Mobile marketing should be a crucial component of your overall marketing strategy in 2016. There is simply no way of avoiding the mobile realities of the modern consumer. According to Salesforce’s 2015 State of Marketing report, over 70 percent of marketers view mobile marketing as a core part of their business. Moreover, 68 percent of participating companies have already integrated mobile marketing into their strategy.
Businesses that have yet to take mobile marketing into consideration are late to the party – the pressure is on. Even companies that have begun their journey into mobile marketing are at a critical juncture. The time is now to perfect mobile efforts.
Let’s take a look at some tips for tackling your mobile marketing efforts.
1) Location, location, location: Research for businesses is increasingly done on mobile devices and location-based sites are increasingly becoming the norm, explained Entrepreneur contributor Brett Relander. Yelp and Foursquare are used by many mobile researchers to locate good food, good stores and good entertainment in the area. Make sure your business has a page on these sites as they will help target consumers in the relevant areas. Marketing leaders should also leverage the power of geotargeting. Businesses can direct their marketing efforts on various platforms using geotags specifying the location of their store. Like with location-based sites, users will see your store pop-up during their searches for local retailers. You can even get your customers involved in this activity by encouraging them to check in on their phones when they stop by!
2) Make your website responsive: If you take one thing away from this post let it be this: your website MUST be responsive. What does this mean? Marketers must make efforts to ensure your website recognizes what device it is being viewed through. Responsiveness means your content will be able to adjust accordingly to these varying formats. This is a simple task, according to Forbes contributor AJ Agrawal, because most website themes in circulation today have responsiveness built into the coding. Mobile marketing is hard to do when your website is not able to adapt to various mobile formats. Make sure you have a website that can fit the script.
3) Social media for SMBs: Social media is the ultimate tool for cash-strapped SMBs looking to up their mobile marketing game. Sites like Twitter and Facebook already have mobile-friendly apps that allow for smartphone and tablet users to easily interact with their platforms. If you are looking for a shortcut to up your mobile ante, social media is your answer. Start posting more frequently on these sites, or put some money into sponsored tweets or posts. For a relatively low cost, you can ensure that mobile-loving audiences see your message sprawled across their timelines and feeds.
4) Cut the content: Mobile marketing is not taking the same path as other marketing content. Google recently announced that businesses trying to optimize their search placement should start creating longer material with more meaningful messages, reported Relander. However, mobile is the exception. Users are using small screens and more often than not are on-the-go when accessing mobile marketing. As such, marketers should work to create quick and creative content that can grab the reader’s attention fast while delivering the core message. Optimal mobile material is short and sweet – keep that in mind next time you craft some digital content.
5) Know when to pass the baton: The world of mobile marketing can be pretty intimidating to business owners and employees who shy away from technology in general. Luckily, there are plenty of experts who are more than willing to help you out with your mobile efforts. Sometimes the smartest move to make is to outsource. Leaders with a little wiggle room in their budget should do some research into mobile marketing services. This doesn’t necessarily mean outsourcing ALL your marketing needs but rather can serve as a starting point for launching your mobile efforts.
