hierarchy casablanca: Mobile Marketing

Getting your business mobile-ready has never been more important. It has become essential for businesses, however small or large, to tap into the mobile market in order to succeed in 2013.

It is expected that mobile internet use will surpass desktop use within the next 3 years, according to report by PWC. This marks a significant shift in consumer behavior that businesses need to adapt to in order to succeed online.

If done correctly, mobile marketing can be a great way for small businesses to acquire new customers and boost their profits.

1. Launch Your Mobile Website

Mobile Marketing - Launch Mobile Site

The least a business can do to target mobile customers is to set-up a mobile enabled website. If you haven?t already done, it is important to set up your mobile website now. Fortunately, it is easier than you think. If you already have a website that is not mobile enabled, you can take advantage of free web-based tools to create a mobile version of your website. You can do this without prior design experience in a few easy steps.

If you are starting fresh then creating a responsive website is the best way forward. Responsive design is a new technique for developing websites that automatically adjusts itself to accommodate different screen sizes. This does away the need to invest in and maintain separate sites for desktop, tablets and smart phones.

2. Leverage Location Based Services

Mobile Marketing - Location Based Services

The last couple of years have seen an increase in the popularity of location based services. They are particularly beneficial for targeting mobile consumer-base.

Location based services are sites and apps that use the geographical location of the user to offer information and other value added services to consumers.

You can get started by registering your business with leading location based services like Foursqaure and Yelp. You can use it to offer location-specific deals to customers, reward your loyal customers, or deliver other services based on user?s location. The possibilities for your business are endless.

3. Run Mobile Ad Campaigns

Mobile Marketing - Mobile Search Ads

Mobile advertising is a lucrative way for businesses to reach potential mobile customers.? A survey from Web.com and Lab42 has found that 84% of small businesses that use mobile marketing techniques report an increase in new business for their efforts . There are many advertising options to target potential mobile customers that your business can take advantage of. Some of these are:

Consider Mobile paid search Ads

4. Mobile SEO

Just like desktop users, mobile users often use search engines to find products and services based on their needs.

There are several ways your business can leverage SEO to target the mobile market. A good place to start is to apply basic SEO principles to make your mobile website search engine friendly.

Listing your business? address and service area clearly on your website will also help you to rank well on mobile and location-specific searches. Similarly, including location fields in your social media pages accurately will help it to rank on local searches.

You can also use Google?s geo-targeting options in Google webmaster tools dashboard to tailor your ranking on searches from specific locations.

5. Build Mobile Apps

Mobile Apps are a very effective way to engage potential customers.

An app is different to a mobile website. Apps are software that users download and run from their smart phone or other mobile devices. Apps are very popular and can be used to attract new customers as well as offer customer service to existing customers. E.g. most airlines have apps that allow customers to check flight times, status, make bookings and even check-in conveniently from their phone.

6. Invest in Mobile Commerce

Mobile commerce is on the rise and is a very effective way to target mobile customers and boost your profits. If you sell products online, consider opening a Mobile Storefront either via a simple mobile website or mobile app. Different factors needs to be considered when selling to the mobile audience.

Mobile payments are another area of mobile commerce that is gaining in popularity. It offers a revolutionary way to process payments more efficiently. ?Customers can pay without having to take their card out. ?For example, you could plug Square?s tiny card reader into your phone, and process a payment while you?re visiting a client in their home.

7. Leverage New Technologies such as QR Code

QR code (Quick Response Code) are two-dimensional bar codes that have become common in consumer advertising. They are particularly popular among mobile users. Smart-phone users can use the built-in QR-code scanner on the device to install an app, visit a website or perform other tasks in a quick and easy manner.

One of the most popular uses of QR-code is to redirect smart-phone users to a desired URL such as a company?s website, online store, or another product or campaign page that offers special discounts to mobile customers.

QR codes are very easy to use. There are many free web-based services that businesses can use to create and start using QR codes in a few easy steps.

Conclusion:

Getting your business mobile ready, can be a very effective way to acquire new customers and boost your profits. Small businesses that are able to capitalize on the mobile marketing boom are much more likely to succeed in the coming year than those that fail to tap into the mobile consumer-base.