Mobile Marketing Can Determine the Success of Your Business

Many small businesses have the potential to get a lot of customers who are browsing from a smartphone. But even if your website is mobile-friendly, are you taking advantage of it with the right marketing strategy?

If your website isn’t mobile ready, you’re losing out on potential customers. More people than ever do a good portion of browsing on a mobile device. Websites that aren’t equipped to provide an optimal customer experience from a smartphone will lose out. 57% of users say they won’t recommend a business with a poorly-designed mobile site, and 40% have turned to a competitor’s site after a bad mobile experience But having a mobile-friendly website is just the first step towards mobilizing your business.

Beyond your site looking good on a smartphone screen, it should also have a marketing strategy that goes beyond appearance. The Small Business Computing website talks about a survey that was done that says that 84% of small businesses who implement mobile marketing see an increase in business. It’s been reported that 91% of mobile users keep their phone within 3 feet, 24/7 — even while sleeping. This is your customer’s behavior as well.

Hopefully a few of these stats will open your eyes.

 •There are 7 billion people on Earth. 5.1 billion own a cell phone. 4.2 billion own a toothbrush. (Mobile Marketing Association Asia, 2011)

 •It takes 90 minutes for the average person to respond to an email. It takes 90 seconds for the average person to respond to a text message. (CTIA.org, 2011)

 •Mobile coupons get 10 times the redemption rate of traditional coupons. (Mobile Marketer, 2012)

 •91% of all smart phone users have their phone within arm’s reach 24/7 – (Morgan Stanley, 2012)

 •44% of Facebook’s 900 million monthly users access Facebook on their phones. These people are twice as active on Facebook as non-mobile users (Facebook, 2012)

 •Mobile marketing will account for 15.2% of global online ad spend by 2016. (Berg Insight, 2012)

 •It takes 26 hours for the average person to report a lost wallet. It takes 68 minutes for them to report a lost phone. (Unisys, 2012)

 •70% of all mobile searches result in action within 1 hour. 70% of online searches result in action in one month. (Mobile Marketer, 2012)

 •9 out of 10 mobile searches lead to action, over half leading to purchase. (Search Engine Land, 2012)

 •61% of local searches on a mobile phone result in a phone call. (Google, 2012)

 •52% of all mobile ads result in a phone call. (xAd, 2012)
Here are some aspects of mobile marketing to keep in mind:

Make Your Business Easy to Find

Make it easy for mobile prospects to contact you or stop in to see you. Your address, business hours, and phone number need to be prominent on your mobile website. Mobile customers use store locators 63 times for every one mobile commerce order.

Use Google Places

Optimize locally with Google if you’re a small business catering to a specific geographical area. This will earn you a place and a red balloon on Google Maps and customer reviews could be displayed, encouraging customers to review your business and showing prospective customers those reviews and your relevancy to their search.

Tip: Don’t forget about your online reputation; be sure to keep track of those reviews so you can see what you’re doing well and see what could be improved upon. Ratings are based on an average. You can also reply to reviews. Go to Google Places for Business to get started.

Try A Google Adwords or Other Mobile Ad Campaign

Consider doing a mobile Adwords campaign. Keep in mind this campaign might not be identical to your regular Google pay per click campaign because you’re targeting mobile users. Mobile users often want something now, so catering to a sense of urgency could help you get results. And, don’t just stick to Google. There are other ad platforms available, too.

Always Use SEO

Keep search engine optimization in mind for your mobile site. Mobile users use search engines. Mobile iPhone users may also use Siri, which relies on search engines to help it deliver results. Search engine optimization basics need to be applied to your mobile site and your web designer or SEO consultant should be able to help with this. Never stop optimizing your site based on what you learn from user interactions; even great mobile sites usually have plenty of room for improvement.

Consider Apps

Beyond helping people find your site with a mobile device you can also help your customers use their device with a mobile application. Making it easy for them to check a price or check the status of an order is a good idea. A ten-country study by management consulting firm Accenture found that 73% of mobile-powered shoppers preferred phones to retail clerks for basic assistance. How can you use mobile to influence customers’ in-store digital experience?

Always Provide an Opt In

Trying to get a site visitor to opt in is important on your regular website but it’s also smart on your mobile website, too. You could also have your site enabled to capture mobile visitors opt-in via leads directly into your CRM software, too. The good news is that as the consumer gets new tools to help their shopping path, you get new tools in your marketing path.

Don’t Ignore Social Media

People aren’t just using their smartphone on the subway or in the line at the bank and they aren’t just looking for something specific on the search engine
They’re also using it while watching television. They’re often cruising social media apps on their iPhone, Android, Windows Phone, or other smartphone and your updates could capture their attention. Updates to your Facebook page or your business Twitter account can be seen by customers and by prospects at any hour of the day.

Don’t Forget Your Competitors

Consider grabbing your own smartphone and searching for what you sell. What comes up? What strategies are your competitors using? And are there obvious gaps that you could fill?

The mobile boom is expected to continue. Why not take full advantage of it? If you take action soon you could surpass your competitors who may or may not be taking advantage of mobile marketing. Act soon because it probably won’t be long before mobile usage far surpasses desktop usage and you don’t want to be left behind.