Mobile Marketing Strategies for Local Businesses
Today’s consumers spend about 60% of all digital media time on mobile devices with small screens. Does your business have a mobile strategy to reach them or are you missing out on all that potential business?
Responsive website design automatically adjusts your website to the correct size and keeps your design elements where they need to be to ensure your website is usable for everyone. It eliminates the need for different websites and for multiple updates with each change.
Mobile marketing allows you to entice customers on the go, even as they are searching for what you’re offering. Using the right strategies helps you grow your customer base while nurturing your existing customers.
Hot Mobile Marketing Trends
Store apps are an excellent option for a savvy local business. Nielsen's research shows 89% of online media time is spent with mobile apps, compared to just 11% who search on mobile web.
Creating a mobile app for your business puts you in front of your customer all the time. You can use the app as a direct marketing channel to keep your customers up to date with what’s going on in your business. If you think building a mobile app is intimidating, check out this 12-step guide to building your first mobile app.
Proximity alerts can be used to alert customers of a sale or a special when they are near your store. As 74% of smartphone owners in the United States say they use location-based services, there’s a good chance you’ll reach your customers.
Beacons designed to send a custom push message to a customer’s phone let them know about your great deals when they are in your area. It’s like mobile point-of-sale advertising.
Remember, you’re not alone. Consider collaborating with other nearby businesses to cross-promote offers and coupons, create product/service packages, and more. For example, a plumbing company could partner with a construction company that specializes in remodeling, or several restaurants could join forces to promote a community food drive.
How Local Businesses Are Using Mobile Marketing to Grow
Seattle Sun Tan, a small chain of 35 tanning salons throughout Washington state, used a text messaging campaign to generate nearly $200,000 new business income in less than a month by advertising their “mobile VIP club” to their existing 80,000 email subscribers. They included it on their website’s landing page and promoted it across social media channels to reach an additional 37,000+ customers. All 35 locations advertised the club in prominent areas in the physical stores.
The campaign had a 57% redemption rate, and customers who redeemed the offer spent an average of 5 times more than customers who did not opt-in. Less than 2% of customers who opted in for the offer opted out within 24 hours.
Smile Designer, a general and cosmetic dentist practice in Arlington, Virginia, turned to Google Mobile Ads. Since 77% of mobile users either call or visit a business for more information after searching, the campaign increased local visibility and helped grow the patient base. The number of clicks increased by 74%, while cost per click (CPC) went down by 34.
Still not convinced your business needs to invest in mobile marketing? 70% of mobile searches lead to website actions within one hour of the search, and 40% of users will move onto the next search result if yours isn’t mobile friendly.
To Begin Mobile Marketing, First Analyze Your Customer Base
With the right understanding of your audience and demographics, you can produce highly targeted marketing campaigns that convert. If you’re not already using a robust customer relationship management (CRM) solution, now’s the time to get on board. For example, Insightly CRM features tags, linking, and custom search filters so you can easily analyze and report on your existing customer base.
A great CRM will help you learn much more about what your existing customers and your prospects are on the hunt for, and you’ll be able to design your mobile marketing to attract much more attention. A powerful CRM helps you get the information you need to zero in on the ideal campaign that will work best for your business. You’ll have everything you need to create the magic formula for mobile success.
