How to Embrace Mobile:
Take a look around at any event, or basically anywhere you go, any TV show you watch and guess what? Someone has their phone out. You may even be reading this on your smartphone right now! (Caught ya).
Mobile is here to stay. If you would have told me years ago that I could listen to my favorite song, keep up with all the latest news, text and call all from one place – I would’ve thought it could only happen at Hogwarts (because magic, duh!) Think about how often you use your phone. If everyone, including you, is using their phone during their everyday life, we should embrace it and use it in our business.
How can we embrace mobile?
More than half of Americans have a smartphone. Those are some pretty big numbers. I don’t think I actually know more than a handful of people that don’t have a smartphone #millenialproblems. Think like your customer.
- Website.
Is it user friendly? Is it clickable? Is it organized clearly? These are some questions to ask yourself as you navigate your site. If it is not already optimized to fit mobile, do that. It is hard to navigate a website on the desktop version on our little screens. Because of that, make sure your website is minimal wording, you can easily click through, and if there are forms, make them simple. - Social Media.
Most people nowadays have at least one form of social media. Why not use this in your mobile marketing? Gear specials or promotions towards mobile. I am more likely to use my social media platforms from my phone than on my desktop. Before you post content, make sure it also is compatible with mobile devices. How something looks on desktop does not always translate to mobile. Use call to action buttons to your advantage (a call now button for example). - Text Messaging.
How often do you check your phone for texts? Texting seems to be an easier route for marketing tactics than say, email. I sometimes look at my email, and mark it open but never actually read it. With a text message, even if I do not respond, I open and read it (truth comes out – sorry friends!) Back to the business side of things – sending out text messages to customers may be beneficial rather than an email. It seems more personalized, and is in real time.
With these three simple starts, you will be well on your way to embracing mobile in your marketing efforts. Your reach will increase, and you will soon be able to see how this is improving 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. And last of all, if any of these tips have helped you or if you have anything to add please comment below. We’d love to hear from you!
Resources and other great reads on this topic:
http://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/google-algorithm-update-mobile-optimization-tools
http://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/state-of-the-mobile-experience