Mobile marketing is generating a better return on investment this year than last year, according to Salesforce.com Inc.’s new “2016 State of Marketing Report.”

The report finds that 77% of marketers say that mobile apps, text messages and push notifications deliver either “significant” or “some” return on their investment.

With such returns dependent on mobile marketing, it’s no wonder companies’ use of various mobile marketing tactics—from text messages to push notifications—has soared over the past year. Use of mobile apps and text messages for marketing purposes doubled in the 2016 survey from 2015, to more than 50% of marketers, and use of mobile push notifications more than doubled to 45%. (Push notifications appear on the screen of a recipient’s phone even before it is opened.) Marketers ranked exclusive deals and loyalty programs as the most effective mobile marketing campaigns of 2016.

The Salesforce report, conducted in the first quarter of 2016, surveyed 3,975 marketers from the United States, Canada, Brazil, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Sweden, Japan and Australia. 29% of respondents were involved in business-to-business marketing, 45% in business-to-business-to-consumer marketing, and 26% in B2C marketing. Industries surveyed include: consumer products and retail; high tech; professional services; engineering, construction, and real estate; financial services; education; media and communications; hospitality, travel, and transportation; healthcare and life sciences; manufacturing; government and other public institutions; automotive; agriculture and mining; and energy. The report was conducted on behalf of Salesforce Research by FocusVision, which is based in the United Kingdom and maintains its U.S. headquarters in Stamford, Conn.

The following percentages of marketers agree with the following statements about mobile marketing in 2016:

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  • Mobile marketing generates significant return on investment, or ROI, 38%;
  • Mobile marketing generates some ROI, 39%;
  • Mobile marketing will eventually generate ROI, 18%;
  • Mobile marketing indirectly generates ROI, 4%;
  • Mobile marketing does not generate ROI, 1%.

The following percentages of respondents reported using these mobile channels for marketing in 2016/2015:

  • Mobile applications, 54% / 27%;
  • Mobile text message (SMS), 51% / 24%;
  • Mobile push notifications, 45% / 19%;
  • Location-based mobile tracking, 44% / 18%.

The following percentage of marketers rated these mobile campaigns as either effective or very effective:

  • Exclusive deals, 80%;
  • Loyalty, 78%;
  • Browse retargeting, 75%;
  • Post-purchase onboarding, 75%;
  • Post-purchase, 75%;
  • Promotional content, 75%;
  • Holiday, 74%;
  • Partner-onboarding journeys, 74%;
  • Location-based campaigns, 74%.

Post-purchase onboarding refers to sharing information with business or retail customers, such as inquiries about customer satisfaction or follow-up product promotions, after they make a purchase to keep them involved as a customer. Partner-onboarding refers to when a product supplier shares information with a new or prospective sales channel partner, such as a distributor, dealer or retailer, to engage them as an active business customer and reseller.

Sign up for a free subscription to B2BecNews, a twice-weekly newsletter that covers technology and business trends in the growing B2B e-commerce industry. B2BecNews is published by Vertical Web Media LLC, which also publishes the monthly business magazine Internet Retailer. Follow Nona Tepper, associate editor for B2B e-commerce, on Twitter @ntepper90.

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