Everything happens on a 4-inch screen nowadays. Deals get sealed, brands get chosen, and content goes viral – all on that teeny tiny screen. A few years ago, no one would have thought that anything beyond a social media campaign would have to be optimized to work well on a mobile screen. But now when mobile phones are driving the majority of the traffic for web visits, email open rates, and banner ad clicks to name a few, the game is different.
There is usually a lot of talk about strategies, techniques, platforms, and software a brand can utilize to ace its mobile marketing campaigns. But the one thing that no one can afford to neglect is how to design those campaigns so that they are not just technically perfect, but immensely attractive too.
So here is a guide on how to make your mobile marketing campaign designs stand out every single time.
Let’s get right into it.
For the longest time, the market considered mobile marketing to be solely centered around SMS marketing. But that is far from the case currently. Right now, mobile marketing is any marketing campaign (SMS, Email, web, app, social media, and so on) that aims to reach the audience via their mobile phone screens.
And this is a great strategy because mobile phones have become an equalizer in our world.
So what are the customers searching for and interacting with using their mobile phones? This is critical information since research tells us that users spend over 69% of their time on mobile phones.
Now we really know that everything happens via a mobile phone. It can be daunting to think that all that stands between you and your ideal customer is a small 4-6inch screen device. Not to mention the heavy competition mobile marketing is witnessing over the past few years. Everyone wants a piece of this pie.
That is why design becomes your only salvation to stand out in a crowd of tired campaigns.
So what exactly is the way to make design pop in mobile marketing campaigns?
Mobile-optimized websites and campaigns have a higher chance of success than mobile-friendly ones. Why should your customer get a lesser experience just because of the choice of device?
Also, knowing that the majority of the traffic, leads, and conversions are coming from a customer who is connecting with a mobile phone, that is completely unacceptable. So let’s see how you can build a mobile-first experience for your customers that translates into a successful relationship.
Let’s dive in.
Less is more when it comes to mobile marketing campaigns. This applies to an SMS, Email, banner ad, social media graphics, or any other form of content. Let us not forget that the customer is accessing this information via a small screen, smaller than what you are used to designing for.
Brevity is your friend, your best friend, and your savior. That is the only thing that will engage the customers without overwhelming them or boring them.
So across all elements of your mobile marketing campaign design, ensure that :
Possibly one of the most important factors in the success of any mobile marketing campaign has to be the UI/UX design. While this is a concept that everyone constantly connects with website design and landing pages, UI and UX are important everywhere.
Did you know that 75% of smartphone users only use one thumb to interact with the screen? This means that the designer has to position the most important elements such as CTA buttons, clickable links, and other responsive elements in a way that the user can reach them with one thumb.
A good UI is also a responsive UI. Layout design, page design, and overall arrangement of elements play a vital role in deciding the attractiveness of any mobile marketing campaign.
A person should not have to zoom into various parts of the page to navigate the mobile site. The content should fit the screen and be easy to read. There should be a limited number of action buttons and, ideally, only have one or two. – Abhinai Srivastava, Mashgin, Inc.
So, when you have a mobile marketing campaign at hand, pause for a second and consider the user experience before checking any technical aspect. The conversion numbers will show you that it was a wise decision.
When we say that customers spend over 69% of their time on smartphones, we also have to account for the fatigue that comes with it. This fatigue translates to missed details, forgettable messages, and a brand’s fight to make itself memorable.
What if we told you that more than great copy it is great design that can solve this for you? Yes, it is true.
Time and again, research has shown us that humans retain visual information much longer than textual information. We notice images and faces before words as well. So why spend time on headlines and other textual elements for recall value when you can achieve it using your brand identity itself?
Yes, celebrate your brand identity in every campaign by :
With these simple steps, any brand can break out from the crowded content space that mobile phones can be, and create a memorable interaction. When you have clear brand guidelines in place, each of your designs will celebrate your brand identity.
It is not just brand identity alone that the customer has to notice at first glance in your campaign. When a busy customer opens an email, they want the message to be easily accessible within the first 10 seconds. Now, you have a lot of information to convey so what do you do?
Designers use a concept called visual hierarchy that allows them to guide the customers’ eyes seamlessly across the design. This is done by varying the font size/style, choosing the right color, and using images to attract attention over words.
In mobile marketing, this is an important concept to master because time is of the essence here. You want to deliver the best to your customer but that has to be done within their attention span itself.
So, use visual hierarchy to ensure :
If these elements pop out and do their job well, the customer will come back for another glance and take in the message as you intended them to.
Our first point here was about keeping it simple. This point may feel like a contradiction but bookending it this way is not the intention and it does not have to be a contradiction too.
File sizes and loading times can in no way be an excuse for lifeless, static, and boring mobile ads. Like we said before, customers deserve your best foot forward, no matter what the platform is. Motion in an ad is as important as the headline or the CTA. Simple animated elements or GIFs can truly change the effectiveness of your mobile ads, especially for banner ads for mobile phones.
Bannerflow co-founder, and product developer, Daniel Jacobsson, makes the point “that today, browsers for mobiles are just as competent as those for desktop. And that advanced features should be embraced in mobile ads”.
All you need is the right mindset and a good design team to deliver a sophisticated motion graphics-filled mobile marketing campaign.
Last but definitely not the least, your advent into mobile marketing mastery is not complete without the mention of dark mode. Even if you get all your ducks in a row for the best mobile marketing campaign, without dark mode compatibility, the message may fall short.
The dark mode is no longer the exception but is a norm amongst the majority of smartphone users, especially Millennials and Gen Z. And this is a customer base with significance. So before you roll out any campaign, test how it looks in dark mode and see what you can do to create a better experience.
Mobile marketing is here to stay and make a huge dent in every digital marketing strategy. So get ahead of the curve and master the design end of your mobile marketing campaign. There is truly no stopping you then.
