3 Simple Ways to Reach Millions of Customers on Their Mobile Devices
Mobile devices from Samsung, Apple, Sony, Microsoft, Google and
others are experiencing explosive growth. You can't go far without
seeing someone on an iPhone, Android, iPad or some other handheld
gadget. Not only has technology changed -- the way we communicate as a society has changed.In just a few short years we have seen people also change the way in which they prefer to access the Internet. Mobile devices have overtaken desktop and laptop computers as the primary vehicle for "going online".
For business owners, entrepreneurs and anyone seeking to reach a targeted audience this sea change has a huge impact. It is more important than ever that you adjust your online marketing plan to meet the needs of today's mobile consumer.
Let me share with you three simple ways that you can reach millions of people via their mobile devices.
SMS Messaging
If you have your customers opt-in to receive text messages from you, it gives you the opportunity to send them promotions, new product announcements and various other pieces of information.
And these messages can be sent on extremely short notice, so you can use them strategically to increase revenue for your business. What if you owned a restaurant and you were having a slower-than-normal week? Using SMS you could send a promotional text to your customers on Thursday morning, announcing a free appetizer with any meal they purchase that evening.
The message would be delivered immediately, and would quite likely generate additional business and profits that you wouldn’t otherwise have had.
When you send your message to an email subscriber that has opted-in to your list, that message remains in their inbox. And if you decide to create a newsletter you can include multiple stories, promotions, images and other relevant content personalized to your subscribers.
Email tends not to get read as quickly so it’s not as effective for extremely time-sensitive information.
The big advantage is that email drives return on investment. If you send great content, and include relevant adverts, every time a person clicks on the ad you generate income. And email is relatively low cost. With most email services today, for a single monthly fee you can send unlimited messages to your subscribers. And you can personalize messages to your audience based on their click, browse and purchase behavior.
Social Media
Social media is the big dog in the house. Monster sites like Facebook with over 1.6 billion users, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest and Vine are incredibly popular with mobile internet users. These platforms are working to keep the audience on the site longer. They're constantly adding new features like purchase buttons, messaging, expanded publishing and video to make the sites even more addictive.And it's working. In 2016, it is estimated that there will be around 2.13 billion social network users around the globe, up from 1.4 billion in 2012. Nearly two-thirds of American adults (65%) use social networking sites, up from 7% when Pew Research Center began systematically tracking social media usage in 2005. And the majority of people accessing social media are doing it through mobile devices (over 71% according to Adobe).
By maintaining a presence on these sites for your business, you’ll have yet another way to stay in touch with your customers, and reach new ones as well. Local businesses can click here our free special report.
It makes business sense that the more opportunities you give your customers to interact with you, the better. In spite of the huge numbers you still have to scale it down and personalize it to your target audience. I loved how in radio we would say "be the demo". Know how your audience prefers to be contacted. There is a huge advantage to showing "personalization" even in mass marketing and communications.
Your goal should be to reach your audience, with their permission through their mobile devices. When you make this happen it will be personal and not just business. And that's what relationships are all about.
Leave your thoughts in the comments.
Norm Bond
President at NORMBOND & Associates
NORM
BOND shows people how to use digital marketing tools to find customers,
grow sales and increase profits. And if you're not using digital tools
he shows you how to do that too. He currently splits his time between
Bangkok, Thailand and the U.S. He is available for consulting and
speaking.
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