Imagine your customers having access to your product, services and brand information right in the palm of their hands anytime, anywhere.
If you use mobile marketing, they can do just that!
In digital marketing, the new sheriff in town is mobile marketing, and everyone who has a smartphone or tablet is the target audience.
Continue reading to learn how to update your advertising strategy to keep up with marketing on the go.
Facts About Online Consumers
Look at these statistics about online shoppers:
- 79% of consumers in the US do at least some of their shopping online.
- 62% of millennials shop every day using their smartphone.
- 87% of shoppers use online reviews before buying and 77% of those will continue on to purchase online.
- 1.92 billion people will purchase something online this year.
People have discovered the ease of click, point and buy from their mobile devices. Most businesses can take advantage of this trend to boost their sales and online visibility.
Consumers also use their phones while shopping at brick and mortar stores. They use the ‘near me’ search function when looking for goods and services in their local area.
They look up reviews and product information to make informed decisions, compare prices or to find coupons and online discounts.
What Does This Mean For You?
Consumers are ready to buy, and if they can easily find your product or service on their smartphone, they will purchase it NOW!
They’re on their smartphones and tablets from morning until night. They wake up and check the news, weather, sports stats and text messages.
They scroll through their social media feeds during meals, on breaks, while waiting in line or relaxing at home.
Checking one’s smartphone is also usually one of the last things a person will do before going to bed.
With the broad reach of the internet and an online business, you have a worldwide market at your fingertips. With the right mobile marketing strategy, your business can be front and center 24/7.
For customers today, online shopping makes sense because it is simple and practical.
It provides immediate access to information and products, quick responses to search inquiries and instant gratification with ‘buy now’ options.
Consumers have reviews available at the touch of a button and they can provide instant feedback of their own.
Even when shopping at a local store, they can still go online and do a comparison of prices, inventory and quality.
This all adds up to greater revenue for your business if you have an engaging, targeted and easy to understand mobile marketing strategy.
How To Make An Impact With Mobile Marketing
Visual learners can watch our video summary here, or continue reading:
You Need to be Remembered
With an increase in online retail traffic, customers become overwhelmed with all the businesses to sort through to find the one right for them. You want to stand out from your competition by creating unique company identifying features.
One of the first things you need is a logo. You should keep it simple with a minimalistic style that reflects your business theme and personality. Initials (acronyms or abbreviations) are trending and very popular now.
Try using clear and easy-to-read fonts. While it’s tempting to get fancy and creative, keep in mind your logo will be seen in different formats, sizes and on various backgrounds. The letters or words should stand out.
Bright colors are the way to go. There are psychological factors behind color, so it’s important to reflect the right emotion for your logo and your business.
Blue represents authority and intelligence. Red speaks of energy and action. Green shows growth and balance. Yellow points to happiness and confidence. Purple leans toward creativity and quality.
You should choose geometric shapes. Straight lines are stark and edgy, while curves are softer and more appealing.
There is a definite connection between marketing and design. Pulling it all together can be a challenge, but the payout for your business will be worth it.
Check Your Website
You need to have a mobile-friendly website. As stated above, with more people researching and shopping online, it is imperative when they click on your website it optimizes the information for a cellphone or tablet screen.
Google is also focusing on mobile-first indexing, which means it will use the mobile version of your website’s pages for ranking.
In addition, make sure there is a seamless flow from product information to the shopping cart to check out. If your customer has to search around or continue to hit the back button to find what they need, they will give up and move on to another site.
Know Your Customers
You know what you want to sell, but do you know who wants to buy it? Who is your target customer? What is their medium age? What is their average income? What about hobbies and family dynamics?
All of this information is vital in helping you develop a mobile marketing plan.
Check out your competition.
Who is their audience?
You need to read the reviews on their sites.
What is being said positive and what improvements are people wanting?
You can then tailor your advertising to provide what others are missing.
Research what people are curious about.
What knowledge or product are they seeking? What is the angle they are looking for and how can you connect with that?
The more specific details you have on your potential customers, the more precise your ads will be.
Keep Their Secrets
It’s impossible to do business online these days without giving up a little piece of ourselves. It’s a risk we all take and the price we pay for the convenience of this online global market.
When your customer provides personal information, protect it! Security is a premium commodity and their brand loyalty depends on your ability to keep their information a secret.
Invest in high-quality security software and make sure someone updates it regularly. If there is a data breach, notify them right away and help to mitigate any leaks or damage.
You are developing a relationship, even if only online. Just because you do not see them face to face, it makes them no less valuable to your long-term success.
Be a company they can trust in and they will be loyal and spread the news.
Mobile Notifications
SMS/MMS
We live in a texting world. It is part of everyone’s daily life.
Why not benefit from it by using SMS/MMS (Text) marketing?
Text message marketing has a higher open rate than email marketing because they are shorter. It’s almost guaranteed they will read the entire piece of content, and most of us like to keep our message inboxes clean.
It is an excellent way to engage with your customers and get them excited about your product or services. You can provide links back to your website, and with MMS messages, you can embed images or videos to further motivate them to research your brand.
You need to get permission to first send these messages, and once you send them, pay attention to the feedback. If someone reaches out with a question or concern, respond quickly.
You are making a personal connection, and it is important to keep the conversation going.
Push Notifications
If your business has an app, you can enable push notifications.
This is a message that appears on the screen of those users who have downloaded your app. The user does not have to be in the app or even on their device to receive it.
You can offer downloadable coupons, sales information or live event invitations. These notifications go directly to your targeted customers and also work better than emails. You can send a mass message notification or personalize one for specific users.
The content should be engaging and to the point. Users can turn off these notifications, so always keep them interested and eager for more information.
The Impact Of Social Media
Like and share. Share and like.
These are two powerful words in social media mobile marketing.
Your goal should be to create informative and engaging posts. The greater the impact, the more likely users will be to like and share your content.
Condense your message. People are constantly on the move and do not have the time or desire to read long posts. Get to the point. Use graphics or authentic visuals, and easy-to-read copy.
Build an organic following slowly based on quality and good reviews. Every business wants to have a million followers, but if only 10% read your posts or they don’t engage, the numbers have no value.
Social media success is difficult to get quickly. Be in it for the long term.
Your mobile marketing strategy is to have a consistent presence. Trending viral posts are great, but aim for being a reliable source of information and quality products.
The Video Component
One of the best ways to maximize your mobile marketing budget is to use videos on social media. There is a personal connection made when someone clicks on your video link and you are talking directly to your customer.
People love funny videos. They also enjoy emotional and touching videos. When possible, try to incorporate these elements within your product information.
Video can help showcase your product. You can provide a 3D view explaining features and benefits.
Tutorials are popular, and you can tie in testimonials from satisfied customers. People love to be on camera and an outside recommendation will go a long way!
One of the best forms of video marketing is a live feed. You should try posting from an event or do a random video highlighting a special sale or new shipment.
Unscripted and honest talk creates a relationship with the audience. The audience can then become your customer.
It is easier than you think to use video in mobile marketing. Most smartphones will work just fine, but you still need to check the sound quality and lighting.
It is also a good idea to include subtitles on your videos. People often access them in places where they cannot use the sound.
Write and even rehearse what you want to say, even if you are preparing to do a live video. Invest in a good editing app so you can add text and other visual components to your videos.
Where To Post Your Videos
Facebook videos can go up to 45 minutes, while Twitter only allows two minutes and twenty seconds.
Instagram allows for minute long videos, but IGTV allows up to 60 minutes. You can even link to your IGTV videos in Instagram posts and stories.
YouTube allows videos under fifteen minutes, but if you verify your account you can add videos of up to twelve hours.
LinkedIn is also on the video bandwagon and depending on your industry could be a great way to get your brand out there.
It is always a good idea to follow up with an analysis on which videos performed best and which ones fell short. You can make adjustments and try again next time.
A strong video component is a vital addition to your advertising plan.
The Bottom Line
As a business owner, one of your main objections is to get the word out on all of your product and services. Advertising comes in many forms and has transformed over the years.
Mobile marketing is the wave of the future. It puts your business and brand in the hands of potential customers all around the world.