Do You Have a 2017 Strategy for Cross-Device Marketing?

With mobile now a key platform for digital display ad, social media and e-mail viewing, and even print integrating with mobile and online, marketers clearly need a 2017 cross-device strategy. At AccuList USA, we have expanded our digital marketing offerings, but clients cannot reap full benefits without a commitment to cross-device creative and customer analytics. As a 2016 Econsultancy survey noted, only 14% of marketers said their company was able to handle customer matching across multiple devices, even though almost three-fourths of respondents felt cross-device customer tracking was a strategic priority. Where to start?

Leverage Digital Analytics Reporting

A recent Direct Marketing News article by Pierre DeBois offers some good tips for initiating a cross-device strategy. Start with analytics platform reporting now that Google Analytics, Piwik and Adobe Analytics all offer a user ID feature, a modification to the analytics tag, to allow cross-device visits to be an identifiable segment in the analytics reports. DeBois also suggests setting up report filters for digital traffic to take advantage of what is already known about the digital points at which customers engage, such identifying web traffic by the IP address of a store site to track customers who shop the site while in-store.

Optimize for Mobile & Social

A mobile site that makes it easy for customers to act immediately—whether they want to order, call or download—is a must. Try to keep the mobile site focused on a simple purpose, DeBois advises; for example, a retailer can prioritize an option for in-store shipping delivery. With strong mobile traffic, a marketer can even develop enough audience to support an app launch. Since accessing social media is a key activity for mobile users, and video viewing continues to soar, marketers will want to leverage social traffic stats and demographic parameters to tailor content to social media platforms, with an eye to mobile and visual/video impact. For example, half of YouTube’s traffic arrives via a mobile device. DeBois cites the Google Customer Journey tool as one way for marketers to adjust when media content should be deployed and extend impressions through social media ads.

Use Ad Features That Bridge Devices

Design ads for cross-device viewing and response. Especially take advantage of the paid search platforms’ expanded mobile and IoT (Internet of Things) offerings, with device selection for re-marketing and paid search ads, call extensions and cross-device reporting. For example, Google AdWords reporting can display an overview of cross-device activity, showing assisting device and device paths reports and comparing last click and click-assists. Marketers can use this tracking to learn about the conversion path—the steps customers take toward a sale, download, or other outcome—and evaluate ad impact.

For the article and more from DeBois, go to http://www.dmnews.com/marketing-strategy/how-to-read-analytics-clues-for-a-cross-device-marketing-strategy/article/570022/