Why Go Mobile?
Mobile internet devices are here to stay. As a small business owner, you must embrace mobile marketing or you will lose business. What consumers look up on their smartphones has a huge impact on their purchasing decisions. The statistics substantiate this:
- 73% of mobile device searches result in a follow-up action, such as a phone call, a visit, a share, or an order placed.
- 50% of people report looking something up on their smartphones en route to a store.
- 60% of people report using their smartphones in a store.
- 39% of people who walked out of a store without purchasing reported being influenced by something they saw on their smartphone.
- 48% of people who visited a website that was not mobile-friendly on their mobile devices ended up feeling like that company didn’t care about their business.
(source: www.coxblue.com)
So the question is: how should you, as a small business owner, react to these statistics?
How to Get in the Game!
A critical first step is to ensure your business website is fully optimized for mobile viewing. In the website programming industry, this is called “responsive design.” There are a huge variety of sizes of mobile screens these days, from small screened iPhone 4’s to much larger tablets and everything in between. Your website must be designed to automatically adjust to the user’s screen so that everything from your logo to your content and your check out form are all perfectly sized. For more information about responsive design, check out my blog on the topic.
A great next step is to get going with social media websites. Lots of small business owners create a basic Facebook page for their business and then do nothing with it. They’re confused why it isn’t bringing them any results. In order to be effective on any social media platform, you have to regularly engage your customers and followers. Try these tips:
- If you don’t already have a strong number of followers, ask all your friends and family to like and follow you, then offer a deal to your existing customers if they like and follow your business page.
- Use your social media account at least 1 – 2 times per week. You must get in to people’s newsfeeds. Post articles, blogs, coupons, and special deals for online customers.
- Try the “boost post” feature in Facebook to gain more exposure.
- If you have inventory, post pictures of your new inventory regularly and then cross post to Instagram and Twitter.
- Take some time to like and follow others using your business account.
A strong social media presence takes time, but it can produce fantastic results!
I spoke with Mike Morris, a marketing expert and small business owner and asked him for his thoughts on mobile marketing. He firmly believes this is the age of information mobility. He knows from experience that “in today’s rapidly moving world, business is done on the road more and more often.” Mike goes on to stress that “when your website is designed, it must make that mobile experience a pleasant one for end users in order to capture clients who are in motion constantly. In addition, as a company owner you need to be able to retrieve critical business information whenever and wherever you are in order to make sound business decisions.”
We are specialists in consulting with the busy and mobile business owner and helping to create a platform that works best. Call Morris Marketing today at 919-424-8314 .
