Could mobile marketing be the next great edge in your business promotion? You could find a great set of skills and strategies to put forth in your mobile marketing efforts, but you want to stop first and take note of these great steps that are going to ensure your success in the practice.
Try not to add files to your message. If possible, you should only include a link. Adding large files, like pictures, to a message will only frustrate the customer, because you are adding to the download time. Also, you may be costing them extra money just to be able to view what you have sent.
Make your website easily navigable to mobile devices. While you may know your site works for larger computers and tablets, you need to be sure it will work for mobile phones as well. Test it using your own mobile device to see how it handles, and make any necessary changes.
Keep your text messages, social network posts and e-mails brief and concise. If the message is too long, people tend to dismiss it immediately. The message shout be short, urgent and contain a call of action. It should not be a quarter page ad, but instead a short message aimed to alert consumers of discounts or promotions.
Make sure you understand what your goals are in mobile marketing. For most people, this mobile approach is on top of their normal approach, so it’s double the work. That’s why it’s very important that you define what you want out of this branch of marketing before you start. This will help you streamline your campaign more efficiently.
Mobile ads need a stronger call to action than regular ads, so make sure that you’re proficient at providing this type of material. A dozen exclamation points and some words like “must” and “now” aren’t going to cut it. You need to come up with a wording that will persuade people in only a short sentence or two.
Be sure that you modify your blog so that it looks great on any type of mobile device. This is imperative if you’re using a blog to communicate with people. Your blog might look okay from the Android, but iPhone might slaughter it. You will need to get to work modifying it before other people are scared away.
If you make it possible and simple for your mobile marketing customers to forward or resend the message on to their friends, there is a good chance they would do it. When you are cleaning up your ads, make sure that they will be easy to send to others, and consider adding an incentive for those that do forward it.
Consider adding advertising to your website that specifically built for the mobile environment. Your traditional web banners are not going to cut it on a mobile device. In fact, if you have optimized your site for a mobile experience, those banners are no longer even visible. There are a lot of great mobile advertising platforms out in the market, including AdMob, iAd and MobClix. Investigate them and choose the right one for you.
Keep the messages you send short and precise. Most people will not read a long message on their cell phones or tablets. Your messages should immediately mention the product or offer you are advertising. Phrase your message so that it calls for an action: you should encourage people to find out more about your offer.
You should do your best to send personalized and targeted messages. Different groups of people are not going to be interested in the same products, and you will need to address people in different ways. Send a different message for each age group or niche you want to reach out to.
It is important to do research about your potential audience. Don’t assume anything about the people you will be marketing to, or their preferences. Do some research before you spend money on this project. Is it possible that they use their computers less than their phones? What mobile platform is their cell phone? Find out who they are, and you will have an easier time connecting with them.
Take advantage of mobile applications that many mobile consumers already use and are very popular, like Google Maps. Google has a Local Business Center that will list your your business on their Google Maps for that region. This way, your business will be targeted to the audience local to your area.
Check out your competition. Taking a look at the competition is always a smart idea, and this includes the realm of mobile marketing. Visit your competitor’s sites on your mobile device and take a look at any apps they offer. You can see what they are doing well, as well as learn from their mistakes.
The use of mobile friendly maps will help attract local customers. Such maps let people easily find nearby businesses like yours when they need it.
You must get someone’s permission to send them messages. If you do not, it will be considered as spam and you could get in trouble over it. Ask people to sign up as customers, and have them tick a box that said they agree to receive promotional offers via their mobile phones.
If you are scared of taking on mobile marketing because it is new, you don’t have to worry. There are millions of people just like you that have found mobile marketing to be quite successful with the right strategies in place. Take the time to read these tips and give yourself a head start.