Mobile Marketing for Small Business

Successful mobile marketing is a delicate balancing act. It is easy to set up and automate but can quickly overwhelm and turn off customers if the messages are sent too often or with the wrong type of content.

A recent Bloomberg Business article noted that most cell phone owners are willing to share their personal data with merchants if they will be getting things like coupons and discounts. The article also highlighted 6 mobile marketing tips, specifically for small business owners.

1. Focus on customers. Make sure that you play into how customers already use their devices, don’t make shopping harder for them. Avoid slow loading websites and things that don’t load or read well on mobile devices. Make sure that contacting you is simple- “click to call” or “click for directions” can quickly and easily engage potential customers.

2. Don’t get too pushy. We’ve all been victims of the “sign up to get coupons.”  We sign up and share our information expecting to get coupons and instead get slammed with a  bombardment of seemingly worthless messages. Pay attention to customers’ responses to your messages. Make sure they get what they signed up for and what they want. Notice how often they use the discounts you send and also when they stop using them.

3. Respect privacy. Direct your marketing to customers who have already agreed to receive discount or coupons.

4. Give something away. People don’t mind their consumer behaviors being tracked- think club cards, rewards cards, etc.- as long as there is something in it for them. The same idea applies to mobile marketing. Send coupons, offers and “free with purchase” offers.

5. Integrate. Mobile marketing should be part of a larger marketing plan. Watch and see what types of marketing work for you. It doesn’t matter what you want to do- what matters is what your customers like.

6. Be concise. Text messages have a high open rate, much better than emails. With that said, you only have a few words to get your point across. Know your customers. Experiment to see what gets a response from your customers and stick with what works.

Read the full article here.