Solving B2B Marketing Challenges with Mobile Marketing Automation

The mobile marketing landscape is experiencing explosive growth, with no indication of slowing down. Mobile usage now surpasses desktop in nearly every industry, and B2B companies have quickly recognized the importance of mobile-first strategies. Of course, this growth is fueled by data-driven marketing trends, which have risen user expectations for personalized, real-time engagement.

However, despite this boom in mobile marketing, B2B marketers still face significant challenges, such as lengthy sales cycles, fragmented communication channels, limited personalization, and difficulty in proving ROI. Mobile Marketing Automation, or MMA, offers a powerful solution that addresses all of these challenges. Please get familiar with what Mobile Marketing Automation is and how to use it to your advantage.

Part 1: What Is Mobile Marketing Automation?

Definition: What is MMA?

First things first, we need to unravel what Mobile Marketing Automation is.

The user journeys you will build by using these tools can include push notifications, in-app messages, SMS campaigns, and mobile-friendly emails.

Similarly, we can also explain what is Mobile App Marketing Automation. Just like MMA, this is using a Mobile Marketing Automation platform to automate, personalize, and optimize marketing tasks for your mobile app. The actions you can add to your user journey are push notifications, OTPs, and emails promoting your app's functions and features.

Core Capabilities of MMA

At this point, you might start thinking about how to find the right tool for your business. However, any Mobile Marketing Automation software will offer you some core capabilities. These are the following:

• Real-Time Behavioral Triggers : your automation should be based on your user actions. Most Mobile Marketing Automation tools will automatically send messages based on the triggers you choose, such as app downloads, cart abandonment, or specific feature usage.
• Cross-Channel Messaging : The great thing about the best Mobile Marketing Automation platform is that it will allow you to coordinate campaigns across multiple channels. For instance, you will be able to send push notifications, SMS, in-app notifications, and email on the same user journey if needed.
• Personalized Campaign Journeys : These automation tools also have the capability of creating custom user journeys that cater to individual behaviors and attributes. This aims to deliver a personalized communication strategy that will boost your results.
• Segmentation & Targeting : When you have a large number of users, it can often be difficult to segment them. With these tools, you can categorize users based on demographics, actions, device types, and even usage patterns.

• Analytics & Reports : No marketing tool is complete without some sort of analytics. You can measure the impact of your campaigns and attribute ROI to specific user actions.

Traditional vs. MMA Marketing

But do you need separate marketing automation for mobile apps? Things will become clear when we compare traditional marketing with MMA.

Let's see how they compare in five different elements:

• Channels : traditional marketing techniques can be used both online and offline. It mostly focuses on email and SMS communications. Mobile app marketing automation can utilize a great variety of online channels, such as SMS, emails, in-app, and web push notifications.
• Personalization : In traditional marketing, personalization takes the back seat. On the flip side, MMA takes personalization on a whole new level, with its advanced segmentation capabilities.
• Campaign Management : In traditional marketing, you must launch each campaign by hand, which can be time-consuming. Mobile Marketing Automation makes the process much easier by automating your campaigns based on pre-determined triggers.
• Targeting : When it comes to customer targeting, traditional marketing can do it effectively up to a point. MMA takes things much further by allowing micro-segmentation for even more personalized communications.
• Feedback : In traditional marketing, it takes some time to get your reports, often daily or monthly. However, in Mobile Marketing Automation tools, you can expect to find real-time reports.

For a quick comparison, here is a table you can reference at any time:

3 Types of MMA

One of the most deciding factors for marketing automation mobile apps is the element you wish to focus on. There, we can distinguish 3 separate types:

#1 User-Based Automation

The user-based automation will target specific users based on their demographics and characteristics. Usually, it takes the form of rule-based segmentation. Some great examples include a user journey for promoting the premium plan to users that have downloaded your mobile app 30 days ago, and a journey for your app users who are based oina specific location.

#2 Event-Based Automation

Another type of automation is based on the actions and inactions that your users are taking. In reality, it is super dynamic as it reacts to what your users do in real time. This way, the communications are highly contextual and personalized. Great examples are sending a push notification to users who haven't completed the purchase in your app and triggering a thank-you message after the user has made a purchase.

#3 Prediction-Based Automation

The final type of automation can forecast user behavior. This is a more advanced type that you will find only in the leading apps for Mobile Marketing Automation. Made possible by AI or machine learning algorithms, this type uses historical data to predict future outcomes. For example, this can be utilized to identify the users that are most likely to install your app, to send coupons to the users that are most like to make a purchase, or to predict the optimal hours for sending your campaigns.

Part 2: 5 Must-Have Features in Mobile Marketing Automation Platforms

Since there are numerous tools out there that bring you MMA capabilities, how can you make the right choice? Well, we have hand-picked the five must-have features that you should look out for in a mobile marketing automation platform.

#1 Omnichannel Integration

Nowadays, customers give priority to consistency, especially in their mobile communications. Omnichannel integration ensures that your message is unified whether it appears in an app, in an email, through a text message, or as a push notification. The goal of this feature is to maintain your brand continuity while, at the same time, you reach your audience where they are.

#2 Advanced Segmentation

Your Mobile Marketing Automation software should offer you advanced segmentation capabilities. It's not enough to just separate your contacts into different lists, but you should be able to create separate workflows for their different characteristics. For instance, your user journey should be different for iOS and Android users, as there are significant differences in the operating systems

Furthermore, some MMA platforms also have dynamic segmentation capabilities. This means that they can automatically update your segments based on real-time data. Therefore, every time a user shows a different behavior, they will move the contact to the appropriate list.

#3 A/B Testing & Optimization

As a business, you need to invest in a Mobile Marketing Automation platform that can help you optimize your campaigns. The most valuable technique you should be able to use in the tool of your choice is A/B testing. In this, you can test separate elements of your user journeys to find which one works the best for your audience.

When you get the results, you can optimize your existing journeys or create new ones based on them. The best platforms might also test the different versions on a small part of your audience, and then automatically send the best-performing version to the rest.

#4 Compliance & Security

More and more businesses have started finding their audience all around the world. If you have global customers, then you should take compliance and security seriously. The best Mobile Marketing Automation platforms will include compliance-ready features for regulations like GDPR, HIPAA, and CCPA. At the same time, they will have taken extra steps to keep your and your customers' data secure.

#5 ROI Dashboards

When it comes to marketing, you need to be in a position to evaluate the results of your investment. ROI dashboards provide at-a-glance insights into the performance of your campaigns and the revenue they ended up making for your business. This way, your efforts are fully transparent, and you can make further data-driven decisions.

Part 3: Why MMA Boosts B2B ROI?

The truth is that integrating some Mobile Marketing Automation software is an investment for your B2B company. However, it is one worth making since it showcases significant benefits for your B2B ROI.

In more detail, your B2B company will gain:

#1 Accelerated Lead Nurturing

Mobile Marketing Automation helps guide prospects through the funnel faster with timely nudges and targeted communications. Based on your perspective on clients' behavior, you can trigger communications with case studies, demo invitations, or your app's features.

#2 Contextual Personalization

B2B buyers are much more decision-driven when it comes to their purchases. They expect experiences tailored to their industry, role, and pain points. With Mobile Marketing Automation tools, you can create user journeys that showcase the advantages of your app or service and send behavior-driven content that contributes to the conversion of each lead.

#3 Improved Engagement Metrics

Marketing automation for mobile apps can significantly increase the number of daily active users (DAUs) and decrease the churn rate. This happens because it can become the basis for consistent and relevant communication that builds trust in your brand.

#4 Enhanced Client Retention & Upsell

However, MMA is not just ideal for making that initial sale. In a B2B setting, it also contributes to your post-sale support, onboarding, and upselling, all elements that boost LTV and reduce churn. With timely reminders, updates, and educational content, you can retain your audience's interest and keep them invested in your product.

Part 4: Top 4 Mobile Marketing Automation Platforms Compared

Now that you know what to look for, we present to you the leading apps for Mobile Marketing Automation. These are the best tools to get for your B2B business:

Platform 1 – MoEngage

MoEngage is a popular Mobile Marketing Automation platform best known for its AI-powered capabilities and enterprise-grade scalability. It is ideal for all brands that want to set up and run personalized campaigns across multiple channels at scale. Its services cater to the finance, travel and hospitality, food and beverages, retail and e-commerce, and media and entertainment sectors.

Strengths: AI-driven segmentation, predictive analytics, ease of use, and excellent customer support.

Best For: Enterprises with large user bases.

Challenges: UI complexity, steep learning curve, one of the most expensive platforms, and a lack of advanced personalization options.

Platform 2 – CleverTap

CleverTap is a great Mobile Marketing Automation platform for user retention as it combines user analytics with powerful engagement tools. It promises to become your all-in-one platform since it uses an omnichannel approach that includes email, SMS, and push notifications. Its features are ideal for businesses in the finance, gaming, and ecommerce sectors, as well as businesses that focus on subscriptions.

Strengths: Real-time analytics, multichannel targeting, user-friendly interface, robust campaign management.

Best For: Consumer-focused apps with active user bases.

Challenges: Expensive for small teams, requires onboarding support, no mobile app.

Platform 3 – Braze

Braze is one of the leading apps for Mobile Marketing Automation, known for its advanced personalization and deep integration capabilities. It is perfect for enterprises with a global audience and needs for complex, high-volume engagement. Its services have been created to cater to the finance, retail and e-commerce, gaming, travel and hospitality, and media and entertainment industries.

Strengths: Exceptional personalization options, high-quality documentation, compliance with international regulations, and multichannel targeting.

Best For: Companies with complex messaging needs.

Challenges: High cost, integration-heavy setup, confusing interface for beginners.

Platform 4 – EngageLab

EngageLab is a lightweight and intuitive MMA platform tailored for SMBs and B2B companies. This omnichannel tool offers fast onboarding and streamlined tools to launch campaigns without requiring a dedicated tech team. Its ease of use and affordability make it an excellent choice to get started with Mobile Marketing Automation immediately. Its solutions are perfect for the finance, gaming, travel, retail and e-commerce, and news and media sectors.

Strengths: Intuitive UI, fast deployment, affordable pricing for SMBs, real-time analytics, omnichannel targeting.

Best For: B2B companies and startups

Challenges: Fewer third-party integrations, fewer advanced predictive features.

There is no denying that, from these MMA tools, EngageLab is the one that will help you create optimized and cost-effective campaigns. You can see how it compares with the rest of the platforms in this table:

Part 5: MMA Best Practices

Once you sign up for the Mobile Marketing Automation platform of your choice, you are ready to launch your campaigns. In this section, we are going to briefly explain the best practices for making the most of your marketing automation mobile app.

MMA Best Practices

#1 Tiered User Communication

When you create your user journeys, consider the different stages of the user lifecycle. In essence, these are awareness, consideration, trial, and conversion. If you build your communications with this pattern, you will be able to build a strong relationship with them.

#2 Avoid Over-Messaging

Let enough time pass between communications to avoid tiring your audience. A great tip is to track engagement rates, and that will show you that it's time to adjust your communication volume.

#3 Leverage First-Party Data

Integrate CRM and app usage data to enhance personalization. In this way, you are going to craft communications that are relevant to your audience, thus boosting engagement.

#4 Human + Automation Balance

Don't forget that even though automation is great, it can never replace human communication. Let automation warm leads and offer value, while letting your team handle nuanced conversations.

#5 Iterative Optimization

Adopt a test-and-learn culture. Review the real-time analytics from your Mobile Marketing Automation platform weekly, and evolve based on the insights that fresh data gives you.

Getting Started with EngageLab MA

EngageLab simplifies Mobile Marketing Automation for B2B teams. With its quick onboarding, affordable pricing, and user-friendly interface, your team can immediately start benefiting from it. Take advantage of the pre-built user journey templates to create omnichannel campaigns that actually convert.

How to Use EngageLab MMA:

• Create an Account on EngageLab

• Connect Your App via SDK or API, configure your data sources, and your communication channels. All of that is available in your EngageLab MA dashboard.

• Build a Journey in the drag-and-drop editor. EngageLab provides you with pre-built templates to make the process quicker. Once ready, click “Publish” to launch the user journey.