The calendar year has switched over and 2018 is underway. Digital and mobile marketing tactics do not exist in a vacuum, and are not static factors that remain same from year to year. As technology advances and consumer behavior changes, clients have to adjust in kind to ensure marketing tactics remain on-point. Here’s a handful of 2018 mobile marketing trends to watch for when crafting Pay Per Call and digital marketing campaigns in the year ahead.
Focus on Micro-Moments
Google is ramping up its focus on so-called “micro-moments.” These moments refer to a point in time when a consumer hops on their smartphone or tablet to try and solve an immediate need. Whether they’re locked out of their house or a pipe just burst, micro-moments are unique interactions that Google is placing a higher value on. For example, if a pipe bursts in the house, a homeowner may search for “emergency plumbing near me.”
Search results display based upon a user’s last known location. In order for client Pay Per Call to keep up, there needs to be a greater focus on localized search keywords. Using localized language in keywords can help improve visibility for Pay Per Call campaigns in these micro-moments.
Need for Branded Apps
Consumers already take advantage of branded apps for individual businesses, with millions of apps in the Google Play Store and Apple’s iTunes. A client app for consumers to use is a piece of visual real estate on the consumer’s phone or tablet, and provides a direct marketing channel for the brand that connects right to the customer. The result in most cases is increased customer engagement. For Pay Per Call campaigns, this means a more direct link to consumers and the ability for them to use click-to-call to immediately contact the business with questions.
Native Ads
Business Insider notes that native ads will make up 74% of total US display ad revenue by 2021. Native ads thrive on giant platforms like Facebook and Twitter, where brands can slip advertisements into social networking streams seamlessly with little to no disruption in the consumer experience on those platforms. Pay Per Call campaigns will benefit from native ads integrated into the consumer’s mobile experience when the ads display without disrupting user actions, while also providing personalized ads that increase value to individual users.
Mobile-First Indexing is More Crucial
As of late 2016, Google began indexing websites based upon client mobile sites rather than desktop sites. Adjusting to the behavior of consumers, mobile sites need to load quickly, feature responsive designs, and require little to no need for pinch-to-zoom technology. Photos and text on mobile sites should appear in the proper place without disrupting the visual display of the site, and all buttons should work with touchscreens. If clients want Pay Per Call marketing efforts to succeed, sites need to be optimized for the mobile experience to ensure that site continues to rank highly in the new mobile-first indexing world.
Read More: Top 4 Digital Marketing Trends from 2017