Your Guide To Mobile Marketing

Marketing is an essential component of every business strategy, but it can be difficult to stay on top of market shifts and consumer preferences. One emerging trend - mobile marketing - has been helping businesses small and large connect with potential customers when and where they are most likely to make a purchase.

Here's everything you need to know about mobile marketing to begin incorporating it into your promotional mix.

Ensuring your website is mobile ready could help boost sales.

What is mobile marketing?

With the ubiquity of smartphones, consumers do nearly everything they can on a desktop from a smartphone in the palm of their hand. Now, shoppers can make purchasing decisions in a matter of seconds from seeing an advertisement on social media, clicking through to a company's website and entering their shipping and payment information.

To meet this on-the-go and tech-savvy audience, mobile marketing was born. Marketo explained that this "multi-channel digital marketing strategy " targets consumers by sending content to their smartphones and tablets through traditional and novel techniques.

Considering Pew Research Center estimates that 81% of Americans own a smartphone , investing in mobile marketing is a great way to connect with your customers whether they're browsing through social channels at home or walking around a shopping plaza near your storefront.

Now more than ever, consumers are making their purchasing decisions on a mobile device.

Successful mobile marketing tactics

First and foremost, if you're targeting consumers on mobile devices it's essential that your website is compatible with their phone or tablet. This may mean cleaning up your website or creating a mobile-friendly version to ensure users can easily navigate your virtual storefront to make a purchase.

After squaring away your online presence, here are a few mobile marketing tactics to try:

Personalized SMS messages: Having customers opt-in to receive text messages from your brand is an ideal way to share promotions they are bound to notice. In fact, a report by GMSA and OpenMarket found that 59% of consumers would rather have brands contact their phone directly rather than making them download an app to receive news. Personalizing these texts with the customer's name can also make your brand stand out.

Geotargeting: Whether you own a local business or have retail locations spread across multiple states, geotargeting is a great way to ensure your ads are reaching people in your area who are the most likely to visit your brick-and-mortar store. HubSpot explained that successful geotargeting requires understanding your consumers, where they reside and what content they are likely to engage with to get them to click on your advertisement.

Accept mobile payments: Of course, mobile marketing is most successful when users can use their devices through the entire purchasing process. Businesses should ensure their mobile interface is capable of accepting payment like credit cards or even PayPal so consumers don't need to switch devices to complete their purchase. For an even more seamless experience, make sure your on-the-go check-out is compatible with smartphone payment methods so customers can make a purchase with a few clicks.

To learn more about finance* options for your business's marketing goals, contact your local Vectra Bank representative today.

^{*Loans subject to credit approval. Terms and conditions apply. See banker for details.}