 |
| Courtesy of Flickr |
The Internet has been going mobile for the past few years. In fact, there are now more people accessing the Web on their Smartphones than there are on all the world's computers ... combined. Yet few businesses are exploiting the clear advantages that going mobile can bring by
adapting their online marketing model. In this week's article, we'll talk about what it takes to start raking in the chips and upgrade your Web presence with smart mobile marketing.
Here's a NEWSFLASH
There are 6.8 billion mobile subscriptions worldwide. This is surprising, considering the current world population is just a little over 7.1 billion (men, women and children). More surprising: mobile usage has jumped more than 1 billion during the past three years alone. Of that, more than one billion subscribers are now Smartphone equipped. http://mobithinking.com/mobile-marketing-tools/latest-mobile-stats/a
What this means to business owners and managers is that if they have yet to embrace mobile marketing, they could be missing the boat. The problem for many is the fact that it took them nearly 20 years to learn how to effectively add the Internet to their marketing mix. Now many are reluctant to jump on the mobile bandwagon since they believe it will require the expenditure of yet more time, energy and money.
 |
| HTML5 oval logo, see W3C HTML5 logo) (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
Today, mobile marketing encompasses text messaging, direct email marketing, mobile Websites, blogs, video portals, mobile apps, mobile social, article marketing and QR code marketing. All of these can produce Web presence traffic, increased click though, contact form leads, and phone sales. Let's look at these individually.
HTML 5 to the Rescue
While it's true Smartphone users can -- and do -- surf the Web, most Websites created before 2012 rely on code that forces most people to squeeze many Websites down to size in order to read them. This is not only inconvenient. It usually means most people will choose to surf elsewhere almost immediately. HTML 5 creates a site that can detect and reconfigure itself to make it easier for tablet and Smartphone users to view without having to manipulate the site to make it fit their particular platform. Better still, HTML 5 works with most browsers. Plus, it makes embedding video as easy as embedding images was with HTML 4.
Don’t Know HTML, How About Mobile Blogger!
Don't have the money to pay for a Website? Build a blog site with Blogger and kill two birds with one stone. Google owns Blogger, so you know it'll get indexed in the search engines. More importantly, Blogger automatically creates a mobile version of your blog site. Blogger isn't just for blogs. You can build a full-fledged Web presence that includes everything that is currently listed on other Website (your Home, About, Product, Sale and Service pages, and more). Plus, it can hold your blog articles, a major component in any serious online marketing effort. Best of all,
Blogger's hosting is FREE. If you feed your blog weekly and push out your article to your social nets and get others to do the same, you'll generate traffic, build a following, and sell more products. These blog articles can also be easily tied into Yahoo/Bing streaming mobile ads as well.
 |
| "JAMES WHATLEY, Mobile phone blogger" (Photo credit: whatleydude) |
Of course, it can still be a chore for Smartphone readers to view a site if it has a lot of text. I need a 12-inch tablet to make reading practical. That’s why I still recommend every business owner and manager spend a few bucks to create a .mobi site that uses videos to showcase their business in a size anyone can VIEW. There is at least one other advantage to creating a .mobi site: many prime URLs are still up for grabs that can help your business generate more traffic.
Make an App for That
Some businesses have embraced mobile marketing in a big way by having mobile apps created that not only allow them to get a jump on the mobile craze, but also allow them to do some pretty sophisticated things online. Whereas in the past, many businesses relied upon radio and TV ads to generate a buzz about their products and services, today it's all too easy for someone to change stations or filter their TV viewing to eliminate all those annoying four-minute commercial breaks. (Darn TiVo.)
 |
| Courtesy of Flickr |
· Unlike standard email, a text message is more likely to be read right away.
· Using push technology, an app can deliver relevant information to individual prospects.
· Apps can also take advantage of GPS technology to geo-target customers.
Of course, the downside is that it can be fairly pricey to develop a sophisticated app from scratch. This makes many apps unapproachable for smaller businesses. Also, taking an app to market can take months. Even upon entering the marketplace, you're forced to compete with millions of other apps.
“It's no accident or surprise that more than 2 million cumulative apps are in the Apple App Store and the Google Play store. While creating an app has been a great gateway into mobile, and still is a valuable tool to deliver content, reach is limited by the number of people who download and use the app.”
Before you plunk down a wad of cash to develop an app for your business, you need to consider several factors:
· What's the app going to do for your business to give you an edge over the competition?
· How big is your anticipated audience?
· How long of a shelf life will your app have?
· How are you planning to distribute your app?
· Is there a third-party app available that can do a similar job?
With two million apps on the shelf, it's highly probable someone has already come to market with an app that can do the same or similar job. Why pay retail when you can access many of the same benefits for pennies on the dollar through a developer?
Mobile Scratch-Off Anyone?
 |
| Working the Web scratch off on Facebook |
Don't want to plunk down the money needed to get your own app? How about using mobile social to engage mobile users with scratch-off games, mobile coupons and customer loyalty programs. Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and LinkedIn all have mobile versions of their products. We currently use a great Facebook program that lets a business provide scratch off, coupon and loyalty programs, all from one plugin. Winners can share their good fortune and friends can share coupon links. Businesses can keep loyal clients coming back with customized rewards that they control with margins that make sense to them. These programs are perfect for restaurants, bars, coffee shops, cleaners, bowling alleys, nightclubs -- any business that relies on repeat customers and has predictable slow days.
Texting Can Still be Effective and Mobile
Text message marketing was effective before we had Smartphones. It's quasi-old school considering today's mobile technology. Still, a good text messaging campaign can reach the maximum number of cell phone users, (both regular phone and Smartphone users). The key to effective text messaging is building an opt-in database of customers looking for deals, coupons, loyalty programs and the like. These programs are also cost-effective, especially if you use your existing customer base as a good starting point.
QR Code - a Virtual Enhancement to Old School Marketing
 |
| WorkingTheWebToWin.com |
If you're still reluctant to add mobile marketing to your current marketing mix, remember this: Your competition isn't. Once you consider all of the benefits that mobile has to offer, and the downside of your competition beating you to the punch, you'll soon wonder how you ever lived without it.
In this article I covered the rapid advancement of mobile internet marketing that has occurred over the last few years. This article covers the wide array of mobile marketing methods and mediums you can use, including dedicated HTML 5 Websites, mobile video Websites, mobile blogs, mobile apps, texting programs, mobile social programs and QR codes.
If you like this article, you can find more by typing “mobile” in the search box at the top left of this blog.
 |
| Get your FREE copy above. |
If you like this article, you can find more by typing “mobile” in the search box at the top left of this blog.
If you found this article useful, share it with your friends, family
and co-workers. If you feel you have something to add to this article, leave a comment below.
and co-workers. If you feel you have something to add to this article, leave a comment below.
If you'd like a FREE Copy of our eBook, "Internet Marketing Tips for the 21st Century," please fill in the form in the upper right-hand sidebar, where you will receive instant access to our eBook. Your information is always kept private and is never sold.
Carl Weiss is president of Working the Web to Win, an award-winning digital marketing agency in Jacksonville, Florida. He is also co-host of the weekly Web radio show of the same name as well as well as YouTube's Working The Web TV Show series. He is also the co-author of a new book, "Working The Web To Win," based on the hit Web radio show and blog.
Related articles
This design is wicked! You most certainly know how
ReplyDeleteto keep a reader amused. Between your wit and your videos,
I was almost moved to start my own blog (well, almost...HaHa!) Fantastic job.
I really loved what you had to say, and more than that, how you presented it.
Too cool!
Look at my webpage internet providers kempner tx
I have been looking the World Wide Web for this information and I want to thank you for this post. Keep sharing more and more info on marketing mobile apps. This article helps a lot who wants to promote apps. Great Information thanks for sharing……
ReplyDeleteMobile is definitely the next BIG thing. In fact, the number of people using mobile gadgets have been increasing exponentially in the last few years. SMS, 2D QR Codes, Apps and Mobile websites will be the zeitgeist of people's lives in the next coming years.
ReplyDeleteThanks much for this! Mobile is the BIG thing right now. All should go mobile or else die out in the race. There are tons of good platforms anybody can use to reach out to more people.
ReplyDeleteThanks for this post...
ReplyDeleteTrak