November 17, 2011
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You may feel as though you have all the important bases covered in your business. Accessible at all times of the day and night by e-mail, check. Texting to save time and keep in touch, check. Website is customer friendly and updated, check. Using social media to interact with your customers, check.
That is all good, but you are missing one important piece, according to AT&T’s recent survey of 300 small business owners: marketing to your prospects and customers via their smartphones. Close to 70 percent of business owners who have tried marketing via smartphones rate the tactic as effective or very effective, according to the survey.
This makes sense if you look at how people use smartphones. 82 percent of small business owners with smartphones use them to search for stores and restaurants, while 42 percent look for business ratings and reviews. On top of that, small business owners say their customers are using smartphones to find their websites/locations (43 percent), make purchases (28 percent) and scan barcodes and QR codes (20 percent).
Buyer behavior has changed, and you need to adapt if you want their dollars.
Savvy business owners are taking steps to open up two-way communication with prospects and customers via smartphones. Here’s how you can dive in.
Make your website mobile-friendly
The top mobile marketing tactics business owners are using is marketing through text messages and making their websites look better on mobile devices. Any good Web designer can help you with this; several Web hosting services now offer mobile website creation tools that can make your website compatible with smartphones, including AT&T’s mobile website creation service.
Key changes should include limiting scrolling by loading your homepage with what customers most. “Search” and contact information are musts for this page. Think of an outdoor enthusiast searching for something on your site after a hike or bike ride. He wants to buy from you, so make it easy by featuring your go-to information up front. Quick access to your information can be the difference between making and losing a sale. Keep images and graphics small, so your site loads quickly, and limit the need for visitors to enter information. Ask only for what is absolutely necessary for them to request information or complete a sale.
Start text marketing
Consider substituting texts for phone calls or e-mails. Think immediacy. For example, if you run a food or wine store, you can text when new shipments arrive. Clothing stores can text when a special order is in so customers are notified when they are out and about. Restaurants, salons, dentists and other service businesses can text when someone cancels to quickly fill spots and keep revenues up. Ask permission to text and limit your outreach to once a week at most, unless people ask for more.
Make sure consumers can easily find you
Much of the online searching today is done through smartphones and tablets. Therefore, you must make yourself easy to find via search. By having a complete, accurate and engaging online local listing in search engines and online directories, you can help attract customers to your website—and through your door—for little or no cost. This way, if you own a coffee shop, potential customers will see your address and business hours when they’re looking for a place to buy a cup of coffee.
Get to know location-based marketing
According to the AT&T survey, 61 percent of business owners have found location-based marketing programs—Google Places, Foursquare and others—to be effective in attracting customers. Consumers can enter information about your business on many of these sites, so you need to check that your business name, address, phone number and other details are listed correctly. Once you’re ready to promote your business, you can increase foot traffic by using incentives, such as a percentage off a purchase when visitors check in; prizes to those who check in frequently; or discounts when traffic is typically slow.
The other good news about mobile marketing, aside from the fact that it works, is that the effort to harness it for your success is minimal. A little mobile effort goes a long way.
Check your balance, review recent transactions and pay your bill on the go.
Drewry News Network 6 months ago
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