Mobile Marketing Recommendations for Small Business Owners

A recent study conducted by Borrell Associates indicated that 48 percent of owners of small and medium-sized businesses said that they were "somewhat" or "very" likely to devote a portion of their business advertising budget to mobile marketing this year. This is a very positive sign for them, since the number of mobile phone owners continues to rise and better technology makes it easier for consumers to use websites for mobile devices or to click on mobile coupons and ads.

Business owners are strongly encouraged to adopt mobile marketing strategies that will appeal to local consumers. Potential buyers who are looking for information on the run are more likely to target nearby providers, and this is a way for small and medium-sized enterprises to use their advertising dollars effectively.

Another effective way for business owners to drive sales is by advertising on mobile apps for business. I thought that the numbers released from a study conducted by International Data Corporation were very interesting. They indicated that mobile app downloads are predicted to jump from 10.9 billion in 2010 to 76.9 billion by 2014. These numbers represent an impressive opportunity for businesses of all sizes to connect with potential buyers and increase revenue through effective mobile marketing strategies. Businesses can get their message out to where customers can see them and are likely to take action quickly.

Targeted Mobile Marketing Search is Key to Success

With the number of mobile searches quadrupling over the past year, having a mobile website and mobile engagement solutions has become an important key to success for businesses. I was interested to discover that consumers are using their cell phones and tablets to search for information and products on the go, and eMarketer is predicting that by the year 2015, half of the population in the United States will be using a mobile device to access the internet. 

One way that you can enhance your business' visibility to mobile internet users is to launch a mobile website. You will want to have different keywords set up for your mobile marketing site than for your desktop website. People who are using mobile devices to surf the web are more likely to be looking for local businesses and are conducting more focused searches than desktop computer users are.

Choose separate keywords for each type of website. For your website for mobile devices, make sure that you include your city in the long tail keyword phrases. Do not forget to include some misspellings in the mix as well; it is not uncommon for internet users to make a mistake when typing in a search term. Using this strategy will increase the likelihood that prospective buyers will find your site.

Keywords for your desktop site should be more general in nature. People who are using desktop computers are more likely to use these types of phrases to find the information they need. They also spend more time looking before taking action than mobile device users, so you will want to target your keywords accordingly.

How to Use QR Codes for Business Effectively

If you are going to use QR codes for business, you need to have a plan for using QR code marketing effectively. I would suggest that you have a specific plan about where you are going to direct prospective customers who scan the QR codes with their smart phones to get the maximum benefit from this type of marketing effort. 

A number of companies use their QR codes in advertising to direct customers to their website, but this is not the only way you can put the special barcodes to good use. They can also be used to direct customers to your business Facebook or twitter page. Depending on where the QR codes are placed, I can see that it may make sense to link to Google maps so that customers can find your brick and mortar location quickly and easily.

If you want to use your QR codes to generate sales quickly, consider linking them to a PayPal Buy Now button. You may want to consider this strategy if the QR code advertising appears on your website or another location where it is likely to be seen by motivated buyers.

Another interesting innovation for QR codes is that when the code is scanned, a text message is opened on the customer’s cell phone, which is ready to forward to a number of his or her choice. These handy codes can also be used to provide customers with downloadable mobile coupons, a link to a video or any other location online. With this variety of applications, QR codes can be an important part of your business mobile engagement platform.

SMS Marketing Campaigns: Personalized Connection with Customers

SMS marketing offers a way for companies to make contact with their customers in a highly targeted and personal way. There is a definite advantage to using this method over other methods, such as e-mail or social networking sites. These short, highly targeted SMS marketing messages are delivered directly to the recipient's cell phone and are more likely to be read (and ultimately acted upon) than other types of marketing messages.

Open rates for text messages are a very impressive 97 percent versus an open rate of 5-20% for email. It is easy to see that SMS marketing has the potential to be a much more effective mobile marketing strategy for getting your message across to buyers. Your business can send out as many messages as it likes, but sending out more messages does not necessarily mean that a higher percentage of your customers will act on them.

If you decide to launch an SMS marketing campaign, you will want to develop messages that are relevant to the recipient. Limiting contact to once or twice a week is a good strategy, since sending them more often may be interpreted by the recipient as spam. Make sure your messages are meaningful to the recipient, and you have a much better chance of converting one of the best practices for mobile engagement into action and sales

Mobile Coupons Great Choice for Earth Day and Beyond

Mobile coupons are a very popular mobile engagement marketing choice and there are good reasons why a company should invest in them. As consumers are becoming ever more aware of the impact their choices are having on the environment, I can see that businesses that are demonstrating their commitment to keeping things green will be more likely to attract this type of buyer. The eyes of the world will be focused on this issue on Earth Day, but presenting your business as an environmentally friendly one is one of the best practices for mobile engagement, and is something you can do on a year-round basis.

The advantage to using mobile coupons is that they can be placed in your customer's hands quickly and easily. With cell phones becoming a necessary item for many people, you can get your offer directly to your target market and personalize it so that they are more likely to take action than if you had your coupon randomly delivered to a specific geographic area.

Delivering mobile coupons directly to your customers' cell phones is a much more effective choice, since your customers are more likely to view and use the coupons, and no trees are sacrificed to make the coupon. Your business can reach out to buyers to offer special deals on a regular basis without the customer having to deal with more paper coming into their homes or lives. It's a way to do business that benefits both parties.