Did you know that 56% of American adults are now smartphone owners? Even more impressive, by the end of 2013, there will be more mobile devices on Earth than people. If that’s not enough of a reason to jump on the mobile bandwagon, I don’t know what is. The truth is, mobile is here to stay and if you’re not marketing to these users, you’re missing out on a huge opportunity. To help get you started, below are four tips to help you kick-start your mobile marketing efforts straight away.
#1 – Make sure you’re mobile friendly.
Seems simple enough, but when it comes to adding another expense to your marketing or website development budget, it’s easy to see why making your site mobile-friendly can get pushed down the list of to-dos. However, not having a mobile-friendly site could be costing your company extra income opportunities. Mobile users typically make up nearly 20% of visitors to web sites. That’s a huge number to ignore.
At the very least, you should keep these things in mind to make sure your site is somewhat mobile-friendly.
- Have your name, business address, phone number, store hours and any other relevant information in a easy to find spot, regardless of the device.
- Make sure users can easily do what it is you want them to do regardless of the device they are using. For instance, if you want to sell something, is it easy for a user to click on the add to cart button? Does your shopping cart actually work across all devices? These are areas that could cause you to miss income opportunities if ignored.
- Think about what each user will want to do when accessing your website through a different device. If they are using a smartphone, chances are they want store hours or other quick-to-access information. Tablet and desktop users are more likely to be in research and then buy mode.
Take some time and really analyze your site through the various devices and see what things could be improved. More often than not, you’ll realize that the cost associated with making your site mobile-friendly will be offset by the extra sales you’ll receive.
#2 – Be active on social media.
According to a comScore survey, approximately 40% of respondents interact with local businesses on social media. That means if you’re not there, they are interacting with your competitors instead. It pays to be where your customers are, and they are definitely using social media, especially on mobile devices.
It would be beneficial to keep your mobile users in mind when crafting your messages. Not all mobile users are going to take the time to click on an article. However, they are more likely to share a funny or thought-provoking image or a fun fact. Make sure you keep your updates short and to the point, as mobile users aren’t likely to click on anything to “read more.” A good variety of posts will help you attract not just your typical desktop user, but also mobile users.
#3 – Use location-based services.
Besides helping give you a bump in search engine rankings, location-based services like Foursquare can help increase awareness of your company to new potential customers. More importantly, since most of these services are used on smartphones, they can expose your company to new customers who are nearby and may be willing to stop by to take a look.
Another great benefit from these types of sites is the ability to keep track of how often customers are actually stopping by and “checking in.” If you notice a higher number of check-ins than usual, you can look back and see if it was due to an extra promotion you were running.
#4 – Keep your promotions mobile-friendly.
Sending out an e-mail promotion? How does it look on your smartphone? Can you easily read the call-to-action or the promotion? Is the subject line of your well-crafted email cut short? More and more people are reading their email on the phone – especially when they have a few minutes to kill. This is a great opportunity to have a user’s undivided attention for a few minutes. It pays to take some extra steps to make sure you’re not wasting it.
