How Would You Like to Get Customers On-Demand?

Mobile marketing and specifically SMS or text message marketing allows you to reach customers directly on their cell phones.  When done properly, these customers will become your raving fans.  They will spend money with you and they will tell their friends about you. Without a doubt mobile marketing is the greatest opportunity available to most small business owners today.

First watch this short video and then continue reading below or click one of the gold buttons above to learn more.

It is for these reasons that Internet marketing has become so appealing over the last decade.  We’re able to put information out on the web in text, video or audio format and those interested in it can digest it on their schedules.  Through social media they can share information with peers and eventually the bad products, businesses and information get filtered out and the worthwhile stuff remains.

Click to learn more about Text Marketing

All of that is very cool but think about this. Until recently, someone had to be sitting in front of a computer to access information on the Internet and there are “only” 1.7 billion Internet connected computers on the planet.  However, there are now approximately 5 billion cell phones in use – all have the ability to receive text messages and just less than 1 billion have direct access to the web.

Are You Beginning to See the Future?

When most people leave the house they carry three things with them.  Their wallet, keys and their cell phone.  Most people would agree that if they didn’t feel downright lost without their cell they certainly would feel a little uncomfortable.

What is Mobile Marketing?

Mobile marketing takes many forms but at its most basic it is sending and receiving messages and coupons via SMS (text messaging).  At a second level mobile marketing is allowing customers to view a mobile-friendly version of your website on their portable device and interact with your business in some manner.  Most commonly this could be ‘click to call’ or subscribing to receive SMS text notifications.

We won’t discuss this here (call me if you’re interested) but mobile marketing could also encompass mobile advertising where you place your ads on a network to be viewed by mobile devices.  Finally, it could include the use of QR codes where your custmomers can use their cell phones to scan information about your business. All of these options are discussed in greater depth in Marketing in Vancouver if you haven’t downloaded it yet.

SMS or Text Marketing May be the Most Effective Form of Marketing Ever

While less than 25% of emails get read, 95% of text messages get opened – most of those within 60 minutes of being sent.  Talk about direct response marketing!  What this means is that you can have customers opt-in to receive your text messages by having them text a word to a shortcode of your choice. Once they confirm their subscription you can keep them abreast of what is going on in your business through SMS.  For more information about sms marketing click here.

“Mobilizing” Your Website

On a second level you will definitely want your customers to access your website via mobile devices.  Google is saying that nearly 20% of all searches are done on mobile devices. If these people find your site but they can’t see it on their phones, they’re quickly off to a competitor’s site which is mobile-friendly.  Looking at this another way, if you’re spending any money on getting people to your website it is very possible that 20% of that budget is wasted if your site cannot be seen on handheld devices.

Furthermore, 52% of all communications on Facebook and Twitter happen on mobiles.  These two sites can account for all the referral business you could ever ask for if you use them properly. However (and again), if visitors can’t see your site from the device their using to search the web they can’t view what you have to offer let alone refer others to you.

The good news is that creating a mobile version of your site is extremely easy and very cost-effective.  Most sites can be converted in less than two weeks and at a price tag that can often be covered by just one new customer to your business. Finally, you can be sure that browsing the Internet on mobile phones will only grow in popularity as the price of smart phones and bandwidth continue to drop.  You competitors’ sites are likely not “mobilized” now.  Gaining the mobile advantage now could give you “First Mover’s Advantage” for years to come.

If you can’t tell, we at VMS are very excited about mobile marketing.  Though mobile marketing is definitely not for all types of businesses right now it soon will be. It is very easy to set up a mobile version of a website and those that do so now will have a massive competitive advantage over those that don’t see the potential.

Contact us to discuss how your business can benefit by what will inevitably by the next big thing.  Mobile phones are everywhere now and marketing always follows eyeballs.  It is just a matter of time before a mobile site and corresponding mobile marketing campaign are just as critical as a website is today.