In today’s age and day, everything seems to be at our fingertips. If I want to find the best Indian food in town, I can use my Yelp app. If I want to get to get on the other side of Los Angeles during rush hour the fastest way possible, I use Waze. If I need to know the latest celeb gossip, I google it. All this comes from my smart phone. Crazy right? I remember the most exciting noise was when your Dial Up was actually connecting so you could hop on over to your MySpace page– seems like a century ago. Today, over 60% of Americans have a smart phone. With everything available at the click of a button, shouldn’t mobile marketing be a priority?
In a space where I can catch the latest Grammy performance on YouTube, I also check my email. For the mobile user, these emails should be easy to read, easy to navigate, and easy to understand.
Check your user base.
More often than not, people will be accessing the internet on their mobile device. Track this data. Maybe you have more Android users. Be aware of your users, and cater your website to them. They’ll stay around.
Go the extra mile.
Not everyone uses their desktops to browse the internet anymore. Make sure your website and emails are optimized to fit mobile usage. Users want to be able to scroll easily through an email, and if they have to zoom in and out, odds are, they aren’t going to stay on your page. Include both Android and IPhone accessibility. This also includes different browsers.
Cut down graphics.
As you scroll through an email, or a website, sometimes pages take longer to upload. This could be if you have too many graphics loading at once. Be aware that if a site takes too long to load, mobile users will be less inclined to stick it out and wait.
Create a mobile culture.
Use each aspect of mobile to your advantage. Whether that be a click-able way for them to call, or promotions for ‘liking’ your business on Facebook, use it. Also make sharing content easy.
Have users opt in.
You want people to subscribe to your emails? Ask them to, simple. Take this a step further, and create a seamless way to. Make this process as easy as replying ‘Yes’ or by the click of a button. If you want to use forms, make sure they are mobile friendly. When you type into a field, auto-populate it to the specific keyboard you may need (numeric keyboard for a phone number, and alphabetical keyboard for text). It is the small features that help your business.
Mobile devices are not going anywhere. In fact, mobile usage is increasing across the board. With this information, we should cater our business to this platform. Think about how many times you check your phone for a new email, a new text message, or a new Facebook message. Mobile marketing is here to help you and your business.
For more insights on marketing strategy that actually works for small business, subscribe to the FreshLime Newsletter here. Connect with Jay Bean, Founder of FreshLime and Small Business Marketing Expert on LinkedIn and Twitter.
Resources and other great mobile-related reads:
The Ultimate Cheat Sheet for Mastering Mobile Marketing- Hubspot
The 17 Rs of Savvy Mobile Marketing Infographic – Hubspot
Mobile Marketing Tips – Hubspot