When it comes to mobile marketing, don’t be afraid to think outside the box. There’s the most basic and mandatory ways to update your mobile marketing, which we discussed in Part 1 of How to Make Your Business Mobile, and then there’s ways to take it a step futher. Mobile-responsive websites, local search, and mobile ecommerce are all foundations of any mobile marketing strategy, but there are even more options to explore to enhance your overall mobile presence. Rethink your brand’s mobile strategy by adding these steps to your marketing plan.
Design Mobile-Friendly Downloads
Including mobile-friendly downloads gives customers the option to access your product and service from anywhere: desktop, tablet, and/or mobile. Products like ebooks can easily be made mobile-friendly with a downloadable URL that stores the book directly into a phone’s book app section. Alexa Jean Fitness is a great example of this process.
Although I don’t work for her, nor have I ever seen a background look at her business model, anyone with a marketing eye can easily follow her mobile sales funnel from the beginning. Here’s a breakdown of her simple, yet effective, mobile sales funnel using Instagram:
- Customers follow her on Instagram.
- They discover her various products and promo codes through posts she shares on Instagram.
- Users leave Instagram to visit her website and purchase said products. Alexa includes a link to her website in the bio section of her Instagram profile, making it simple for followers to access her website from Instagram on their phone.
- Once a customer has purchased one of her ebooks, she immediately emails (most likely using an automated third-party email service) a link to download her ebooks, which can be downloaded on mobile and tablet devices, as well as desktop.
- Customers download ebooks on their phones and practice her workout routines using their phone.
The most important part of this process is not only providing a downloadable URL for all devices, but to accommodate the product for each device. Make sure your download reads just as easily on mobile as it does on desktop.
Create Mobile Apps Based on Your Products and Services
Most all businesses can find a good excuse for an app. Appointment sign-ups, forums, games, exclusive member products and discounts, workout routines, local sharing – the possibilities for mobile apps are endless. As different as each mobile app is, the end goal is generally the same. Everyone is after the most app downloads.
Businesses want their name and brand front and center for app recommendations. Helping increase brand awareness, the more popular your app is the more engagement and downloads it will receive. Aside from downloads, some businesses have other goals, such as increased app purchases or signups. Design your app to accomplish your specific goals, promote products and services, and increase overall branding.
The fastest and easiest way to get a mobile app up and running is by hiring an agency or signing up with a monthly app provider, which gives you a platform to create and design mobile apps. Whether you want to create your own app or work with an agency, here’s a few of the best third-parties to choose from:
- Como
Como’s prices have three different tiers: monthly ($39), yearly ($33) or bi-yearly ($29). One of the best parts about Como is their 6-Month Success Guarantee. They’re so confident with their ability to create the perfect app that they give you six months free if you don’t receive “meaningful” business results with the app they created for you. - ShoutEm
This app builder makes it easy for newbies to create apps, especially for those without any coding skills. Their three pricing tiers begin at $19.90 a month and go up to an enterprise level for extreme customization. - DCI
This agency specializes in creating apps for clients. With several positive testimonials, they’re worth contacting for a quote. - Barefoot Solutions
Barefoot is a great agency to work with for all company sizes, whether local or corporate. Contact them directly to get a quote and an insight look at their development process.
Text Message Marketing
Only 58% of Americans own a smartphone, and although that number is more than half of the population it still limits how marketers can reach their demographic on mobile using tactics that require smartphone capabilities, such as apps and ebook downloads. Text message marketing is a quick and affordable way to market on mobile without the requirement of smartphone capabilities. Since 90% of Americans own a cell phone, regardless of what kind, Short Messaging Service (SMS) lets businesses reach more people at a quicker rate.
This opens up the demographic pool and makes text message marketing an effective way to reach an audience, as long as it’s done correctly.
- Avoid spamming. As with any marketing tactic there’s a right way to do it and a spammy way to do it. Sending out several text messages a day is annoying and will cause you to lose subscribers. Limit the amount of text messages you deliver and only send out a mass text when it’s necessary: flash sale, event reminder, appointment reminder, etc.
- Include a call to action. There must be a reason you felt compelled to send a text message in the first place. Define that reason in the text itself by including a call to action: “Last day to save”, “Shop now”, “In-stores only”. You want subscribers to take action from a text they’ve received by giving them a clear action to take.
- Create a timeline. Text messages are instant and opened relatively quickly. Their open rate exceeds email open rates at a soaring 98% rate text messages are actually opened and read. Whereas, only 22% of emails are opened and read. Use text messages for your last minute deals, event reminders, and anything that has to do with urgency. Since they are more likely to be opened, they are more likely to be received as non-spammy if they’re relevant to a specific timeline.
With so many different ways to market on mobile, what are you favorites? Share your favorite mobile marketing tactics in the comments below!
