Mobile marketing has always moved at a fast pace. Even so, the shifts we saw in 2020, prompted in large part by the COVID-19 pandemic, were relatively unprecedented. Calendar year 2020 saw a record-shattering $223 billion expenditure on mobile marketing worldwide, representing a year-over-year increase of some 17 percent. And when the dust settles on 2021, we feel confident in saying that we will see another fairly sizable investment.

Why this big surge of cash into mobile marketing? Simply put, consumer behaviors are changing, and people are spending more and more time online. To capitalize on these changing behaviors, marketers and advertisers need to stay up to date on some big trends. Here’s a preview of what you can expect from mobile marketing in 2022.

Where is Mobile Marketing Headed in 2022?

1) Marketing technology will be increasingly essential.

The first thing we’d advise marketers? Choose your martech stack prudently, specifically seeking technology that you can adapt, upgrade, and change as needed.

Why do we say this? Well, the pandemic drove significant shifts throughout the digital industry, accelerating consumer demand for mobile experiences and digital services. More and more people are using the Web to spend their money, to seek entertainment, etc.

The result is that customer centricity is more pivotal than ever before. Customer centricity refers to a marketing philosophy that provides the end user with a frictionless experience and with highly relevant content. To remain competitive, marketers will need to create these amazing customer experiences, and that’s going to depend on having access to seamless martech, advanced data and analytics, and more.

Specifically, marketers and advertisers need to be able to personalize each user’s experience to their unique interests. The right martech can provide the precise targeting capabilities needed to achieve this.

The bottom line? The digital world is changing at a rapid rate, and the changes are precipitated by evolving consumer desires. To stay on top of these changes, having nimble and adaptable technology is key.

2) Automation will become more and more pivotal.

Speaking of advanced technology, let’s talk about automation.

For marketers, some of the biggest challenges tend to involve managing large and complicated advertising campaigns. Today’s marketers are being asked to oversee more campaigns, spanning more unique channels, than ever before. Attempting to do all of this manually is close to impossible. Thankfully, automation holds part of the answer.

Indeed, statistics show that a majority of marketers are now using automation technology to help keep tabs on all of their campaigns, to track results from different publishers, and to ensure that they are making advertising decisions based on the best available data.

Basically, automation removes some of the grunt work that eats up so much time and mental bandwidth, leaving marketers with a lot more flexibility to focus on developing strategy and cultivating creative assets. Automation can also ensure a more precise use of available data points, and ultimately boost the productivity of any ad campaign.

In 2022, we think it’s going to be more crucial than ever for marketers to take advantage of automation technology.

3) Regulations can and will change.

One final thing for marketers to be aware of heading into 2022: The ever-changing regulatory environment.

The most obvious example of this is privacy regulations, which can potentially upend the entire digital marketing industry overnight. Marketers have to stay abreast of the public discourse and the legislative agenda surrounding online privacy. And, they have to ensure that their vendors and partners are similarly attuned to the changing environment.

Make no mistake: The nature of online privacy laws is changing fast. Within the next couple of years, many of us expect to see a largely cookieless world, where third party data collection is increasingly challenging or ineffective. As such, now is the time to start developing stronger relationships with users, and to work on strategies for first party data collection.

Strong collaborations with creative partners will also be crucial. Make sure you’re working with partners who share your concern for fighting fraud and for establishing long-term relationships with the end user.

The regulatory environment can and will have a major impact on mobile marketing… and the time to prepare for it is now.

Consider the Future of Mobile Marketing

Mobile marketing changes frequently, and it changes fast. That’s what makes it an exciting space, but it’s also what makes it a little bit daunting. One way you can enter 2022 with confidence is to make sure you know about some of these big trends and changes, and plan accordingly.

At enCOMPASS, we’d love to help. Our team is constantly monitoring mobile marketing trends and helping our clients pivot as needed. We’d be happy to talk with you more about what we expect to see in 2022. Reach out to us at your convenience.