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73pc of mobile device users engage with social networking: ABI Research

Mobile device users are heavily engaged with social, with many visiting social network sites daily, per a study by ABI Research.

The ABI Research Technology Barometer found that 73 percent of mobile device owners in the United States use their phones to visit social networking sites daily and, sometimes, more than once a day. The size of the number suggests an important role for mobile social networking with marketers.

?It is not surprising that mobile users would be interested in social networking but the level is somewhat bracing,? said Neil Strother, Kirkland, WA-based practice director at ABI Research.

?This isn?t something that a few people are doing -- it clearly has legs,? he said. Facebook, which has over 250 million mobile users, has been a big driver of mobile social networking activity,? he said.

?Whether you have a smartphone or a feature phone, if you want to stay connected to Facebook, it is a relatively easy thing to do.?

Big role for email
The data comes from an online survey conducted by ABI research in March that asked 2,000 mobile users a wide range of questions about their mobile use.

For marketers, the implications of these numbers is that mobile social networking can provide a significant number of eyeballs to reach.

?There is a portion of people engaging with social networking and if I can put my brand in front of them while they are mobile to connect with coupons or other content, those are touch points I want to be in,? Mr. Strother said.

ABI?s data showed that checking email is also a popular activity for mobile device owners, with 80 percent of respondents engaged in this activity. This was followed by checking weather and reading news, with 63 percent of respondents engaging in each of these activities.

The list of popular mobile device activities also includes playing music (53 percent), viewing stock quotes (53 percent), checking sports scores (51 percent), searching for information (48 percent) and playing games (39 percent).

?What this shows is that people are engaging with content and digital activities that are across a broad range of types ? it is not just fun, utility and information,? Mr. Strother said. ?This shows how broad the connection can be in mobile.

?This means that marketers have an opportunity to reach mobile users through news, weather, search and even in gaming,? he said.

The breadth of mobile activity suggests marketers need to be taking a closer look at mobile and making sure that they are reaching them with the right messaging.

?Smart marketers have to look at the mobile platform in ways that they didn?t just a few years ago,? Mr. Strother said. ?They should be asking if they want to be there when mobile users are looking at news or engaging in other activities.

?Are you there with messages that are appropriate to the mobile audience? Today, that is an important question,? he said.

Final Take
Chantal Tode, Assoc. Editor, Mobile Marketer