There are now billions of smartphones in the world, and with the vast majority of them are connected to the internet, this represents an increasingly popular way of accessing any website. Pretty soon, mobile will become the number one way for customers to connect to a business online, so make sure to keep up-to-date.
Here are 6 mobile marketing tips for small businesses:
Test out mobile advertising
Let’s face it, the price of traditional online advertising is getting more and more expensive. Google Adwords is more crowded than ever, while Facebook Ads is getting harder for small businesses to compete. Luckily, there are now many mobile advertising opportunities out there, and if you get a little bit creative then it could be a great way to attract customers to your business and save money in the process.
Mobile friendly website
While a normal website is fine when people are browsing on a desktop computer or laptop, when they connect via their mobile then it may look too crowded and be hard to navigate. For this reason, it’s important to create a mobile friendly version of the website that visitors only see when on their smartphones. The easiest way to do this is to use WordPress for the website. WordPress is optimized for smartphones, as long as it is the right theme. Test it out to make sure, but I can’t emphasize how important this is. If the company has an old-fashioned website that does not play well on mobile phones, they will leave, in the company will lose good chunk of business. I have experienced this myself, and switched over to wordpress. Now I get a lot of business from mobile phones.
Create an App
The simple fact of the matter is that most mobile users no longer want to browse websites. Instead, all they want to do is click on a App to get the information they need. With this in mind, it would be very beneficial for a small business to create an App that is available to download at the Apple Store and Google Play Store. Hire a programmer on websites like elance.com
Text message marketing
Another tip for small business mobile marketing is to collect the cellphone numbers of customers. This gives the company a way to instantly reach the target audience, and ultimately, make more money.
So how should a company use text message marketing? The biggest mistake is to just send offer after offer, as people will quickly start to switch off and unsubscribe from the company list. Instead become more creative, by coming up with ways to increase user engagement and get people looking forward to receiving texts.
For example, send a text giving away some free stickers or fridge magnets with the company logo and phone number on them, which would be a way to get the brand in their home. Fortunately, with label printing, this is an inexpensive way to market your small business and increase the bottom line.
Social media through mobile
Did you know that approximately 75% of people use their smartphones to primarily access social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter? This is why it’s such a good idea to use text message marketing in conjunction with social media. One such example is sending a text message encouraging people to respond to a recent Tweet sent from a Twitter account.
QR Codes
While QR codes are still mainly unknown, many experts are predicting that they will take off in a big way over the next few years.
So what exactly is a QR code? Quite simply, it is a small symbol similar to a barcode that can be easily scanned by mobile devices. Use a QR code to supply more information about the business, instantly install the App on their device, or even give a new customer coupons or discounts on their first shop. The possibilities are endless.
