There is no doubt that the mobile-age of the Internet is upon us, with more and more people accessing the web on their mobiles, smart phones and tablets. Mobile usage is one of the most popular and fastest growing forms of technology to ever hit the consumer market.
Think about your own online browsing habits. When was the last time you accessed the Internet via your laptop or desktop computer? The chances are, you last used your smartphone or tablet to get online and you are not alone.
According to recent statistics:
- There are currently 4 billion mobile phones in use globally
- 1.08 billion of these are smart phones
- 50% of local searches are carried out on mobile devices
- 86% of mobile Internet users are using their devices while watching TV
- A third of Facebook’s billion users are using Facebook Mobile
- More than half of twitter’s users are using Twitter Mobile
With more and more of your customers and potential customers using mobile phones and tablets, you really do need to look at how to use the mobile channel to do marketing.
It is almost inconceivable for businesses not to have a mobile-friendly website. In fact, as a business owner, the mobile now provides you with the ability to generate new leads and retain customers. It has changed the way businesses do business forever.
The rise of the Smartphone and How Customers use them
The mobile phone has changed a lot in a very short space of time. Despite being phones, people in general talk less on them and use them to do a whole host of other things instead.
For example they are used for:
- Sending and receiving text messages
- Viewing maps and finding locations
- Surfing the web while traveling
- Surfing the web while in a restaurant or bar
- Surfing the web while shopping
On top of that we use them for:
- Sending and reading emails
- Reading customer reviews before purchasing
- Shopping and making purchases
- Watching, creating and storing videos
- Internet banking
- Creating, sending and storing documents
- Taking, sending and storing photos
- …and so much more
All of this technology is at our fingertips.
Mobile Has Changed Consumer Purchasing Habits
Due to the mobile revolution, there have been many changes to the way that consumers do business. It has given the consumer more power by making it easier for them to choose who they are going to do business with.
Who would have thought a decade ago, that consumers would be able to carry around a mobile device that would allow them to find local products and services, discover the best prices and make purchases, using their mobile phones?
In a world where everyone is in a hurry and on the move, mobile users have the ability and the power to take action immediately, wherever they are and make a purchase within minutes.
As a result, consumers can make the decisions they need and visit whatever sites they need to, at any time they choose and wherever they are.
Studies have shown that mobile searchers are 51% more likely to take action than desktop searchers.
So, as well as providing the consumer with more purchasing power, this is also good news for you as a business owner and you can tap into this market.
Mobile technology has paved the way for local companies to get more customers online. Your business has to keep up and evolve along with technology. If you don’t, you risk not only losing sales but also sending potential customers to your competitors instead, especially if they are being pro-active and keeping up to date with their online marketing.
As a business owner, it is important for your to understand that mobile devices can drive a lot of traffic to your local business and website. So any investment you make in your mobile marketing campaign will greatly increase your sales and profits.
Consumers today expect businesses to keep up with technology and move with the times. You need to make it easier and more convenient for customers to be able to buy from you. If not, you will be missing out and losing a lot of sales.
So here are six top tips for making the most of mobile marketing for your small business or start up and getting more sales.
1. Make your site mobile friendly
The easiest way for mobile users to get more information about your company, such as your phone number, address, product or service information is to visit your website.
However, if your site loads up slowly and is hard to navigate on mobile devices, users will leave instantly and move on to another site instead.
Traditional websites were not meant to be viewed on mobile devices, so you should take measures to ensure that mobile users can effortlessly access your website and can easily locate the information that they need.
A clean, fast loading mobile friendly website that contains the information that mobile users are looking for while they are on the go could be one of the smartest business decisions you could make.
2. Create quality content
Provide good quality mobile content so that it engages users as soon as they start reading it. The content that you include needs to be up to date and relevant, precise and to-the-point, while also sounding compelling enough for the reader to remain interested in what you have to offer.
Remember, mobile users are usually looking for information while on the move. They are also very fickle and would be easily distracted if the product or information does not immediately grab their attention or doesn’t seem to answer their question or provide the information that they are looking for.
Your headline should be to the point, giving them precise information regarding your business and products. If the content is full of fluff and doesn’t get to the point quickly, your visitors will lose interest very quickly and move on to the next site until they find the solution or product they are looking for.
3. Mastering mobile’s limitations
It is vital to keep in mind that the biggest limitation of a mobile device is its small screen. Your advert or web page has to be created in a way that it is compatible with all screen sizes and screen resolutions.
If you are using images and graphics you should ensure that they show up clearly on all major devices. Your images need to upload very quickly. If they are too large and take an age to download your visitor will not waste valuable minutes waiting for it to appear. They will move and you will lose a potential customer.
It is worth bearing in mind that the average attention span of a visitors waiting for a mobile download is under three seconds. Take longer than that for your images or message to appear and you’ve lost them.
4. Target your ideal customer
It is now extremely easy to reach and interact with more targeted customers using mobile social media. Create a Facebook page for your business, showcasing your products and services. Invite users to take a look and ask them to give you their feedback. Most customers are social media savvy and they will be used to doing this. They will be only too happy to spread the word.
Don’t leave it there. Keep up the interaction with them and build trust with them. You can do this by acknowledging their posts and replying to their feedback. They will also appreciate it if you are quick to reply to customer queries. This will show them that you are serious about your business and value their custom. Treat them with respect and you will see it reflecting positively on your business in no time at all.
5. Keep in touch
Keep in constant touch with your mobile customers by providing them with updates, news and relevant information. If you don’t they may forget about you and move on to some other provider who is more pro-active.
SMS is a powerful tool for mobile marketing. To emphasize just how effective it is, research has proven that 98% of SMS messages are opened and of them 83% of them are opened within 3 minutes. They are very effective figures and your business should use that to your maximum advantage. Send your users personal greetings from time to time, also offering hard to resist time-limited offers.
6. Reward regular customers
Keep track of your regular mobile customers and provide them special offers from time to time. Many businesses offer customers a nice reward for “liking”, sharing or tweeting information about them on social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. This makes them feel special and keeps them coming back for more such offers in the future as well as raving to their friends and followers how amazing your company is.
Taking Action Today
As we highlighted earlier, the speed and capabilities of smartphones and other devices means that your business can’t really afford to put mobile marketing on the backburner.
They are an essential part of your customer’s lives and they rely on them for all activities including shopping.
Technology surrounding mobile devices is constantly changing and advancing. As a business owner, now is the time to upgrade and make your site mobile friendly. If not, your mobile friendly competitors will continue to tap into the massive mobile audience and get most of the attention from local consumers.
We have helped local businesses to get new leads, boost sales and increase reviews with mobile marketing. Contact us today for a free, no obligation consultation to find out how we can help your business.
