Mobile Marketing Tips for Every Small Business

Smartphones have become an almost-essential shopping tool, and many users say they are willing to receive coupons and discounts from businesses on their devices. This is great news for business as it opens new doors to direct marketing to customers. However, creating an effective mobile marketing campaign comes with its own set of difficulties as business owners try to create a campaign which will work but won’t annoy customers.

Focus On Your Customers
Before you begin to draft the first notification to your customers, remember to focus on what your customers need and want. Try to make the buying process with your business as simple as possible and remove any potential barriers in your advertising that could hurt your returns or limit its effectiveness. Do test runs of your messages to make sure they look good on mobile screens and won’t be disruptive to your customers when they receive them.

Don’t Be Too Pushy
Most online shopping involves customers searching for something and then buying it. However, with mobile marketing you often use push technology to send customers notifications about what is going on in your business. When customers respond positively to these notifications and use them, you can feel safe in sending them more. However, if you find you’re getting little response, don’t keep bombarding your customers with messages.

Respect Your Customers’ Privacy
Nothing can unravel a mobile marketing plan faster than not having respect for privacy. Your customers value their privacy, and if they ever feel you violate that trust you will find your sales will suffer greatly. As an added bonus, being respectful of privacy on an ongoing basis can reward you with a happy and growing customer base.

Give Something Away
Consumers will be tolerant of the occasional ad if they get something from it. On top of those boring ads, try including specials only available to those subscribed to your mobile marketing efforts. Remind customers of sales that are going on, and even consider sending out a mobile coupon.

Integrate Your Mobile Marketing with Your Overall Plan
When creating a marketing plan for your business, be sure you include your mobile marketing strategies as well and combine them with your other marketing efforts to truly leverage your marketing potential. Create a plan that flows seamlessly across a variety of media including email, print, and even direct mail.

Be Quick and to the Point
If you are using text message advertising it’s important to be as concise as you can. Users don’t have the time to read a small book about your business every time you want to try to offer them a deal. Be quick and to the point. Make it easy to take advantage of the offer you are sending to their inbox.

Mobile marketing offers a potentially powerful marketing medium for businesses of all shapes and sizes. You can easily offer quick deals to your customers to increase foot traffic and sales at a speed which outdoes most traditional advertising media. However, you must handle your campaign with great care, or you could find your mobile marketing plan is doing much more harm than good to your business.