How the datafication of marketing is affecting the mobile experience

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Marketers have never had greater access to customer data than they do today. And as a result, we'll start to see greater uses of data to provide more context in how customers engage on mobile devices. Additionally, more and more marketers will get better at using their data for marketing purposes. It's going to be a scramble in the digital marketing world to harness and use customer data from the mobile experience, and as more people are starting to experiment with this, those who miss the boat will be left far, far behind.

We can see a trend in mobile advertising, where perhaps the biggest bucks are being spent on mobile. The CPC campaigns, where it all began, died at the hands of more complex CPI campaigns. Once advertisers started paying for installs, the focus shifted from enticing users to click to having them actually download the app. This would only be possible once conversion tracking tech becomes more commonplace and the tech stabilizes a little. Retargeting and re-engagement then comes into play, as the tech develops even a little further. All along, the ecosystem is working on using the data and tech that's being built up to provide users with better experiences. This next movement is growing out of that same drive.

Today, most mobile apps are static in that they don't respond well to context. Apps more or less always behave the same regardless of who you are, where you are, and what you do. Yet now we're starting to see more and more companies experiment with using customer source data and injecting it into apps for contextualizing the customer experience. Good targeting was just the first step. Now we're entering an era where marketers are able to move large quantities of data around in order to do some really innovative things to contextualize conversations with customers.

These techniques seem daunting to a lot of people, but they aren't that complicated.

So how can you ensure that you're not left in the dust?
If you have a tracking system in place, you already have tons of data to engage your customers on a much more personal level. The following are some key use cases that you can start using today:

Customize the on-boarding experience

Leverage your real-time advertising data to optimize the initial in-app user experience. By using data you're already capturing about your customers from the ads they click, you can dynamically match the content in your on-boarding process to the ads the customer was shown, and tailor the on-board views based on ad messaging and images that were clicked.

For instance, tech fashion startup Vinted decided to customize its initial customer on-boarding experience by using advertising data. The company tracks dozens of advertising sources and the performance of each ad creative displayed. By funneling data, such as the product image and message displayed, in the ad to the customer, Vinted was able to pull the ad creative shown and generate the on-boarding process dynamically when the customer opened the app for the first time. By creating a more contextually relevant in-app experience for new customers, Vinted was able to increase their conversion rates and customer engagement from the onset.

Through excellent targeting, many app businesses are great at targeting specific USPs and use cases to specific customers, but fall short when it comes to emphasizing those selling points in the product itself. In one case, a mobile payments provider converts customers from many different verticals: flea market stands, independent coffee shops, or service providers on the go. Each of these customers has varying contexts in which they use the service and problems that the service solves. By looking at the marketing data, the app is able to serve a different on-boarding process, including customized video material that seamlessly ties into the wording and USPs that the creatives sell to customers.

Drive social referrals

Did you know that social referrals can become smarter by mixing in tracking data?

More and more app developers are starting to build better social referral mechanisms. Each social referral is a source, like a creative, and many already track the performance of customers who are coming specifically from referrals from other customers. By plugging this data into the chain, the app can immediately pull up your friends' profiles and deliver rewards in real-time, before a standard funnel even takes place.

By building those social connections, you can create smart social recognition connections, close the referral circle to track results, and increase your customer referrals volume.

Streamline couponing

Especially in re-engagement campaigns, we're starting to see numerous apps offering special deals via coupons for customers who return to the app. Being able to pull this data directly from a straightforward API when the customer first opens the app allows your app to contain all its functionality, knowing in real-time immediately, and with no visible delay, if the coupon should be redeemed or not.

For instance, if you give someone a coupon for a pizza off Delivery Hero, you can not only start the app by showing the available pizza places, you'll immediately discount it at the checkout. This is a completely new experience we're starting to see rising among app marketing that's leading to increases in conversion rates.

It's not too late to start using more data

Marketing data is the future of mobile apps and customer experiences -- and there's no doubt in the industry that this need for more and better marketing data and the tools to manage it will continue to grow.

It's time to ask yourself if you are using the data sources that you have at your fingertips most efficiently to engage your customers.

How are you best using your advertising data? Your in-app data? Your partner data?

The future haves and have-nots in marketing will be separated by how effectively they are using their customer data. If you haven't already, now is the time to begin taking big steps in connecting your customer data and actions inside and outside the app experience to create a brighter future.