Mobile marketing should be approached differently than other forms of marketing because it is displayed right before the eyes of your customers on their smartphones and tablets that are in constant use.
We all know that taking a direct approach with your marketing can often leave your target customers feeling cold and switched off because blatant marketing is too much “in your face”. With the growth of social media we have all learned to become more subtle about our marketing efforts, preferring to build our brand recognition and trust with our target audience before trying to sell them anything.
The benefits of mobile marketing
Because more people are using their smartphones for mobile check-ins, messaging, tweeting on the go etc. your marketing message stands more chance of being seen on their smartphone and tablets throughout the day than via a PC or laptop in a short window of time in the evenings.
This can be a great benefit for not only online marketers but also walk-in customers for your small business too. The ability to reach customers via a device that is constantly in their hands, pockets or handbags can have a huge impact on your sales – especially with impulse buys. However, your marketing efforts have to be handled very carefully if you don’t want to put off potential new customers.
Mix up your marketing
It is important that you keep up the social engagement side of your business, so keep on sharing useful information from others in your sector and keep providing solutions to common problems or issues that your customers may be looking for. It is far easier to market your product or service once there is a good foundation of trust to work from.
Text marketing is something that many small business owners are now embracing. SMS (Short Message Service) is something that major financial institutions have been using for a while now to send sensitive information and most people are so used to SMS that it is something that they tend to respond to immediately. This can be an incredibly powerful way to get your message across. Did you know that more than ¾ of the world’s smartphones are SMS-enabled? This number will only grow larger, so it is something to consider.
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When you create opt-in campaigns online, you can encourage your customers to respond to your call to action with a reward. This could be a time-limited discount, a free gift or 20% extra free etc. When your promotion is nearing its end, you could send an SMS alert to remind them of the deadline plus the extra reward on offer. Text messages tend to be opened more regularly and at a quicker rate than emails, so they can make and excellent closer to a mixed media campaign.
Mobile friendly website
Is your website mobile friendly? If it has been some years since you updated your website, or you only have a very basic web set up, then this can be a stumbling block that could lose you some sales.
Having a responsive design is crucial. If you are directing people to your website from social media, email or text message, then your site needs to mobile-ready. If your message text doesn’t fit on a mobile screen, then your customers will lose interest almost immediately. You could even potentially drive them to a competitors site in search of what you sell through their mobile-ready website.
Enable mobile payments
Time is of the essence when you are trying to sell your goods or services. You can write the most enticing and reactive marketing message in the world, but if you don’t provide a way for people to pay on the go then their initial impulse to buy will quickly pass. If they read your message at 11 am on their phone that compels them to buy from you, they are not going to wait until 6.30 pm in the evening when they are home after work to buy through their PC or laptop. Your window of opportunity will have passed.
Mobile payment processors offer tailor made services, high-security and ease of use for your customers. Most service providers are very cost-effective with their charges these days and the boost to your income should far outweigh the price.
If your small business hasn’t considered the huge potential of the mobile market, then maybe it is time to take a closer look at how you can tailor your marketing to suit the growing needs of your mobile customers.
