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The Battle Ensues: How Marketers Can Capitalize on Smartwatches

3 Ways Marketers Can Use Smartwatches

Another battle between Apple and Samsung looms. Apple’s recent announcement of its upcoming Apple Watch touches off another round of competition between the two tech giants, as Samsung released its own Gear S Wearable Smartwatch last year. With this new technology, people are looking toward a future of wearable tech, and marketers are looking at a whole new audience and medium to advertise their goods and services on. However, marketers need to figure out how to utilize the smaller screens without endlessly bothering or annoying users.

Here are three ways marketers can think about using smartwatches:

Apps

Apps are the most obvious perk of any mobile technology. However, marketers need to be careful about how they use smartwatch apps. Smartwatches have a small screen and limited buttons and functions, especially because they do not have a keyboard. Where smartphones apps can focus on video, long-form reading and comments, the smartwatch is best suited to receive notifications, play music and work with short-form input. Keep this in mind when creating ads for these devices. And if you plan on developing your own smartwatch app, treat it more like a companion app and advertise it as such.

NFC Payments

One of the most talked about aspects of Apple’s Sept. 9 announcement was Apple Pay. Although Google has had Google Wallet since 2011, it has not sparked the excitement that Apple Pay has. However, both companies can benefit from the hype. With both products, you can use near-field communication (NFC) to check out at compatible retailers, store gift cards and transfer money.

Marketers should highlight that their products can be bought using Apple Pay or Google Wallet. Advertise this information on your website and apps. Brands that have already signed up for this service include Starbucks and Walgreens, AdWeek reports. Users also can buy products directly from an advertisement, which gives brands the additional ability to cross-sell or up-sell other related products or services.

However, one of the problems with Apple Pay is that the smartwatch must be paired with an NFC-enabled iPhone (which is probably the iPhone 6 or 6 Plus). So, if customers do not have the latest phone, they will not benefit from this technology.

Location-Specific Advertising

One of the newest marketing trends is geofencing, which is a location-based mobile service that enables marketers to send notifications when you are in a specific area, like a mall.

Smartwatches are ideal for this type of marketing because stores and restaurants can create compatible geofences. When these retailers know that someone with a smartwatch is in the vicinity, then they can send coupons, sales information or any other advertisement to entice customers to come into their establishment. And, because smartwatches are on customers’ wrists instead of in their pocket or purse, they will be more intimately tied to the marketing plan and won’t miss any important notifications.

Between Apple Watch and Samsung Galaxy Gear, smartwatches may be a huge mobile tech success. Marketers should be prepared to tackle this new medium and audience without becoming a nuisance.

Is your business struggling to reach customers online? Dream Local Digital can help. We’ll take a look at how your business does social media now and we’ll put together a strategy to make sure you’re spending your marketing dollars in the right places. Contact us today to get started.

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