What are the main types of mobile marketing?

App store optimization, mobile advertising, push notifications, in-app messaging, SMS and MMS marketing, mobile email, location-based marketing and mobile web. App businesses also count paywalls and in-app purchase optimization.

What is the difference between mobile marketing and app marketing?

App marketing is the part of mobile marketing focused on getting installs and keeping app users engaged. Mobile marketing also includes channels that need no app, such as SMS, mobile email and mobile web.

Is email part of mobile marketing?

Yes. Most marketing emails are opened on phones, so mobile-friendly design matters for every email. For app businesses, email also reaches users who disabled push or stopped opening the app. See our guide to the best email marketing tools for iOS apps.

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Mobile & Push

Mobile Marketing

Marketing that reaches people on their smartphones and tablets, through apps, push notifications, in-app messages, SMS, mobile web, mobile ads and app stores.

Definition

Mobile marketing covers every way businesses reach and engage people on mobile devices. For app businesses, it spans acquisition (app store optimization, mobile ads, attribution), engagement (push notifications, in-app messages, Live Activities) and monetization (paywalls, in-app purchases, subscriptions). For brands without apps, it includes SMS and MMS, mobile-friendly email and websites, location-based campaigns and mobile ads. Most email itself is now read on phones, so nearly all digital marketing has a mobile side.

Why It Matters

Phones are where customers spend most of their screen time and where they make many purchase decisions. Mobile channels are also personal and immediate: a push or a text is seen within minutes, which makes them powerful for time-sensitive moments and easy to abuse. Mobile marketing done well combines the reach of email with the immediacy of push and SMS, while respecting the permissions that users can revoke with one tap.

How It Works

A mobile marketing program starts with getting found: store listings, mobile ads and links that route people to the right place in the app. Once people install or subscribe, an SDK identifies them and tracks behavior, and an engagement platform sends push notifications, in-app messages, SMS and email based on that behavior. Permissions, notification opt-in, location access and SMS consent, decide which channels each person can receive. Attribution and analytics connect campaigns to installs, purchases and retention.

Example

A meal-kit company's mobile marketing mix:

Acquisition: Store listing optimized for "meal kit" and "dinner recipes", plus social ads tracked by a mobile measurement partner.
Activation: In-app checklist and a push reminder to choose the first week's meals.
Retention: Weekly push "Your menu is ready" on Thursdays and an email recap for people who rarely open the app.
Revenue recovery: SMS for failed payments to customers who opted in to texts.

Best Practices

1Design every email, landing page and message for small screens first
2Earn push and location permission with in-app primers that explain the benefit
3Use each mobile channel for what it does best, push for timely nudges, in-app for guidance, SMS for urgent updates
4Respect quiet hours and local time zones on push and SMS
5Connect acquisition data to lifecycle messaging so onboarding matches the ad people clicked

Mobile channels next to your email

Sequenzy adds iOS, Android and web push, in-app messages, geofences and SMS to the same sequences and contact profiles as your email.

Learn More