Under the Digital Marketing Lens: Mobile Edition
Have you ever thought about how many mobile devices are out in the world? Why don’t you take a guess? 7 billion? 8 billion? 9 billion?
In a world where the global population is just under 8 billion people, there are more than 15 billion mobile devices now in 2022. This averages out to about 2 devices per person, though I currently do not find myself in the situation, yet.
Along with those devices, there are millions of applications that can be downloaded on each one of them. If you have an Android phone, you have the option to download any of the 3.3 million applications from the Google Play store and if you are an Apple fan, you can download any of the 4.8 million (gaming and non-gaming) applications from the Apple App store. And while not the most popular app store but still among the top 3, Amazon’s App store has just under 500K applications.
With so many applications to choose from, how do you choose which ones to download to your own personal device? Of those that you choose to download, which ones do you use the most?
My Mobile Day Experiment
A recent discussion on this topic had me questioning my own mobile usage. I use my mobile phone daily. It is never too far from my reach. If I need information, if I want to look up a brand, my phone is my preferred choice over my laptop. If I move around the house, I always have it on hand. If I go out, I never leave it behind. It’s almost an extension of my arm. While I knew I used my mobile quite often throughout the day, I didn’t realize how dependent I was on it until I evaluated my overall usage.
I decided to focus on which applications I use every day, and which are the applications I use the most. The marketer in me also decided to explore the reasons why I use each of the applications. Rather than look at a single day, I evaluated which applications I used the most over the course of a week, and surprisingly my top 5 most used applications remained the same.
Most Used Mobile Applications
So here are my top 5 most used mobile applications in a day and the reason why:
Gmail: I often start my day by looking at my emails on my phone because I want to know what’s happening in the fashion and beauty industry before I start my day. I subscribe to a few industry publications as well as marketing publications to learn about new trends and I scan through the headings in those emails. If I find an interesting article, I’ll ’star’ the email so that I can read the full article later.
Instagram: A few times a day, I will open Instagram because I want to learn from and be inspired by the accounts I follow. I’ve been focusing on really curating the content I want to see and have started unfollowing accounts with which I have a very low engagement as well as accounts I no longer want to follow, ensuring that my Instagram feed is filled with inspiring accounts as well as informative accounts about the fashion and beauty industries.
Notes: Throughout the day, I often hear words or expressions or think of an idea that I do not want to forget. While I used to turn to a notebook, I now turn to the Apple Notes application on my phone because I want to write down those words, those quotes, and those ideas to later use in an article or a project where it may add value. It is quite true that you never know when inspiration will strike, and I like to be prepared for anything. Notes app at the ready.
Chrome: As I go about my day, there are often moments when someone will mention something that I immediately want to find out more about. This is when I turn to the Chrome application because I want to know what they are talking about and get more information so that I can be part of the conversation. Equally, I will also open Chrome when I want clarification on something such as a movie, though more often it’s a book or a place I want to know more about. And of course, the one time a day I open Chrome to play a game would be for Worlde. That is very likely the only time I don’t use Chrome to search for information. Maybe someone else, who is also on the Wordle bandwagon, would know what I’m talking about.
iBooks: At the end of my day, I like to wind down and there’s nothing better in my opinion than ending the day with a good book. So, I will open iBooks because I want to read, finishing off my day with something positive whether it’s fiction or not.
Other applications that I use consistently that deserve an honorable mention are LinkedIn (to connect), TikTok (to explore), Evernote (to write), WhatsApp (to communicate), and Google Calendar (to find out what’s next).
The User Experience
One of the many reasons I choose to use these applications over others is because my user experience has few if any pain points, moments in my consumer journey where my experience with the application does not go smoothly. These applications have so far offered me a seamless user experience and for that, I’m thankful because marketer or not, if I am not able to use an application to answer my question immediately, then is that an effective use of my time throughout my consumer journey?
It is quite clear based on my top 5 most used applications that each one answers a different question and solves a different problem, whether it is to know, learn, be inspired by, write or read. As a marketer, it is important to know why a person uses a specific application as well as when they are most likely to use them. These insights allow for a better understanding of the customer and can thereby effectively inform and structure any strategy that may be put in place. By understanding your customer’s story, you can tell them yours at the best time and in the best way possible, framing your message in a way only they can understand.
So, the next time you decide to open an application on your mobile, think about why you chose that application and what answer you hope to get. It just might tell you something you weren’t expecting.
