The Advantages of Using Mobile Marketing to Promote Your Business
It’s hard to deny smart phones are the next big thing to change people’s lives. There are so many things they can do to make a person’s life simpler, and it is difficult to imagine life without them sometimes. Businesses are learning to take advantage of this new technology to more effectively market to their customers. Because these techniques are so new, there is plenty of room for learning and growth. By taking on this challenge, you can be on the cutting edge of what marketing can do for your business.
You should never send out unsolicited emails or text messages, so your first step will be collecting this information from customers. Many customers will simply give you their name, phone number, and email upon request, whereas you will have to sweeten the deal for others. Be up front about what you plan to do with their info and stick to that promise. If you say you will keep a customer’s information private but change your mind later, they will probably never shop from you again. Customers will get irritated if you are constantly pestering them for an email, so ask quietly or do an occasional give away that requires and email address to enter to keep things reasonable. You want to expand your list, but not at the expense of your customer base.
Now that you are ready to start sending out messages there are many things you need to keep in mind. How you proceed will depend greatly on what aspect of mobile marketing you want to focus on, as well as what your budget looks like. Things like mobile websites and apps allow you more freedom to interact with your customers, but take time and money to develop. SMS messaging and email will be cheaper and can reach even those who do not have a smart phone but limit you on what you can say and do.
Mobile websites are exactly the same as regular sites other than the fact they are designed to be viewed on a small touch screen rather than with a mouse and monitor. They need to be simple not only to fit on the screen, but also to reduce loading times. You want your mobile site to keep the look and feel of your regular website, but still be very minimalistic in design. Contrasting colors and simple graphics can take a site from being difficult to read to being extremely functional and interesting.
Text message ads need to be very short and to the point. Include a simple reason to buy, a call to action, and a shortened link to your site and leave it at that. People will be glancing through looking for words like “coupon” or “deal” and if they can’t find them quickly they will probably just delete your message. Coupon codes can not only help to push people to buy, it can also help you track the results of your campaign. Use these stats to your advantage. Eventually you will have a very good idea of what works and what doesn’t.
Mobile marketing is a great way to get your brand out there. By doing it correctly you can achieve a whole new level of success in your business ventures.