It seems like every day there is a new app or technology being announced that makes it easier to market to mobile users. Services are being built around the idea of being able to market to users easier. These days we all have a smart phone in our hand, a computer that is always connected to the internet and an ever expanding friend network thanks to the internet. We consume large amounts of media compared to what we used to consume when the TV and Radio were where we aimed our eyes and ears. Now that the connected world has made it’s way to the palm of our hands it is easier than ever to find what you are looking for in a matter of seconds.
This ever so connected world makes it easier for businesses to get their products or services in front of the eyes of potential customers. If it was not for this connected world it would take a lot more effort to grow a company and turn a profit. Now, you can do all of this from behind your computer.
Facebook is a good example of a platform that was built to market to it’s users. I am sure that Facebook had good intentions starting off but it only takes a short while before you need to find a way to monetize in order to keep the virtual doors open. Facebook is actively building tools that allow you to put anything you can post to it’s platform in front of the users eyes that would most likely be interested in it. You can create a page for your business and communicate with those who have chosen to “like” your page and receive updates from your business. Facebook has recently integrated this into their mobile apps making it easier for you to get your business or content in front of mobile users while they are on the go. I created a complete Introduction to Facebook Course you can get for free at Udemy.Com.
There are many other platforms that make it easier to reach people through mobile platforms. Social Network Services such as Foursquare, Yelp, Google+ and many others are creating ways to keep users connected and allow advertisers to reach their users with relevant topics. I recently created an online Introduction to Foursquare course and will be completing courses for Yelp and Google+ shortly.
Everybody has their own idea of what mobile marketing is and how to do it. The problem is that for each situation it can be very different. When I market my Photography business, I do things in a way that would work for a Photographer, not a restaurant. There are tools out there to help pretty much any kind of business. Here are some tips I have found work for most businesses when it comes to marketing to mobile users.
- Know what your customers need – If you have a local business location that customers travel to such as a restaurant, insurance office or retail store, there is information customers will need in order to get to your business. You should make it easy for them to find your location. Google is making it easier for them but never leave it up to the search engines to provide this information. If a customer goes to your website and can not find instructions on how to get to your business, you will lose because your customer will return back to the search engine and look for someone else. You should also have your phone number, hours and other important contact information easily accessible on your website.
- Location Based Social Networks – If your business has a physical location that customers can visit, it would benefit you greatly to create profiles for your business on Yelp, Foursquare and Where!. There will be other location based social networks that come as this is a popular space right now. Setting up a profile and completing it will assure that users of these social networks have relevant and up to date information about your business. It also shows that you are actively being involved which promotes trust. You can also set up special offers for those who checkin to your business. When someone checks in to your business, their friends are notified that they are there.
- Emails Should Be Mobile Friendly – If you send out emails or email newsletters, use a service such as Mailchimp. This will assure that your emails always look good on mobile devices. Nothing is more annoying than an email that you can not read due to it’s improper formatting. Services like Mailchimp are free to use until your userbase reaches 2000 email subscribers. Email marketing services make it easy to create nice looking emails and email newsletters to send to your customers or clients.
- Encourage Interaction – Facebook and Twitter make it easy to engage with your clients and customers. I never recommend that a business only focus on social networks but I do encourage engagement. You can post things to social networks that you would never waste a blog post on. Asking questions or sharing inspiration from Pinterest is a good way to get users to join in on the discussion.
- Use QR Codes – I am still not convinced that QR codes are part of the mainstream yet but it does not hurt to look like you are on top of the latest technology. Make it easy for customers to sign up for your newsletter or emails by providing a scannable QR code next to the register in the waiting room.
Mobile marketing should play well with your other marketing efforts. Everything should be synonymous and mesh well. Marketing should be consistant just as your brand is. It is frustrating to me when I can not tell where something came from when I should be able to. Don’t be afraid to try new things, just make sure to never leave a dead end out there. You don’t want to give a customer somewhere to go with out giving them answers. If done well, mobile marketing will not only help customers find you, it will help them talk about you as well.