The number of times the average user checks their phone per day is about 46 times, and the younger the user, the higher the average checks per day. That is near twice an hour. For mobile marketers, that means they can impact their customer base twice an hour every single day, and that is just for average users.
There is no question that marketing is moving its focus to the mobile phone sphere of influence, expanding daily across multiple platforms and operating systems to reach consumers where they invest the majority of their online time. This expansion to mobile markets means that brands need to start innovating now how they interact with their customers in this brave new world of mobile internet where 11% of the American population currently accesses the internet exclusively. In fact, there are more people accessing the web solely from their mobile devices than access the internet solely from a desktop computer. It is clear that mobile web rules over all at this stage of the marketing game, and the opportunities for marketers to reach customers via mobile are numerous and ever-growing. The key is to take advantage of every opportunity by converting it into an experience for mobile users.
To gain insight into how to maximise every customer interaction opportunity on the mobile web, let’s take a look at a day in the life of the average mobile phone user to pinpoint the best opportunities to make those moments happen for potential customers.
Morning
The average person prioritises their first activities of the day as follows: 35% start by checking their phones on waking, 17% choose coffee first, and 10% choose to check on family or significant others first. This means from wake up to the first cup, marketers have numerous opportunities to access customers via email and social media. Send out those flashes, social media updates, tweets, and posts around wakeup time for the average person. They may not note it now, but you are planting the seed to check into your products or services later that day.
The next target time is the daily commute: whether on the road or public transportation, podcasts are playing and digital music on advertising-paid channels is streaming. Creating a podcast that is related to your industry and how your product is a part of that industry is also a sound decision, as it expands your audience and therefore your reach.
Finally, users arrive at work, and the day’s mobile phone use is broke up into quick checks of the phone in between tasks on a desktop or laptop computer. Cross-device campaigning can be useful to maximise opportunities during this time frame. Targeting your desktop/standard web marketing to hit email and websites while people work, and then send the occasional mobile app or email flashes when individuals are likely to be on a coffee break.
Lunch and The 2:00 Slump
While only 20% of people actually leave their workspace at lunch time, but that doesn’t mean that those who remain are maximising their productivity either. People will still take little breaks even while working through lunch, and even if they do, most of them are going to check on their phone. Send out that newsletter weekly, on the same day, preferably around lunchtime. This can have a classical conditioning effect, triggering a desire to check their email along with their hunger response, or the email coming through will remind them to eat. Regardless of the reason, marketers still add an additional incidence of contact to the potential customers day.
When the slump hits, usually twice a day around 11 a.m. and again at 2:00 p.m., most people are ready for a brain break. Social media primetime for posts is between 10-11 a.m. on Wednesdays, and the spikes in access times are the best indicators of when professionals are taking a phone break. Try to time posts with these “primetime” hours, and the likelihood of reaching consumers via social media increases dramatically.
After Hours Routine
Once they leave work for the day, most working people want to distract themselves from the events of the day, which presents the perfect opportunity to reach out in less overt ways. While many people hit the gym, find recipes to make for dinner, or unwind with some TV time, many are still engaging with their mobile devices. Send understated ads, notifications, or target apps they are more likely to engage with during these times to make the most of these opportunities. Most people are more suggestible at the end of the day, and many often fall asleep while using their phone or with their phone nearby. End of day is definitely a time frame to target.
Mobile usage is growing, and that growth is unlikely to slow down anytime soon. You need to start setting new goals in this emerging platform via social media, innovative e-mail campaigns, and content publishers with strong ties to social networks. Mobile devices are where brands will generate their shared narratives with users as they communicate and access information throughout their day. Invest your time where people are spending their time, and you will see both your growth and your RIO from advertising increase dramatically.
So if you need some help getting your mobile marketing campaign off the ground, get in touch with the experts at Ora and find out how we can help you get things rolling.