Mobile Marketing May Be Good For Business

With 56% of Americans carrying a smartphone and 34% owning a tablet, it’s a good idea to understand how mobile marketing can help boost your business – locally and beyond. Mobile marketing is not just for big business anymore. Small business owners can use the power of mobile messaging to expand their markets and connect faster with customers and prospects.

One simple way to share information with mobile customers is to include a QR code on your signage, brochures, and other marketing materials. A QR, or “quick response”, code is a set of instructions within a graphic image that, when scanned with a smartphone, tablet, or other mobile device, directs the device to a landing page where you can share more information with your customers.

For those companies that have a digital presence (a website or dedicated landing page), it is important to format each page to render on a mobile device. Images, buttons, and other content often do not appear or function in the same manner on a mobile device as they do when viewed with a desktop or laptop computer. There are services that small business owners can use which convert traditional websites to mobile format in as little as one hour.

Mobile marketing strategies can be beneficial in two ways:

• Attracting New Customers – small business owners can reach out to prospects more quickly by establishing a mobile presence that can be accessed as they are travelling or away from a traditional computer. Registration on geo-trafficking sites like FourSquare puts you in front of prospects that are nearby.
• Staying Connected – your customers can be updated or sent a message requiring immediate response through their mobile device. As consumers become more attached through mobile devices, small business owners can gain an advantage by marketing on the devices they use most.

Small businesses in many industries have been gaining traction in the mobile environment. For example, real estate agents have used QR codes to provide prospective buyers with details about a property that can be displayed while they are onsite. Restaurants and small retail shops use QR coupons to attract foot traffic as shoppers are out and about. In some cases, instant promotions have been successful in attracting new business.

In other cases, mobile marketing used to stay connected has strengthened relationships between businesses and their customers. A regional coffee roasting company has used QR codes to describe their ethically-grown products to customers. A perfume company has promoted brand loyalty by extending exclusive offers to previous customers through text messaging.

There are countless examples of small companies using mobile technology to increase new business and connect with existing customers. According to one industry analyst, mobile will “overtake fixed Internet access by 2014″. Is it time to explore mobile marketing for your company?