In South Africa, 96% of the population uses a mobile device to connect to the internet. With this statistic in mind, it is critical for your business to be mobile-forward for it to be successful in today’s climate. But what does it take to become mobile forward in your business? Let’s take a look at the basics of mobile marketing.
What is mobile marketing?
It is promoting your brand or business on smartphones, tablets, or any other mobile device in a way that is optimised for these devices.
There are five ways you can market your business through mobile.
1. Optimize your website to be mobile-friendly
You website must be easily navigable on a device. You should ensure your call-to-action buttons can be pressed easily on a touchscreen. If you have a menu on your site you should ensure they are easy to navigate through. You can test how mobile-friendly your site is here.
2. Be present on social media platforms
Having a presence on social media platforms where your customers are is imperative. In South Africa, YouTube is one of the most popular platforms. You can get your adverts on YouTube by having a Google Ad campaign. For Facebook and Instagram, you will need to set up ad campaigns on Facebook. There are various places where ads can be placed on Facebook and Instagram and you learn more about it here.
3. Market locally
With location-based marketing, you can make sure that your advert will pop up when people are searching for your product in your area. You can select the radius you want for people to find your product. It is also important to remember that 1 in 3 people who are searching on their mobile devices are looking for a place which is locally based. This is where having a Google My Business profile is beneficial. If you have a brick-and-mortar shop than it is critical to have this profile even if you don’t have a website.
4. Use SMS marketing
Some businesses may not think this is a good platform, but it may be less crowded than other advertising platforms. This area is great for audiences who don’t have access to smartphones. Remember when sending text messages to be concise and clear.
5. Try out quick response barcodes (QR codes) for a fun alternative
These barcodes have been popping up everywhere, especially with payment options. You can use QR codes to link clients back to your website. With QR codes, your clients will need to have access to a QR code reading app on their phone. You could put up QR codes around your store to give clients more information about the products you have available in your store. You can generate your QR codes here.
To take advantage of these mobile marketing opportunities you need to know which devices your target audience uses and how they like to learn more about your products. You should also measure the marketing methods you use to see which is more effective.
We hope these five ways have helped you to start your mobile marketing strategy.
Proudly brought to you by the NSBC