Why Small Businesses Need to Invest in Mobile Marketing?
Small businesses need to get ahead of the curve and start investing in mobile marketing so they don’t miss out on potential customers. Almost everyone carries a smartphone, after all — and phones are often used for quick shopping jaunts when we find ourselves unexpectedly with some downtime. You could be the owner of the best retail shop in your area, but if customers can’t find you on their handhelds, they won’t even bother coming to check you out.
The first step towards mobile marketing success is understanding that there are good reasons for businesses to invest in mobile marketing. Here are just a few:
Marketing campaigns need to communicate with all potential customers who might actually use them. It’s no different than appealing to the people who live in your neighbourhood or near your store — it’s just another facet of local marketing. Customers who use smartphones should not be neglected because “everyone already knows about them.” They’re often ideal customers because they’re typically well-educated and busy enough that they don’t have time to go in and browse your storefront — but they also have a bit of extra cash to throw around.
Marketing experts agree that no one should underestimate the power of mobile marketing. When you sign up with an app developer or other professional service, it helps to be aware that this information will likely live online forevermore, so it’s important not to sign away rights you’re uncomfortable with. It also helps to ask about money-back guarantees or free initial consultation services. Of course, all professionals should offer these things anyway — but when you find yourself investing in mobile marketing for your business, don’t put anything past potential partners. It’s well worth it to shop around and compare prices and services before settling on anyone in particular.
Why do small businesses need to invest in mobile marketing?
1. It’s the first place shoppers look when they want to find information about a product or service. People who are looking for local stores on their phones are more likely to buy something if they have easy access to resources like customer reviews, directions, menu items and more.
2. If you’re not engaging with customers through social media channels, your competition is—especially via Facebook and Twitter. Make sure you start updating your business’ pages with one post every day so you can stay relevant and gain new followers over time. Start by sharing photos of people using your products or visiting your store — this humanizes your company and tells potential that people really love what you’re offering.
3. Apps make it simple for customers to find you and your services, take advantage of special offers and share positive experiences with friends on social media.
4. You can target people who are likely to be interested in what you have to offer by using location-based mobile advertising. This is especially useful when you want to get the word out about sales or new products in a specific area, like during the holiday season or when stores are opening up in a new location.
5. You never know when someone might need your services, so having mobile options available is key if they’re in an urgent situation. For example, sending someone driving directions right away could turn them into a customer instead of having them go somewhere else because they were lost.
6. It’s a great way to give back to the community and support charitable causes that are important to you. You can create special mobile coupons or use text messaging campaigns to raise money for your favourite charity, encourage everyone in the area to donate a toy for a holiday drive or simply thank people who have done business with you in the past. There are so many ways to give from wherever you are!
7. It’s easy—you don’t have to be an expert in mobile marketing right away, since there are so many free resources out there including podcasts, articles and blog posts dedicated specifically to helping small businesses learn how they can take advantage of these tools and technologies.
8. Everyone is busy with their own lives and might not notice ads that are plastered all over TV or billboards, but they can benefit from mobile campaigns even if it’s just for a few seconds. Customers might be waiting in line at the grocery store and get a notification about an offer your business is currently running — this could make them stop and actually take action before they leave the store.
9. At least 1 in 10 people who see your ad will take some kind of action, according to Business Insider; however, with mobile marketing, you could have up to 7 times as many people looking at your message and taking action based on what you’re promoting.
10: The use of mobile devices makes people more inclined to spend money — apps available on phones provide information about deals that shoppers would otherwise miss out on. People who use their phones to check weekly ads and promotions end up spending 20% more than someone who doesn’t.
Small businesses need to get ahead of the curve and start investing in mobile marketing so they don’t miss out on potential customers. Almost everyone carries a smartphone, after all — and phones are often used for quick shopping jaunts when we find ourselves unexpectedly with some downtime. You could be the owner of the…