4 Mobile Marketing Tips to Grow Your Business

StaSmartphones and mobile devices are revolutionizing the way people communicate with one another and the way businesses connect with their target markets. For the few past years, mobile device usage has grown at an astronomical pace, with over 2.5 billion smartphone users worldwide in 2018 and a forecasted growth to a whopping 2.8 billion in 2020. Statistics further show that digital media usage time is growing too in parallel to this mobile trend—in fact, nearly 70% of digital media time is spent on mobile.

The numbers shouldn’t come as a surprise, considering that it’s significantly noticeable that the majority of the population all around the world is dependent on their mobile phones. This is the very reason why businesses should seriously consider this opportunity—mobile marketing can help you expand your reach to billions of potential customers and has tremendous potential in growing your business.

Here are tips on how to effectively target your marketing campaigns to mobile device users:

1. Make your site mobile-responsive

The first and most basic step before starting a mobile marketing campaign is to have a mobile-responsive site. According to Google, users are five times more likely to leave a website if it’s not mobile-friendly. Mobile-responsiveness is also a key ranking factor in SEO. And with Google gradually rolling out its mobile-first index this year, it’s highly crucial for businesses to prioritize mobile-responsiveness.

However, it’s not enough to just have a mobile version of your business website that redirects mobile users to a different URL (example.com versus m.example.com). To have a mobile-responsive site means having a fully functional website that adapts well to various screen sizes. Here are a few tips to get started:

• Read through Google’s primer on responsive web design basics.
• Check if your website is mobile-friendly using Google’s free tool.
• Check if your pages are responsive on all devices and screen resolutions with BrowserStack.

2. Have your business listed on Google Maps

Mobile users often search for information on local businesses near them. In fact,  86% of mobile users look up the location of a business on Google Maps. To widen your reach on both mobile and desktop, it’s important for your business to get listed on Google Maps.

The good news is, Google makes it extremely easy for you to get your business information listed on their search engine with their free tool called Google My Business. With this tool, people can find you easier through local Google search results, as well as streamlining your business information to Google Maps.

All you need to do is create a Google account, enter your business information on Google My Business, and verify your business. Here’s also a quick guide on how to optimize your Google My Business listing to help you effectively reach your mobile audience.

3. Use QR code marketing

Quick Response (QR) codes in marketing are starting to gain traction, and your business may do well to incorporate this to your mobile marketing strategy as well. QR codes are a type of barcoding typically used to store URLs and provide a direct link for customers to online information, such as web content and landing pages. All a mobile user has to do is “scan” the QR code using their smartphone camera.

QR codes can be easily created using free tools you can find on the web, such as this QR Code Generator. In marketing, QR codes can be used in a lot of ways. Here are some ideas on how to use them in your mobile marketing efforts:

• Provide discount coupons
• Direct people to download your mobile app
• Drive people to your sales or contact page
• Grow your social media following
• Encourage people to provide a review to your Google My Business profile

Of course, QR codes are only half effective if you don’t place them in highly strategic marketing locations. The key here is to place your code in an area where it’s easy for people to scan it using their smartphones, such as business cards, product packaging, and brochures.

4. Invest in a mobile app

Mobile apps are essentially the reason why the mobile experience is extremely addictive. According to statistics, 86% of smartphone users spend their time using apps, which is saying a lot on how powerful mobile apps are. For businesses, having a mobile app is a cost-effective way to market your brand directly to your target audience.

Mobile apps make it easier for your customers to get access to information about your business, products, and services with just a touch of their fingertips. With push notifications, you can also have an easier time to inform customers of updates regarding your business, as well as sharing exclusive promos and discounts.

Developing a mobile app, however, may not be cheap, depending on your requirements, the features you want, the timeline of completion, and more. While there are free mobile app development tools available, such as Appery and BuildFire, it can only do so much. Investing on an excellent mobile app developer may be a better choice if your app requires specialized custom features. In the long run, having a dedicated developer can also make bug fixes and app updates far easier.

Mobile marketing is the future of marketing. With the technology of mobile devices getting more sophisticated each year, and with the growing number of smartphone users, there’s no telling how much it would evolve and rise to even greater heights in the near future.

If you want to know more about how your business can grow with mobile marketing, or if you’re interested in working with Ilfusion on your marketing efforts, give us a call at 888-420-5115, or send us an email at [email protected].

Categorized in: Marketing, SEO, Web