What Mobile Marketing Training Can Do for Your Business
In the United States, almost 55% of mobile subscribers owned smartphones as of June 2012, according to a Nielsen report. In addition, between April and June 2012, of those Americans who bought a mobile phone, about 67% purchased smartphones. Consumers of all ages and demographic groups are increasingly relying on smartphones to conduct everyday business, such as banking, researching products and services, and shopping.
In addition, consumers are using their smartphones to take photos of products and send them to friends and family. They are comparing products and prices and then making purchases. They also are becoming more familiar with scanning Quick Response (QR) codes to get more information and research features.
Given the growing market penetration of smartphones, it makes sense for businesses to create a mobile marketing strategy that delivers valuable content directly to their target consumers.
Five Ideas to Generate Business Through Mobile Marketing
Studies have demonstrated that click-through rates on mobile ads are higher than those on desktop ads, which makes mobile a powerful avenue for businesses to increase customer loyalty and market share. Here are a few ideas on how to use mobile marketing to increase business:
- Add Value: Think about the information your customers want when they’re away from their main computers. Do they need an e-receipt for a purchase? An alert on traffic tie-ups that could affect their ability to reach your event? Perhaps they’d appreciate weather-related information, such as an approaching snowstorm, accompanied with a coupon for related products, like windshield scrapers. Adding value to a consumer’s experience can increase loyalty and enhance sales.
- Special Offers: Entice customers to sign up for text message updates by offering them exclusive specials, such as a mobile coupon for a product discount, entrance to a VIP party or a freebie (like an appetizer for restaurants or service upgrade for automotive repair shops).
- Rewards: Use mobile marketing to reward loyal customers. Send previews of upcoming sales or new products. Offer them access ahead of the general public to sale items, special events or how-to classes.
- Time Savings: Most consumers have limited time to shop. By sending targeted offers on products your customers have purchased in the past or are likely to purchase, you can save them valuable time.
- Improve Service: When consumers give permission for mobile contact, it’s an opportunity to upgrade service and, ultimately, increase sales. This personal connection allows companies to provide fast answers to questions and solutions to problems.
What’s Important to Know About Mobile Marketing?
Whether your company is just thinking about getting started in mobile marketing or has already added it to its portfolio, there are several particular aspects of this medium to keep in mind:
- Mobile marketing is not the answer to every business challenge. It is a smart addition to a broad-based, strategic marketing strategy.
- It’s important to stay true to the company’s established brand and voice, and to be consistent.
- Short, easy-to-consume messages are best. Make the call to action clear and easy to use.
- Optimize your communication for mobile devices. Increase the size of text; present content in a single column and create larger buttons to reduce fail rate (and consumer frustration).
- Make the subject line short, relevant and action-oriented.
- Download speed is important for mobile sites. Delete unnecessary features and focus on simple, fast navigation.
- Test and track your progress; measure results and refine your approach.
- Remember that mobile marketing takes effort and commitment but can really pay off.
Many businesses know they need to get in on mobile marketing but are unsure about how to begin. One great way to get up to speed quickly is through mobile marketing training.
Mobile Marketing Training Can Help
While most businesses have a website, not all have mobile-friendly websites. Business owners and marketing professionals may not have the skills and knowledge to develop a mobile marketing strategy. In those situations, mobile marketing training can help by providing small business owners, marketing professionals and website developers with an understanding of the latest technologies, techniques and strategies.
From learning how to set a campaign budget to identifying critical paths and using mobile analytics, a mobile marketing training course can provide the must-have skills for effectively capturing an audience through mobile devices.
Choose the Right Mobile Marketing Training Course
As smartphones and other mobile devices continue to grow in popularity, major companies and small businesses alike will seek to embrace mobile marketing strategies in order to reach consumers. Knowing the strategies and techniques that work, as well as how to measure and analyze important mobile data, can help a company stay ahead of the competition, improve customer service and increase sales. Choosing a comprehensive training program, such as the 100% online Advanced Mobile Marketing certificate course offered by the regionally accredited University of San Francisco, can provide the skills and knowledge needed to reach consumers where they spend much of their time – on their mobile devices.
