Online marketing no longer means marketing merely to people using computers. With the invention of smartphones and other mobile devices, the ways in which businesses can connect to and interact with customers and potential customers are greater than ever before. However, to truly take advantage of this unprecedented access, you’ve got to understand how to effectively use online marketing on mobile devices. So to help you do that, here are three ways in which you can use the prolificacy of smartphones to benefit your online business.
Market To Very Specific Geographical Locations
Mobile devices, especially smartphones, make it easy for businesses to now market to their target audience at the most opportune time: when they’re right next to your store. Using geo-targeting to send alerts to potential customers when they’re in the area of your brick and mortar store is a great way to market to your customers. This can be mutually beneficial to both you and the customer.
Brett Relander, a contributor to Entrepreneur.com, shares that by utilizing hyperlocalized marketing, it becomes much easier for businesses to get their promotions to the most responsive markets. Suddenly, you’re able to send reminders, announcements, coupons and other promotional information straight to the hands of your customers. And because this form of marketing is only sent out when your customer is physically close to your location, you don’t have to worry about sending too much correspondence or having your message fall on deaf ears.
Become A Player In the Mobile Search Game
If your business isn’t easily found when people search for it with their smartphones, you’re missing out on a huge piece of your industry’s pie. And although being found in basic search results and being found through mobile do have similarities, there are some differences as well. Dave Chaffey, a contributor to SmartInsights.com, shares that because more people search for businesses online using mobile data rather than using a desktop computer, you’ve got to know how to optimize your search results for mobile in order to take full advantage of this phenomenon.
Keep in mind that not only should your business be able to be found in local directories and through map searches, but your website should also be easy to view on a mobile device. You can ensure this is happening in a number of ways, like by creating a website with responsive design or creating a mobile version of your website. If you haven’t already done this, your online sales numbers will thank you very soon after you decide to make this adjustment.
Get Faster and More Relevant With Your Ads
In older forms of marketing, your audience had more time to understand and digest the message you were trying to communicate to them. Life didn’t seem to move as fast as it does now, causing the speed and immediate relevance of your ads to not quite be as important as it is now. But in this digital age-where your target audience clicks and scrolls faster than their brains can even keep up with-your ads really have to be on point.
Matthew Johnston, a contributor to Investopedia.com, shares that if businesses want to make impressions during the decision-making process of their customers in a mobile setting, they’ve got to have a major focus on having ads that can convey their meaning in a split second. Consider testing out some of your current mobile ads to see if you could make any improvements on the speed of getting your message to your target market.
Smartphones and other mobile devices can be a great tool for marketers when used correctly. Ponder the tips mentioned above to get the most out of mobile devices for your future marketing and advertising campaigns.