While most small business owners are yet to recognize the benefits of mobile marketing, I'm excited to see mobile marketing campaigns taking shape and form in some of the most unexpected places.
Despite the fact that the mobile revolution has arrived, many local businesses struggle to get involved. Instead, they continue down the same old marketing path that has failed them time and time again with hopes of getting a different result (definition of "insanity" anyone?).
Web.com recently completed a survey of 500+ small business owners. Only 26 percent have invested in a website that is mobile friendly. This means that three out of every four small businesses still have a websites that is not compatible with mobile devices.
At this point, you may have one question on your mind: what does this mean to me? In short, it means that if you're taking your business mobile, your company is in position to succeed. Where others are missing out, you can change your approach to better serve your audience.
The following five tips can help your business improve it's mobile strategy:
- Take the time to optimize your website for mobile traffic. Yes, this is going to cost money but in the long run it is well worth it. According to a recent Google survey, 61 percent of mobile visitors will leave a website if it is not optimized for use on their device. Are you missing out on all this traffic?
- Mobile advertising could be just what you are looking for. As you can tell by now, most small businesses are overlooking the importance of mobile. For this reason, the ability to purchase mobile ads for cheap is greater than ever before. Prices won’t stay down forever, so take advantage while you can.
- Text messaging is almost like the new email. A growing number of consumers are relying on texting just as much as sending and receiving email messages. Along with this, text messages have a high open rate thanks to consumer curiosity. There is no better time than now to start building your “text messaging marketing” list.
- Social media and mobile go together hand in hand. Every day, millions of people browse Facebook, for example, from their mobile device. Imagine if you could present coupons to these people while they are on the go. Would this increase your chance of them stopping by your establishment?
- Location based marketing is here to stay. From Foursquare to Yelp, there are services and apps, if approached correctly, that can improve your local presence. Along with this, keep an eye out for new services that offer similar features. For example, Passbook is picking up a lot of steam thanks to the ability for consumers to save everything from gift cards to coupons and much more, all in one place.
Final Word on Mobile Marketing for Business
It is not too late to dive head first into the mobile marketing arena. Keep this in mind: if you are not changing with the times, you are going to get left behind by your competition. Rather than let this happen, contact us today to discuss your options.