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Top Mobile Marketing Trends and Influencers to Watch for 2018

Subharun Mukherjee 18+ years of experience leading product strategy, Go-To-Market (GTM), new market entry, value-based sales, analyst relations, and customer experience programs. Expertise in Financial Services, eCommerce, on-demand services, and the SaaS industry.
Top Mobile Marketing Trends and Influencers to Watch for 2018

Remember when app indexing, native ads, and mobile website optimization were a big deal? Responsive design and page speed are now expected.
Mobile marketing trends change just as fast as mobile technology does.
So where’s mobile marketing heading in 2018? What do you need to know to stay ahead of the curve?
We list 5 must-watch trends you need to know for 2018, along with the experts who can give you tips and best practices for each.

Trend #1: Proximity Marketing

Proximity Marketing is the localized wireless distribution of advertising content associated with a particular place. Marketing messages can be received by individuals in specific locations, if they wish to receive them and have the necessary equipment to do so.
While some voice privacy concerns, many marketers are using proximity marketing to create the personalized app experience users have come to expect. Bluetooth, NFC, and Wifi have been popular technologies for proximity marketing, but beacon technology is catching on in the retail industry.
According to the 2017 Proximity Marketing in Retail Report, 75% of U.S. retailers are integrating beacon technology into their marketing mix — and retailers have seen a 9% increase in profits and 175% ROI.
Here are a couple of experts on Proximity Marketing who you can tips and best practices.
Asif Khan

Influencer: Asif Khan

@AsifRKhan
A veteran tech startup, business development, and marketing entrepreneur with more than 15 years experience, Asif is currently the Founder and President of the Location Based Marketing Association.
Podcasts from the LBMA share best practices and growth guidelines. Via the LBMA, Asif Khan aims to be the global voice of the location-based marketing industry.
His latest podcasts feature industry experts and stories from brands that are leveraging location based marketing. They also feature use cases that can help marketers today easily apply in their own businesses – such as integration of QR codes, using facial recognition, leveraging AR capabilities in Location Marketing and much more! Listen to Asif’s weekly podcasts here.
Cory Holliman

Influencer: Cory Holliman

@CoryHolliman
Cory is a leading social media, mobile, and brand marketing consultant as well as an author and speaker. With over 2 million Facebook followers, Cory is known as ‘The Social Architect,’ and shares lead generation and proximity marketing strategies on LinkedIn.
It surely caught our attention and will intrigue you to dig deeper too when you hear him say, there is a better way to reach potential customers where everyone with a Bluetooth Enabled Android phone, will see your ad within a 100 yard radius (the size of a football field). Read his articles here to learn more about proximity marketing, from set up costs to local marketing techniques and more.

Trend #2: Machine Learning & Artificial Intelligence

Machine learning (ML) is the ability for computer programs to analyze big data, extract information, and learn from it.
Essentially, it gives machines the ability to learn and adapt through experience.
Armed with this information, mobile marketers can better act on data-based insights. Check out this article for a detailed example of how Machine Learning can help companies increase conversions and predict buying behavior.
Tamara McCleary

Influencer: Tamara McCleary

@TamaraMcCleary
Tamara is the founder and CEO of Thulium, a brand amplification company that specializes in B2B social media account-based marketing. She is also ranked in the Top 25 AI/Machine Learning influencers.


Read her article on the top 5 digital trends for 2018, where she covers the growing importance of IoT, AI, and intelligent data management. She explains in simple words how the impact of new technologies will have an impact on businesses in 2018 and beyond.
Andrew Ng

Influencer: Andrew Ng

@AndrewYNg
Andrew Ng led the development of Stanford University’s main Massive Open Online Courses platform and has also taught 100000 students Machine Learning. This led to him founding Coursera, an online education platform offering courses from the world’s top universities.
He also founded and led the “Google Brain” project, which developed massive-scale deep learning algorithms. He continues to work on deep learning applications for computer vision and speech, including autonomous driving.
Andrew’s Twitter feed covers the latest machine learning trends, and his website collects his latest videos and publications.

Trend #3: Social Media Goes Mobile

2.8 billion active users are currently accessing social media networks on various devices. But in the past few months, there has been a spike in social media activity on mobile.
Social Media Stats
Marketers go where their audiences are. Instagram, Pinterest, Snapchat, and Tumblr are extremely popular, and statistics show that more than 53% of users following brands on Instagram. Also, people referred by Pinterest are 10% more likely to make an ecommerce purchase.
Shaun McBride

Influencer: Shaun McBride

@Shonduras
Shaun McBride has quickly become a top social media expert, most notably as the first viral marketing influencer on Snapchat. He’s been able to leverage his following to earn revenue for his company in a variety of ways, from keynote speaking to selling merchandise, branded content, and more.
In fact, Disney saw the potential for influencer marketing via Snapchat and decided to work with McBride to showcase their parks. McBride has since worked AT&T, Samsung, Redbull, and Taco Bell, and was named to the Forbes 30 under 30 list in 2017.
While you can read more about him on his website, make sure to follow him on Snapchat for innovative social media marketing ideas.

Trend #4: Video Marketing

SocialMediaToday’s 2017 video marketing statistics show that online videos will account for 80% of all consumer internet traffic by 2020.
Almost all social media platforms, from Facebook and Twitter to Periscope and Snapchat, have seen considerable growth in video views. And this trend is only growing.
Marketers are spending more on producing brand videos, including live videos and square videos optimized for mobile.
Here are a couple of video marketing influencers that you can follow to keep up with the latest video marketing strategies.
David Murdico

Influencer: David Murdico

@DavidMurdico
David founded The Supercool Creative Agency to create edgy brand videos, promos, trailers, and ads for global brands like T-Mobile, Pizza Hut, and Bausch and Lomb.


If you are wondering how to set aside budget for video marketing, or even looking fore easy video production tips for small businesses or startups, all the answers are on his blog. We found some amazing information on how to build a Video Marketing Strategy, as well as 10 most important things to get you started.
Lou Bortone

Influencer: Lou Bortone

@loubortone
Known as “The Video Godfather,” Lou Bortone is a respected specialist in online branding. He’s worked with top brands like Fox, NBC, and E! Entertainment Television.
Check out Lou’s YouTube channel for video marketing tips, tools, trends, tutorials, and much more.
Here’s one of our favorite videos by Lou:

Trend #5: Mobile Commerce

Mobile ecommerce is booming in the US. Thanks to the influx of tech savvy shoppers, the market is now worth more than $100 billion this year.
Mcommerce Sales Stats
While trends show that m-commerce is on the rise, research also shows that retail and ecommerce apps are among the most-deleted apps. It becomes extremely important to leverage mobile shopping habits for better user engagement.
Perhaps getting your hands on some best practices from these Mobile Commerce experts can help you tackle issues.
Dejan Jacimovic

Influencer: Dejan Jacimovic

@dejanjacimovic
Dejan Jacimovic hosts the eCommerce Show podcast. Each episode features an interview with a store owner or ecommerce thought leader, discussing a range of topics from customer support, growth strategies, automation and integrations, mobile integrations, social media, strategic partnerships, working with developers, and more.


Follow The Ecommerce Show on Twitter.
Andrew Youderian

Influencer: Andrew Youderian

@youderian
Andrew is the founder of eCommerceFuel, a private community for high-earning ecommerce store owners. He also shares tips related to ecommerce and m-commerce on his podcast.
Follow him on Twitter, where he curates insightful articles on all things ecommerce.


And check out the thriving discussion forum at eCommerceFuel. The archives are chock full of valuable information on a variety of e-commerce topics.
What do you think are the top mobile marketing priorities among today’s leading brands?
Is it social marketing? Internet of things? Or is it content, video, cross-channel, or even marketing automation?
Many of these approaches have likely cropped up in your strategy sessions. How did you integrate them into your marketing campaigns? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

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Last updated on March 29, 2024
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