In the last few years, smartphones have changed the way businesses market themselves and also the way customers interact with the businesses. If you want to stay ahead of your competitors and meet the evolving needs of your consumers, you must understand and include mobile marketing in your marketing strategy.
In some ways, mobile has changed the customer journey. A decade ago people would discover businesses via television ads, print ads, word of mouth or simply visiting your storefront. However, today there are many new channels of knowing your brand and mobile-only further diversifies the field.
Mobile search phrases such as “to buy”, “near me”, “can I buy”, etc have increased by 500% in the last three years. This only implies that people are turning to their smartphones to discover quick solutions to their problems.
When users enter these search terms, they can check out your website, read reviews and even know about your working hours and location on a map. Thus, a mobile customer is able to find a solution to his query in a few minutes and a handful of clicks on a mobile device.
You will also need to note that not everyone will be searching for you via browser search. Mobile apps are on the rise and some people are finding businesses through a specific app. For instance, those searching for local eateries on the Just-Eat app will be presented with restaurants having a presence on Just-Eat. If you haven’t claimed your profile there then you won’t be discovered at all.
If you want to have an upper-hand at mobile marketing, you will have to make sure to have your profile on major local listing sites such as Google My Business and Yelp. Additionally, you will need to have a presence on social media. Most people turn to Instagram or Facebook for information to patronize local businesses.
How mobile helps you earn trust and likes?
Once the users have discovered you online, they want to get to know your brand better.
To do that, they will have to learn more about you and make sure you are the right fit before they opt for your products or services.
To attract your audience’s attention, you will have to create content that can be easy to consume and enjoyed on the go. Videos are a great way to share short meaningful information that builds trust and authority. Podcasts are convenient for people who travel a lot and enjoy listening to great content than watching or reading it.
Again, social media is of much relevance here. Posting regularly on social media will help you get discovered by people on mobile and allow them to do a quick inventory of who you are and what you do by going through your recent content. Apart from this, social media is beneficial even when people are not looking to make immediate purchases. Most people often check their social media accounts several times a day and if your brand appears at the top of their newsfeeds, you can build familiarity with them.
You can also use social media ads to remain visible and present on prospects’ feed all the time. Display ads help to remain on people’s minds even when they visit other sites from their phone’s browser.
How do mobiles help in the customer journey?
Mobiles play a vital role in ensuring customers do not slip away during the customer journey phase. Mobile tactics can help prospects to sign up for a demo or an appointment in an easy way. You can use chat or SMS marketing techniques to automate the sign-up process and at the same time provide prospects with a more personalized experience with your brand.
The latest technologies such as Augmented Reality (AR) are also changing the way people try the products on their phones. For instance, furniture store IKEA built an app that allows prospects to try out a piece of furniture in their home with the help of AR. Prospects can point their phones at an empty space in their room and select the piece of furniture they are considering and see on their screen how it would look in their home.
Of course, AR technology is not readily available to all small businesses yet, it is definitely a trend that more and more retailers are trying to incorporate in their marketing strategy.
It is easier and simpler to buy on mobiles
A recent survey revealed that many smartphone users made a purchase from their phones within six months. It only shows that people are not only using their phones to research products but also do transactions on their phones.
If you are a small ecommerce business, it is important to make it easy for people to do mobile shopping. This is needed to ensure a great customer experience with little friction in the buying process. Also, ensure that it is easy for people to navigate to their cart. Avoid asking for unnecessary additional information in the check-out process. Collect only relevant information needed to process the transaction.
Next, make sure that your users have a great mobile UX (user experience) that can help facilitate the onboarding process. You can provide your customers with updates about their shipping status and help them track their packages easily.
Regardless of the kind of business you are in, you need to ensure to have content in a mobile-friendly format that will help new customers get the most out of their new purchases. You may also send emails that outline tips and tricks for using your new products and services.
Encourages repeat purchase
So, you have got a prospect to convert to a customer. That’s not enough, there’s still work to do!
You can push existing customers towards a repeat purchase with some mobile-friendly tactics.
Retargeting is one of the best ways to get existing customers to make repeat purchases. You can advertise via display ads or social media and other content towards people who have already purchased from you earlier.
If a user has made a recent purchase, you can target them with advertisements for a related product or service and encourage an upsell. If a customer has not made a purchase over the past few months, you can show them ads with special offers for return customers.
Another way to build loyalty amongst existing customers is through a rewards program. This can be done either through your mobile-friendly website or an app specifically for your business. A major advantage of having a business-oriented app is that it will eliminate competition. Your existing customers can purchase directly from you via the app rather than going onto the web to look for similar products and get drawn by one of your competitors with a smart SEO strategy.
Referrals
This is the final stage of the customer journey. As mentioned earlier, reviews are important during the referral process and are particularly true on mobiles. People who are looking for quick solutions will turn to their mobiles rather than asking their family and friends for recommendations. That is why is very important to get reviews from your customers.
You may also create a referral program. If you have a business-specific mobile app, you can create a program directly on it and help your customers to refer their friends.
Social media can also help generate referrals. You can share user-generated content that speaks positively about your brand. You may also consider creating contests and opportunities for your existing customers to get them to refer friends. Also, you can get influencers to try your products and ask their followers to buy from you.
In short, a referral from a friend, relative or trusted influencer on social media can go a long way in winning new customers.
Conclusion
Mobile marketing has changed the way customers make their purchases and so businesses have to step up their marketing strategies to meet their requirements. By understanding how to get the most out of mobile at every stage of the customer journey, you can reach more and more customers who have become highly mobile focussed today.