Mobile Marketing Strategies for Small Businesses

Smartphones and other mobile devices have been steadily rising in popularity. Recent data have shown that there are about 3.8 billion smartphone users in the world. That’s almost half of the world’s population.

The sudden demand for the use of mobile devices has changed the way people interact online. It happens that people frequently access anything online. Since mobile devices bring convenience, it means people can now easily purchase anytime and anywhere. 

With this sudden shift in purchasing behavior, marketing experts need to adapt to them. Hence, they have moved from traditional marketing to digital marketing strategies like mobile marketing. 

What is Mobile Marketing?

Simply put, mobile marketing is a way of reaching a target audience on mobile devices. So, campaigns designed for mobile device users are different from those seen on laptops and desktops.

This marketing strategy should reach the consumers and be personal for them to connect with the business.

As most people consult their phones for almost everything, mobile marketing can play a huge role in promoting a brand. Consumers can effortlessly discover businesses through their mobile devices. 

Benefits of Mobile Marketing

Before getting to know the best strategies to employ for your small business, let’s look at the benefits you can get when using mobile marketing.

Affordable

As compared to traditional methods of advertising, mobile marketing is cheaper. The only time you need to spend money is when sending a message. However, even sending a message is cheap.

Access Potential Customers 24/7

Since mobile devices come in handy, plenty of users have them by their side. It means you’ll be able to reach out to potential customers any time of the day. By sending a simple message, they can instantly receive it and act on it anytime they desire.

Focus on Targeted Audience

Mobile marketing has better returns as messages are sent to a targeted audience. Hence, those who received the messages opt for it and are more likely to respond to the content.

Better Customer Experience

Everyone wants convenience, and that’s how mobile marketing does. It provides immediate access to products and coupons directly to the customers’ devices. Getting to receive desired content can help improve the customers’ experience.

Easy to Track Campaigns

Unlike data from websites or social media platforms, mobile campaign tracking is faster. You can immediately see how people respond to your marketing campaign. In such a way, you can analyze the data and behavior of users faster to improve your campaign immediately.

Mobile Marketing Strategies for Small Businesses

Location-based Marketing

Most marketing experts have noticed that a location-based marketing strategy increases their customer base, response rate, and customer engagement. They have gained more success in this form of mobile marketing strategy.

Location-based marketing will utilize GPS on smartphones to show promotions and content to those located in the area. 

When you use location-based marketing, you can target consumers who might be needing your service or products. Since most of your target customers are near the area, they are more likely to respond to the promotion.

It is beneficial to use this strategy, especially when your business runs in a tourist district. 

SMS Marketing

Is texting still relevant to our time? Yes, it still is. Despite all the social media chat apps, texting is still in use. Why? Because, unlike chat apps, when there is an internet connection problem, messages are delayed. SMS is often faster.

Marketing professionals use SMS marketing to promote a business and send coupons and deals.

The great thing about SMS marketing is that people open a text message and respond to it quickly. Furthermore, the personal and direct marketing nature of SMS marketing guarantees that the user will receive the promotion and will notice it, unlike on social media and SEO marketing.

Take note that when using SMS marketing, make sure it’s for a time-sensitive campaign. You can send an SMS giving potential customers a discount for a certain amount of time only.

Create a Mobile-friendly Website

Since most website traffic comes from mobile devices, optimizing your website to a responsive, mobile-compatible design is a plus.

Choosing to optimize your website for mobile devices is no longer an option. It becomes a necessity. As Google insists on websites to have their design more responsive, businesses should follow this rule.

An optimized website can increase conversion rate and decrease bounce rate. You would want your audience to remain on your website for a long time. It will help prevent the increase of bounce rate, and there is a higher chance of purchase.

For a better conversion rate, your website should respond to any device. A poorly designed website will put off shoppers from scrolling through it.

Take note when designing a responsive website:

• Choose a theme that can automatically fit different screen sizes
• Optimize pop-ups for mobile devices
• Check on buttons. It should allow mobile users to click on them.
• Choose a web host that is fast and mobile-responsive
• Font size and design should be responsive
• Make sure the web layout fits the screen of any device
• Compress images and videos
• Edit CSS, HTML, and JavaScript code

Leveraging the Power of Social Media

Although social media is another marketing branch, it still can be a part of mobile marketing strategy. Why? Simply because social media platforms run well on mobile devices. Although some can be accessed on desktops, the features are limited.

With billions of social media users, it can help small businesses reach out to their potential customers. You can choose to organically promote your post or invest in paid ads.

Marketing on social media lets organizations create a personal connection with their audience. Through comments and messages, the interaction between a business and a customer can make a difference. The more you interact with your customers, the more that they’ll recommend your brand.

The paid ads on social media platforms allow advertisers to create their target audience. Small businesses get to select the gender, age group, and location they want their ads.

Creating a Mobile App

On average, 49% of individuals open an app more than 11 times a day. In each month, smartphone users interact with 30 apps.

If people are keen to use mobile apps, then building an app for your business is crucial. But take note that you have to evaluate if you need it.

Building an app comes easy nowadays. There are plenty of affordable platforms you can use. 

But if you have the budget, you can hire an app developer. But after building an app, how can you use it for your mobile marketing strategy? 

• Optimize your apps on the app store to appear on the first page and get more downloads.
• Use push notifications to alert your users about promos or discounts you offer on your website. 
• Try in-app messaging. Most in-app marketing can increase conversion and retention rates.

Use Videos and GIFs

Add images, GIFs, and videos to your mobile marketing campaigns. People tend to respond to these forms of content nowadays as it’s digestible rather than reading content. 

Most importantly, creating meaningful or high-quality videos for your social media and email campaigns can increase your website traffic.

Work on Your Email Marketing Strategies

Email marketing is an old form of marketing technique. But it is highly effective as other modern marketing forms. Although emails are accessible on desktops, 85% of people use their smartphones to access their emails. Therefore, creating email campaigns for mobile devices should be a priority.

Since most emails are opened via a mobile device, campaigns should also be responsive to a device. Images and short clips should fit the screen, and buttons should work. Everything should fit on a screen, including the text, headers, and call-to-action button.

Make sure your emails are safe by scanning them with legitimate antivirus software like McAfee antivirus. So, you won’t put your potential customers at risk too.

Register on Business Directory Sites

If you have a local business or physical store, register its name on Google My Business, Yelp, Bing, or create a Facebook page with its address.

Since most people use mobile devices to search for a local place, registering your business can help gain exposure. Make sure to add your name, address, telephone number, images, and reviews or ratings.

Optimize for Voice Search

The growing number of smart devices and increasing interest to purchase a smart speaker have impacted voice search. 

Voice search becomes a convenient way for users for their on-the-go activities. Mobile devices and voice searches go hand-in-hand. They are tools that allow users to bring with them and use them without looking at their screen.

As plenty of individuals do searches when driving or other activities, voice searches have become more popular.

Take note that keywords and optimizing your website for voice search differ from conventional SEO optimization. Voice search relies on long-tail keywords and most content that answers a question (How and What).

Conclusion

Mobile marketing for small businesses is effective. It increases conversion and retention rate, targets customers, and builds brand awareness. However, the way an organization utilizes mobile marketing differs from industry to industry. 

Remember to study your analytics, audience, and other factors to determine how you can utilize one or more of the marketing strategies for mobile users mentioned in this article.