Chatbots, Automation And Self-service Should Be On Your Mobile ‘to Do’ List

Chatbots, Automation And Self-service Should Be On Your Mobile ‘to Do’ List

by | Sep 1, 2017 |

Spring has sprung and this much-anticipated annual event on everyone’s calendar means there are now just four months to go until the end of the year. Of course, this also means that there are a mere 120 days left to refine your brand’s approach to mobile marketing, if you haven’t already done so. As we have said before, there really is no need to panic if you haven’t got all your mobile ducks in a row. The past is done. What’s important is to get moving on mobile now. Let’s forget about rehashing such illustrative stats as there are more people accessing the web via mobile than via desktop (that’s been the case globally for at least two years) and 80% of people have their cellphones within a metre of them most of their waking (and sleeping) day. We’ve discussed some mobile marketing plan fundamentals before that would have included such ‘to do list’ items for savvy brand managers as the absolute necessity of building a scaled-down mobile version of your website and the need to investigate location-based campaigns that help you connect with current and potential customers when they’re in your brand’s physical sphere of influence. So, to add to your already lengthy mobile to do list, here are some little-known, up-and-coming mobile must-haves that are worthy of investigation before the end of 2017. Firstly, chatbots are becoming big. Forbes magazines already predicted some time back that, in 2017, more brands will be able to serve consumers using conversational interfaces. Secondly, investigate automation. Sorry we can’t be more specific here, save to say that smart apps are ushering...
Mobile Ads Need To Be Viewable & Not Overly Intrusive

Mobile Ads Need To Be Viewable & Not Overly Intrusive

by | Jul 18, 2016 |

Two pieces of news that made their appearance on the web this week caught my eye. The first item is fantastic news (and contains a dash of obvious common sense) for those mobile marketers and their clients who might have been worried by all the recent talk of the burgeoning ad blocker industry. Apparently, a whopping 83 percent of people using ad blockers only want to avoid overly intrusive adverts that take control of their browsers away from them. I think that’s a pretty obvious observation and brings us firmly back into the realm of reality when it comes to blocking software. We all know that consumers use advertising to inform their purchasing decisions. Why then would they opt to block all ads? They know they would make some pretty lousy buying decisions if they did that. So, this new survey by popular ad blocker, Adblock Plus, confirms that the vast majority of consumers are only looking to block intrusive overly “obnoxious” ads. The article I read suggests a way forward for marketers faced with increasing numbers of blockers. That way forward is how InTarget has been designing mobile campaigns since its inception. Campaigns must inform, not annoy. The must be personal, not irrelevant. Ads must speak to, not speak at. It’s as simple as that – almost! The second mobile marketing item that caught my attention was the news that advertisers are wasting about R14 billion a year on non-viewable ads. A report from ad verification company, Meetrics, says publishers are upping the speed at which ads are re-loaded or auto-refreshed to raise inventory levels and revenue. The...