How the global adoption of smartphones will affect music marketing in 2019

Over the past 5-10 years, it is undeniable that smartphones have been a game-changer in the way in which we communicate with other people around the world. With the ability to instantly message anyone on the planet, record 4K video, and manage social media profiles all from the touch of a screen, technology has certainly come a long way. People of all ages are using smartphones around the world; grandparents in Africa, mothers in Asia, and kids in Europe. But how does this global adoption affect music marketing? And what are some upcoming trends to expect over the next 24 months? That is what we shall discuss during this article.

Firstly, customer security is of high importance when planning any venture within social media (or any other industry). With the Cambridge Analytica scandal, and many others being propelled into the media limelight, it comes as no surprise to learn that public expectations of security are extremely high. So whether you run a record label, sample company, music blog, or anything else, SSL certificates should be high on the priority list for anybody wishing to take the privacy of their customers seriously. After all, nobody wants to be responsible for the leak of thousands of customers’ data. Not only will this create security for your music website, but it will also help to establish trust between both you and the consumer if they are certain that their data is safe.

Next, anybody wishing to do music marketing should be focused on a primary mobile society. With the majority of citizens checking their news & social feeds etc from a smartphone, it is clearly common sense that all websites and experiences are optimized for the device. Here are some questions that you should ask yourself:

How does the overall website look on a mobile platform in comparison to a desktop version?

Very often, mobile versions are a trimmed down version of what the desktop experience may offer. With fewer features & audience interactions, it is understandable as to why many consumers are not keen on several mobile sites. In order to optimize it for mobile, you have to first consider the formatting of your content. For example, a small paragraph on a desktop may look like several pages worth of content on the mobile device. 

Does the content look aesthetically pleasing on a mobile device?

There is nothing worse than opening a mobile webpage to see that the images are weirdly cropped, or the videos do not have captions (as the majority are played without sound). During the development of your site/social pages, ensure that the mobile previews look great.

Is the checkout experience seamless and easy to navigate?

Is your website integrated with Apple Pay or similar services? Do you have PayPal integrated onto the site? Mobile users care about saving time – and so these features are absolutely crucial when optimizing for a mobile device. If the consumer has to pull out their credit card and physically type in the data, there’s a high probability that the majority won’t bother.

How can this be improved for the mobile user?

Constantly ask yourself how your website can be improved. Listen to feedback (and complaints) from customers so that everybody is satisfied within the process.

Despite the fact that roughly half of all internet traffic is now from smartphones, many websites still do not optimize the user experience to accommodate for this. For example, a user may have to zoom in towards the navigation, or the formatting of text may be poor on the mobile version. Likewise, minimizing the mobile load time on a website page will help to retain high amounts of traffic on your site. No matter what aspect of the music industry you are in, optimizing your content for a smartphone is absolutely essential if you wish to succeed during 2019.

Throughout the past few years, it has been proven that users have a desire to experience beautiful colours on their large screens. With the iPhone X being one of the most popular phones, music marketers need to ensure that each design is vibrant in colour, and compliments the display of the user’s device. For example, having vertical images & videos with bright colours will help to enhance the user’s perception of your brand due to the fact that the content is more engaging and optimized to their device.

Several years ago, we got introduced to Apple’s Voice Assistant named Siri. With the ability to add items into our calendar, change the music we played, and so much more, it was literally a game-changer of innovation for the 21st century. Now with the likes of Amazon Alexa, Apple HomePod, and Google Assistant, the number of voice devices around the world are forever increasing. As somebody looking to do marketing in the music industry, you should be heavily focused on Voice SEO, and how to take advantage of Amazon rankings etc using voice (if you are selling products). 

Finally, augmented reality is something that not a lot of people within the electronic music industry are taking notice of. With Snapchat showcasing new AR lenses on a daily basis, and Facebook implementing Augmented Reality technology into its products, AR is certainly something to take note of. Already, there have been multiple examples of Augmented Reality music videos, festival experiences, lyric videos, and much more. In contrast, Virtual Reality (VR) still has a long way to go before it hits mainstream adoption. However, augmented reality may certainly become the norm over the next 12-18 months.