All marketing strategy is a coherent and agreed upon thought process formed with the aim of increased revenue and market share. Broadly speaking, marketing strategies refer to the set of actions designed to meet your business goals. It answers the question of what has to be done and usually contain three important elements:
- Who your target customers are
- How to reach your target customers
- How to retain your customers
Your marketing strategy is effectively your company’s roadmap to success.
Of the various channels available to implement the marketing strategies, mobile and social media are the current game changers.
Mobile marketing however is more actionable than other forms of web marketing. It is a digital marketing practice that employs performance-based advertising techniques to drive traffic, downloads, app installs, and sales via cellular phones, smart phones, tablets, and other mobile devices. Mobile marketing offers advertisers a number of benefits such as time and location-based targeting and customized ads that traditional and online advertising cannot provide.
There are a number of different mobile marketing practices, including SMS/MMS messaging, push notifications, mobile advertising (in which brands pay to display visual ads embedded within the content of another website), Online marketing (on websites, in searches, and with email), mobile applications, mobile search marketing, location-based targeting, and in-game marketing—all of which can provide advertisers with unique ways of reaching consumers who are constantly on the go.
Several elements make mobile marketing remarkable because it is uniquely suited to help potential customers find you or learn about your products precisely when they need them. Many customers have their phones with them all the time, frequently as their primary means of communication with the rest of the world. Many people even report that they would be “lost” without their cell phone and find it hard to imagine life without it.
This is why you need to take your advertising mobile. Mobile Marketing has proven to be the most personal and targeted form of Web Marketing going by the following observations & facts;
- Mobile phones are not shared, like traditional phones or desktop computers might be, so they are a uniquely targeted means of communication. The mobile phone is the most personal piece of technology that most of us will ever own.
- Our mobile phones are with us all the time. They know who we call and who we text, and they can triangulate where we are throughout the day.
- Smart phones have access to our entire address book and calendar. They can see what websites we are looking at and what applications we are downloading.
- Our mobile phones know what kind of entertainment we like. We use them to download and play videos, play games, or listen to music.
- Mobile phones can even hold and distribute digital likenesses of us with cameras, videos, and voice recordings.
Fortunately, here are 6 Technologies & Tactics that can help you create a simple Mobile Marketing Strategy:
1. Maximize your listings on search directories and review sites – One way to get better results when potential customers are looking for a local business is to make sure you are providing the big search engines (Google Places, Bing Local, and Yahoo Local) with complete company and promotional information. Google Places, for instance, can be seen on Google Maps, which comes pre-installed on most Smart phones. Optimizing your Google listing and other search engines with great content helps your buyers find you via their phone. Mobile searchers are not just browsing the web, they are ready to buy.
2. Create a made-for-mobile website – If a customer is trying to access your website on their mobile phone, what do they see? Chances are, it is cumbersome, hard to read, and lacks the functionality that will help connect them to you. Mobile phone users expect to make fewer clicks on their phones. You need to remember the “less is more” rule when it comes to mobile web design. By prioritizing and remembering your customer needs for quick content, your mobile website can be both convenient to your customer and produce results.
3. Utilize location-based marketing & social networking – Location-based social networks are driven by people who like to share their brand loyalty to their friends thru their mobile devices. Even if you have a community of Facebook fans and Twitter followers, it may be frustrating if they don’t come into your store and actually buy. Location-based marketing such as Foursquare Specials, Gowalla, Google Places, and Facebook Deals encourage your followers and customers to walk into your store, check-in to for specials or promotions, and make a purchase.
4. Communicate with customers via opt-in text messaging – Text messaging is quick and easy and often used more frequently than talking on the phone for some people, especially in the younger demographic or even their parents. As marketers, it is our job to communicate to our customers in the way that is most convenient for them. Services are available which will allow your customers to opt-in to your text messages. Some tools that make opt-in text messaging a breeze for marketers include Mobile Storm, CallFire, Constant Contact’s Live Feedback, and Ez Texting.
5. Bring offline customers online with QR codes – QR codes bring your customer from an offline place, to your website, creatively tying together your traditional marketing and digital marketing efforts. Scanning a QR code makes getting to a website or offer easy for the mobile user. It is simple to create a QR code using free services like Kimtag or even Bing Local. These techylooking bar codes generate curiosity and interest when placed on print ads, mailers, displays, etc. The marketer’s job is to strategically place the QR code, create enough interest that customers scan, and then have an enticing offer that creates a lead or sale.
6. Invest in mobile search ads for greater exposure – To take local search to the next level, consider targeting potential mobile shoppers in your area through paid advertising on search engines like Google Mobile Ads. Google Mobile Ads enhances the searching experience for the mobile user, ultimately driving more customers to your phone, website, or physical location.
If you will like to speak with a consultant on how to generate more leads for your business using mobile marketing, fill the form below
