business.com
It’s been a
fairly recent development that in order to have a company, you must have a
website for that company before all else. However, we've now hit the time when,
in order to have a company, especially a scalable company, you need a mobile
responsive site and possibly even a mobile app. And a smooth interface is a
must.
On average,
users carry out 221 tasks on their smartphones per day, compared to 140 on a
desktop or laptop. For the first time, Google is getting more mobile search
requests than desktop searches, and this is only an indication of the greater
trend that other media-savvy giants have been anticipating for some time. This
migration to mobile also presents new opportunities for companies to market
their products.
By using
time and location-based targeted ads, investing in placements that potential
consumers can access on-the-go, taking advantage of mobile social media growth,
using innovative new services to present your message, and being able to sell
products and services with apps like Apple Pay and Google Wallet, mobile
marketing can be much more effective (and fun!) than it’s ever been. Here’s
what you should know about mobile marketing.
Now Is the
Time to Build a Mobile App
Mobile apps
are a fun and exciting marketing tool, but they can also be expensive. Some
businesses have felt that a mobile app may not worth the effort.
For
startups and businesses which cater to a specific niche, mobile can offer a
unique experience by providing regularly updated information that people can
keep referring back to, and a mobile app can enhance company image
exponentially which gains loyal followers.
One example
for use is a chain of wine stores with an app that alerts users to special
sales, suggests food and wine pairings, and allows users to scan and tag
favorite labels for later reference. This business will have put themselves
above and beyond their competitors rather quickly.
Take
Advantage of Available Apps
Particularly
useful for brick and mortar shops and restaurants, directory services with
location-based functions such as Yelp, Urbanspoon and Google Places can direct
an amazing amount of walk-in clients to your door.
After all,
it’s become de rigueur to research the restaurants in the neighborhood you’re
in on a mobile phone, and then decide where to go. A little more visibility
might make all the difference to getting more customers. Advertising with
Twitter or Facebook can also net more potential customers from the mobile
crowd.
SEO Still
Reigns Supreme
As mobile
searches become more ubiquitous than desktop searches, it becomes imperative to
play nicely with Google’s ranking algorithms to drive more search traffic to
your site.
Getting
acquainted with the traditional SEO methods, and having a responsive website
design (which Google favors when supplying search results for mobile searches)
can put your company ahead of the competition.
To get
ahead of the game, use Google Adwords to boost your brand's visibility.
Consider
the User
More than
anything else, a shift to mobile is an excellent opportunity for creativity,
and this is heavily inspired by the true personalization offered with a
smartphone. We are now realizing that nothing is more personal than a mobile
device.
Companies
have been able to create remarkable campaigns just by being aware of the habits,
location and interests of their customers. The current dominant mobile apps
vary by country across the world: in North America, Snapchat, Instagram,
Twitter and Facebook still rule the mobile landscape.
In China,
Weixin is the mobile chat network that is taking over the corporate and retail
landscape with exclusive advertising campaigns from luxury brands, global news
outlets and restaurants. In staying current and mindful of the habits of their
consumers:
Coca-Cola
has been able to boost sales and stay relevant by their Share a Coke campaign
Nike earned
more customized shoe orders from a campaign that urged users to take
inspirational photos
Ikea lets
people visualize their dream living room with an augmented reality app
More and
more, large corporations are experimenting with personalization tools,
hyper-localization and the technological freedom inherent with smartphones and
tablets.
Consider
that you will not want to be left behind the mobile app movement. If you are
not working on this now, you are already behind in the game. Think how much
you, yourself, use your mobile phone.
Watch those
around you, with their phones, especially the millennials. The millennials are
now the largest population, and the most diverse generation in the U.S. Watch
how a millennial will rarely even buy a package of gum (slight exaggeration)
without checking online to see who has the best price, and what kind of gum
everyone else is buying.
You need a
good, responsive mobile app, and you probably need it now.
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