With more and more people turning to their smartphones to browse the internet or find new businesses, it is becoming increasingly important to have a strong mobile presence when marketing your small business. In the last year alone, clicks from non-PC devices have gone up from 13 to 25 percent and these trends are likely to continue.
Converting Customers Via Mobile Marketing
If you are able to reach customers on mobile devices, you will be able to convert a different type of customer than ones you find using desktop PCs. Those using PCs are more likely to be researching or casually thinking about a future vacation or purchase; this may be a good time to push reservations or let them know about special offers. However, being able to pitch your business to potential customers on a mobile device means you will be reaching out to people with immediate needs.
Think about the type of people that are on their smartphones, they are often looking for a restaurant in the neighborhood because they are hungry or have just landed in a new city or town and are looking for travel accommodations. They may be in transit or looking for a product or business while in route. Studies have shown that conversion rates among mobile users are much higher than those using PCs.
Making Your Business Mobile
Here are some steps you can take to make sure people can access your businesses information while on their mobile device:
Review Your Mobile SEO. Make sure that your web pages are easy to navigate using a mobile device. This means taking a test run yourself or having people less familiar with your site give it a try to make sure that everything is user friendly. Use short keyword phrases and make sure your site is listed on sites that are frequently visited by mobile users.
Make Your Emails Mobile Friendly. When sending emails to your subscribers, make sure the emails are easy to read and navigate on a mobile device. Services like MailChimp provide templates to create emails and let you preview your email on multiple devices before you send them.
Use QR Codes. QR codes allow potential customers on mobile devices to find your web page by scanning a barcode that you can place on stickers, posters, or in advertisement. All they need is the app to do it. QR codes are cheap and easy to create. Just make sure that your web page is mobile friendly!
Mobile searches have taken an increasing percentage of total searches in the last few years and there is no reason to believe this will change anytime soon. We will soon see a day where all websites are integrated and easy to use on mobile devices. Make sure that your business is ahead of the curve and is reaching out to the people who are most likely to patronize your business immediately: people on mobile devices.