Your Business Needs A Mobile Marketing Strategy

Author, Bret Pawlowski, President and Founder of Brands In Motion, disucsses the basics of developing a mmobile marketing strategy for your business.

The facts are clear that mobile smartphones have changed the way people go about their lives.

Everyday there are huge advancements in social networking and in wireless mobile marketing that can be leveraged for your business quickly, easily, and very affordably. It is vital to the success of your business to integrate a mobile marketing strategy into your advertising and promotional efforts right away. 

Here is a list of the top 10 things you can do immediately to get your business activated on the mobile web so that consumers can find your product, service, or location faster.

1. To develop a mobile strategy for your business first understand that mobile marketing is a very important part of how your business can market immediately and in the future.  As more people start to use their mobile phones to its fullest potential, mobile marketing growth rates will increase dramatically. 
2. Understand that nearly half of all searches are now taking place on a mobile device. This means that people are actively using their mobile phones to seek out information and offers that fit their lifestyle. Most smartphone users have their device with them 18 hours a day, and that most of them don't perceive mobile ads as "advertising" or as intrusive. Consumers actually like searching for specific offers and have demonstrated a high rate of acceptance and redemption of mobile offers (i.e. mobile coupons).
3. MobileCoupons.com offers a FREE account to merchants to start creating coupons and offering them to consumers both on-line and on their mobile phones. The service is absolutely FREE to consumers so they can search, geo-locate, and navigate to your coupon deals. Consumers can use their computers to print those same mobile coupons, or they can be found, shared, and stored on a mobile phone to be presented for redemption at your business. MobileCoupons is created for merchants to be easy, immediate, affordable and trackable! Mobile Coupons redemption rates are 10x greater than print. 
4. If you have a website already, that is great! But it is time to upgrade and/or integrate a mobile friendly website that is easily found on the mobile web, viewed, and offers  full navigation screen on a mobile device. This does not have to be a huge or labor intensive task. A fully functional basic mobile site can be created for $500 to $2500 or more (depending on how in-depth and interactive you want it to be). Most mobile sites can be constructed in a few days, if all of the content and information is provided and in order. 
5. A solid mobile strategy will include several different ways of connecting with consumers through their mobile devices. SMS/MMS or Text messaging, Bluetooth or Proximity Marketing, and Mobile Coupons and Geo-Locating are each very different and offer strengths that if used properly will cover your basis in the mobile ecosystem.  
6. Set up Facebook and Twitter accounts for your business. Recently, Facebook took over Googles #1 spot and became the "most visited" website in the US. Facebook has 400 millions users and still growing rapidly. Twitter is on a course to have a billion users by the end of 2010.  These social media sites are free and relatively painless to set up, that will get your business alot of exposure. If you are not able to update your account on a regular basis, try to assign the task to someone else (as updating is a very important part of keeping your presence current). People are recommending local businesses and services to their friends and families at an increasing rate. Word of mouth… Internet style! 
7. Create a YouTube account for your business. Start uploading video content about you, your products, and your services. Even a handheld video of your location or a 15-20 second commercial can get you tons of impressions. People love watching video on their computers and on their mobile phones. It is a great way for people to preview your offerings and services. 
8. If you are doing any type of print advertising, billboards or event marketing make sure you included your mobile website address and place logos (i.e. Facebook, Twitter, or YouTube) for any of the social media(s) you have accounts with. Consumers like to know as much about you and your business as possible, so let them know how to find and hear more about you. 
9. Get "Geo-focused" and understand there is a mobile Ecosystem around your customers. Smartphones are smart because of how they interact with an environment and help people find goods, services, and specific locations. Each smartphone is a little GPS (Global Positioning System) and contains software that can gather information, process it, and deliver it to the user in a meaningful way. When planning your mobile marketing efforts, think about proximity and tie-in partnerships that can deliver the types of customers that you want.  Location Based, Geo-Navigating, Geo-Targeting, Proximity Marketing are the key terms you'll need to be familiar with so you can integrate your mobile strategy and connect with customers. 
10. Keep your finger on the pulse of mobile marketing. There are several websites and blogs that have really great and current information about every aspect of mobile marketing. MobileMarketingWatch is a great resource and 5thWallMedia.com has information and a free smartphone marketing report.