Effective Mobile Marketing Tips for Your Small Business

You've likely heard how mobile marketing is crucial to small business success. But how do you actually use mobile marketing effectively? Use the tips below to help you improve your mobile marketing tactics.

Personalize Your Message

With so many advertisements coming to consumers every day, you have to make your marketing tactics stand out. For most people, something that speaks to them personally and on an emotional level will be the key to this. Personalization breaks down communication barriers and enhances the experience. Just a few ways you can make things more personal include:

• Keeping your marketing location-based, especially if your services are limited to a single geographical area.
• Using the customer's first name in SMS, which you can even do with bulk SMS services.
• Allowing an opt-out choice to give customers more control.
• Developing personal settings options in your mobile app to make it relevant to every customer.
• Sending follow-up messages to build a relationship. Don't overdo this to a point where you annoy customers.

Focus on Mobile-Friendliness

A mobile app or website that is tough to navigate will only drive customers away. When developing your mobile marketing strategy, avoid releasing programs that aren't both user-friendly and mobile-friendly since you can ruin your reputation with users who are having a less-than-friendly experience.

One thing to consider is how your mobile app will appear on different screens and operating systems. Will someone using a Nokia cell phone have an easier time downloading content than someone with an LG? Also note that phones with HD screens are becoming more prevalent, and those users will notice design flaws more. It's always important to think about the needs of every user and how various devices will impact their experience. Your app and website should be designed to accommodate all your customers.

A simple solution is to create a responsive web design that will reorder itself based on the device someone is accessing it from. It's also a good idea to develop a mobile app for all major operating systems including those found on iOS, Android, and Windows phones.

Define a Single Call-to-Action

Since mobile devices have such small screens compared to regular desktop or laptop computers, putting the same amount of information on a phone's screen as you would a desktop's is only going to overwhelm the mobile user. While your website may come with several calls-to-action -- like "Shop Now" or "Follow Us" -- multiple suggestions thrown at a mobile user on one page can just push him or her away.

Clearly define what your goal is with mobile users, which may be slightly different from your normal marketing efforts. Then, choose a single call-to-action to prompt mobile users with. For example, if your goal is to increase brand recognition, your call-to-action may be "Follow Us on Twitter." Don't also throw "Contact Us," "Download Our Whitepaper," and "Shop Now" at them, too.

Keep Things Short and Sweet

While regular desktop functions are generally text-driven, mobile users don't rely as heavily on text, so when developing your mobile app, avoid too much text, especially on the home page. People accessing the Internet on mobile devices are often doing it while on-the-go, so if you're answering their questions, they want something that's short, easy to scan, and gets to the point quickly.

But it's not just text that you want to keep limited. Mobile devices are generally limited on speed and bandwidth, so high-definition images and huge files will slow down your site or app. If your site is taking too long to load, many users will just abandon it.

Make Connecting on Social Media Easy

A lot of mobile users use social networking sites from their phones, so it's smart to make it easy for them to connect with you by ensuring your website and mobile app link to your social profiles. Add effectiveness by making the links easy to spot. Usually the network's icon with a link to your profile is enough to do the trick.

Need more tips to help in your mobile marketing strategy? It's time to make a change. Staying informed can get you there in the best way possible.

JT Ripton is a freelance business, tech and lifestyle writer out of Tampa, FL. When he's not writing, he's consulting with start up businesses around the area helping them succeed, and checking out the newest things in tech.