1. The future of mobile started yesterday
The future of mobile marketing has started, and it is exploding. If your business does not have a mobile strategy in place today, you had better have one soon! Most of the world’s biggest retailers and corporations have not jumped on the bandwagon yet either, but that landscape is changing everyday. The Apple app store is adding 20,000 apps per month, and no they are not all angry birds wanna be’s. More and more companies are launching mobile apps for their businesses. Whether it is an online shopping app, or simply an app that contains relevant company information, mobile apps are definitely the way of the future. The mobile app will be for businesses in the future what the website was for businesses in the past. One of the fastest growing segments within the corporate appesephere is the mobile loyalty app. This is a great way for companies to reward their customers, and have the access they so desperately desire to market to them as well. Now with the explosion of smart phones, a tech savvy company that develops their own app will have the ability to reach their customers in ways that they have not had in the past. Hits from mobile devices more than doubled from January 2011 to January 2012. In 2013, mobile web searches were expected to eclipse searches from desktop for the first time in history. Don’t wait until next week, next month, or next year to start thinking about mobile—get started today!
2. Mobile users are social users
If you are using social networks to market your business, you are likely already engaged with the “mobile majority, over 80% of smartphone users use their mobile devices to connect to sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. On Facebook, 600 million of its 1 billion users are logging onto the site via a mobile device, and 70% of those users return to the site on a daily basis (compared to 40% for desktops). That means, whether it’s at home, work, or at your place of business—mobile users are among the most engaged members of your social communities. How can your business extend your brand and further your corporate goals by connecting with customers that are already in your social network? By exploring the most current and latest technology that is available, that’s how!
3. Your Customers are accessing more information in more places than ever before
Mobile’s influence can already be seen on the life of your customer. Consumers today are ahead of the mobile curve. A recent study found that over 65% of all smartphone users had used their mobile devices to assist them in making a purchase, with more than 35% of those customers using their devices to research products and services while in a retail environment. Google released a forecast for shopping projecting that four out of five smartphones will rely on mobile devices for help during the shopping season. These users are checking prices, reading reviews, and researching your competition. The Bottom line? The mobile consumer is an informed consumer, and it’s never been more important to have your brand up-to-date and accurate across all of your online channels.
4. Mobile will redefine customer service
If you haven’t been monitoring your social networks for customer comments, questions, and complaints —you may want to add it to your list of resolutions for 2014. Nearly three-quarters of all companies are now using social media as a channel for customer service, One in five consumers is already using sites like Facebook and Twitter to have their voices heard. Expect mobile to send that number skyrocketing and for social costumer service to become the norm for businesses of all sizes.
5. Content creation is going mobile
The mobile revolution isn’t only having a profound influence on the lives of consumers, it’s also changing the way business owners—especially small business owners—are marketing their business. This is especially true when it comes to content creating. Coming up with content ideas for Facebook, Twitter, or an email newsletter is one of the biggest pain points facing small businesses. While smartphones aren’t guaranteed to alleviate all your content creating anxieties, they do make it easier than ever before to capture content ideas and turn everyday work experiences into engagement posts on Facebook and active-worthy articles for an email newsletter.
Here are 5 ways small businesses can use smartphones to create fresh content.
Start small, think big, and get ready
Today, less than 1% of marketing budgets are being allocated for mobile. That’s a huge miss for business owners and, more importantly, a huge disappointment for their growing mobile customer base. But preparing your business for its mobile future doesn’t have to break the bank. You can start by giving the channels you are already using a closer look. Does your social media marketing strategy fit a mobile world? Does your website offer the type of experience you want on smartphones and tablets? Is your business easily discovered by online searches. Start small, think big, and begin to plan for a bright future in mobile marketing.
How has mobile impacted your marketing strategy? We would love to know, tell us in the comments