having a retention plan. A retention plan is what will help you keep your clients after building that initial strong connection. 

Furthermore, it is also your key to creating more value for existing customers. For example, you already experienced an increase in website traffic. You may also be enjoying an all-time high in the number of downloads for your app.

But what happens after that? Apart from attracting new customers, you also want to continue creating new business with existing clients. 

Essentially, a retention plan will help continue generating engagement with old clients. This could mean creating exclusive content or promos for your long-time patrons. Of course, you can include all of these in your mobile marketing.

Go Beyond Avoiding Mobile Marketing Mistakes

Now that you know some of the common mistakes startups commit, you can implement your strategies with fewer hiccups.

But avoiding these mobile marketing mistakes is not enough. 

We invite you to explore our other blog posts on digital marketing for further advice. We discuss different strategies that will keep you a step ahead of the competition.