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Mobile Marketing – Marketing Options for Small Businesses

Mobile marketing is a way for business owners to market their company’s products or services through their customers’ mobile or smart phones. This can be done through sending SMS/MMS, downloading of the company mobile applications, and transforming the company website into a website that can be browsed on a mobile browser. These terminologies and concepts may sound intimidating, expensive, or even technical, but it shouldn’t scare small business owners. By now, small business owners should accept the fact that more and more of their customers are going over to the digital side and relying on their smart phones to help them with their daily personal and business tasks.
Mobile marketing provides business owners a chance to reach out to their customers on a local or global scale, depending on their industry. However, mobile marketing is more geared towards improving local brand presence and scale, so how will a small businesses make use of a mobile marketing?
– SMS and MMS are two common features of any mobile or smart phone. SMS is the transmission of texts via a wireless network, while MMS is a transmission of both text and media via a wireless network. Ideally, small businesses can reach out to their customers by sending SMS or MMS texts. These messages would range from product release dates, schedules of sales and discounts, and other important matters. This is considered a very effective mobile marketing option because 90% of all SMS or MMS messages are opened instantly. This is a way for your business to get instantaneous and immediate recognition.
– Mobile applications are programs developed to run on a mobile OS, like Symbian and Android. Today, smartphones are equipped with Apple OS or Android and they are providing business owners a chance to create their own company application or software that will attract customers. The process sounds and looks expensive, but mobile developers can be hired at an affordable rate. These people are trained in different programming languages that will help them create your mobile application. Once the application is created, it is loaded into Android stores where customers can purchase or download them for free.
– Mobile ads are the equivalent of displaying your business’ advertisement on any mobile application. This is a cheap form of advertising because you only have to pay every time your referrer (the one who displayed your ad) has referred someone to your company website or mobile application.
Mobile marketing provides small business owners with different avenues on how to reach out to their local audience without letting them spend too much on any of these options.

Upgrade Your Mobile Marketing With These Great Ideas

Mobile marketing is a tremendous opportunity for businesses to broaden their capacity to reach desired customers. The key, however, is to master the strategies best able to communicate an effective message. Put the tips and suggestions in this article to work today, and you are sure to significantly expand your customer base and increase sales.

Relearn how to create successful landing pages in particular for mobile marketing. These landing pages need to be much more streamlined than regular landing pages if you’re hoping for lead-generating pages and overall customer acquisition. Take the time to learn this skill and it will pay off greatly for you.

You should be offering some type of coupon at least once a week on some type of product you’re selling or service you’re offering. Whether it’s a free app or eBook, a 7-day trial for something or even exclusive access to a certain area of your site or business, a weekly giveaway can work wonders.

Ask customers to review you on the various review sites. You can put up QR codes that link directly to your business on a particular review site. Make it easy for them to tell the world how fantastic their experience was with you. The more positive reviews you have, the better your business will grow.

Use animations to get your message out. Multimedia Messaging Service functions like a slide show and are easy to set up. The animations can be anything from cartoon figures to animated icons. Watching a Multimedia Messaging animation is like flipping through a book and will bring enjoyment to your customers.

Use dedicated short code. The can be pricey, but they insure that you keep your brand intact. Avoid shared short codes if you are a larger company. Not only because you want people to recognize your own code, but there may be some legal consequences if the other company sharing the same code abuses the system.

Never hide who you are. Tell your customer up front what your business is and who you are. You should never send veiled or confusing messages to your customers. People begin to feel threatened when they do not understand what is going on, so if you forget to do this, you may alienate some of them.

Work on your message composition. You can only use 160 characters, so be concise, but clear. Short cuts or “text speak” is acceptable when text messaging. Your opt-out message can include that kind of message, too. You can save characters this way. You can get some good ideas from some translators.

Keep your text messages, social network posts and e-mails brief and concise. If the message is too long, people tend to dismiss it immediately. The message shout be short, urgent and contain a call of action. It should not be a quarter page ad, but instead a short message aimed to alert consumers of discounts or promotions.

There is no disputing the tremendous potential held by mobile marketing. Businesses interested in utilizing this new way of reaching customers must familiarize themselves with the most persuasive, current techniques. Take advantage of the guidance found in this article, and begin reaping the rewards of mobile marketing immediately.

Facebook Advertising – Types of Facebook Ads for Better Brand Building

If you have tried working with an old-school advertising company, perhaps you have dealt with billboards, radio ads, TV ads, as well as newspaper and magazine ads. Today, business owners like you have more choices to advertise your business. One of which is through social media sites like Facebook. It is considered as the biggest social media site as of today, and it’s very user-friendly, which means first-time users can easily find their way around the site. Since ads are part of the site, finding the best deals is also a piece of cake. Here are some Facebook ads you can try.

Mobile advertisements

Aside from laptops, PCs, and tablets, many individuals today rely on their mobile phones to check the latest update. And because of the rising number of new and “better” mobile phones, Facebook came up with the idea of launching a mobile app, which also allows people to place their advertisements. This type of ad is considered by most entrepreneurs as something quite compelling for retailers.

Video advertisements

This is yet another creative way to advertise on Facebook. This works by sponsoring any video that has been posted on your Facebook, whether that’s a page or an account. The video and the advertisement will appear on your news feed. The only thing you should do is share this video and wait for other people to share it as well, broadening and increasing the visibility of your video and advertisement.

Direct advertisements

Direct advertisement is one of the most used Facebook advertising methods, according to surveys. With its extremely high visibility level, there’s no doubt this form of ad can truly increase the number of your customers and clients. Basically, direct ads appear at the right side of Facebook. It is present on all pages – the Home, Profile, or even when you’re playing games. If people will click on it, your site will open on another tab, allowing them to access and explore it easily.

Poll ads

If you’re one extra creative person who easily comes up with interesting and attention-grabbing question, this form of advertising method might just be perfect for you. With poll or polling ads, you get to post poll questions with multiple choices. This does not only let other FB users know your brand, but it also gives them something to look forward to on your FB page or profile every day.

Advertising is a tricky aspect of every business. It’s one big risk every entrepreneur should take in order for their company to grow. New generation entrepreneurs, however, don’t have to deal with the same risk as pioneers, thanks to Facebook and everything else about social media.

The Effective Social Media Marketing Schedule

What are your reasons to join social media sites? If you are a business working your way with social media and mobile marketing, you have done a good thing. First reason for this is because you have expanded your exposure not only by client experience, but also by client testimonies and social interaction and rewards as well. The real motivation of any business to engage in social media and mobile marketing is to connect with individuals, return customers and new clients. With the help of the internet and social networks you have accounts in, you bring your business to where your clients are and develop a connection with them. However, making such connections will take great effort and huge amount of time and enough thoughtfulness too.
A lot of businesses sign up on social media to create online presence but then all of a sudden their page become silent. No one answers any comments, questions or wall posts. Nobody updates and uploads any pictures. It’s as if the business has gone down. The page becomes dormant for moths. And then all of a sudden someone replied to you post 3 weeks ago, an album was uploaded and an update was posted too. What just happened? Did the person responsible for the online interaction away for many months? Is the business running again? Customers who will notice the change will only say “what a waste of time. It will be gone again soon.” That is an example of a business that is not committed to social media community and does not see the power of it.
Whatever your business is, if you have engaged in social media and mobile marketing, you must be committed and consistent in updating your page and interact with all the people that connect with you. Utilizing the amazing system of Foursquare application as a means of connecting and keeping the social communication fresh and fun is a wonderful idea. Set up your business’ Facebook or Twitter account with Foursquare. Users of the app are not shy of telling their social community about their encounter with your company. Use the app to reward clients who patronize your business and create great customer relationships.
Make it a point to update and be present on your site online. Have a schedule for it that you will follow so that you will not forget to log into your account and interact with people. Example of a schedule for social media is twice a day, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. You can go online first thing in the morning, answering queries and posts, commenting on photos and updating the site for what will happen that day. Log in again in the afternoon and interact with those online and answer inquiries in concise and respectful but connection manner. Another cool way to do is schedule weekly updates. You can also have an employee that will be available all day to answer and comment to posts and upload and update the site.
Having a schedule will help you to be updated in your social media sites, letting people know you value their posts as well as showing them you are connected. It also means that your business is going well with new and creative deals every now and then. Clients will eventually see your business as valuable and will keep on patronizing with you.

Mobile Marketing: Tips And Tricks For Beginners

You want to expand your knowledge of mobile marketing but your time is precious and you may find it hard to spend time reading up on different topics. Use this article to quickly and clearly pick up some tips and tricks relevant to this subject and how to use it for your business.

When creating Quick Response codes (or QR codes), try using a URL shortening service first. By using the URL shortening service, you can create a simpler QR code, as QR code complexity is determined by the number of characters in any block of text that you use. A block of text with less characters creates a simpler QR code that is easier to scan.

You should be offering some type of coupon at least once a week on some type of product you’re selling or service you’re offering. Whether it’s a free app or eBook, a 7-day trial for something or even exclusive access to a certain area of your site or business, a weekly giveaway can work wonders.

Try to integrate your mobile marketing with the other online resources that you utilize. If you have Facebook, Google, or Twitter, make sure your marketing campaigns are integrated together and work properly with all other promotional efforts. Mention your mobile marketing on all of your online resources from blogs to your website.

You should be working very hard to create various types of promotions in order to entice customers with any mobile marketing campaign. Don’t worry about losing money here. A customer attracted by a two-fer may not have been attracted otherwise, and you’ll end up profiting way more through your promotions.

A useful mobile marketing tip is to always offer subscribers a small reward or incentive for joining your mobile number list. By providing a token of your gratitude, you will be able to gain a greater number of willing participants for your publicity campaign, and will build invaluable goodwill and brand loyalty.

Avoid using all caps and abbreviations. You want to make your message look as professional as possible. If you do not avoid these things, you are going to come off looking like a scam and they are likely to block you from sending any future messages. The more professional the look, the better.

To keep your texts from turning your customers off, never use all-capital letters. While capital letters can make a big impact, on the internet they translate to shouting. No matter how great your deal is, your customer won’t want to feel like they’re being yelled at. Never capitalize more than a single word in a sentence.

Shorten your URLs, both in text form and for QR codes. The more difficult and lengthy the URL is, the more complex your message or QR code will become. Make these simpler for people to access by using a URL shortening site, and customers will be happier with the end results.

To summarize, article marketing is something that you would like to get a better grasp of and you are normally pressed for time. As promised, you hopefully just read some of the best tips available, organized in a easy to read format. Take this expert advice and use it to your advantage.

A How-To Guide For Mobile Marketing

Mobile marketing is a great way for you to get news about your business out to your client list. If done right, it can lead to growing profits for any kind of business. Use these tips and tricks when working with mobile marketing. Read carefully through the following helpful ideas.

You should be offering some type of coupon at least once a week on some type of product you’re selling or service you’re offering. Whether it’s a free app or eBook, a 7-day trial for something or even exclusive access to a certain area of your site or business, a weekly giveaway can work wonders.

On your site in particular, you need to learn to say more with less in your mobile content. You cannot have lengthy product and landing pages here that go on and on just to stuff in keywords without really saying anything of value. With mobile marketing, you need to be short, sweet and to the point.

Your thinking should change completely for mobile marketing if you hope to be successful, because you’re not really dealing with a one-on-one customer-client relationship anymore. You’re now dealing with people out in public browsing their mobile devices. This means you need to train your brain to think like a busy person and what would grab their attention.

Make sure your customers know their business is appreciated. Give them special offers, discounts based on hallmark goals or even a simple thank you note. They need to know you value their business or they may take it to someone who will go that extra step.

Make sure that your messages are targeted to their purpose in mobile marketing. You won’t have any room for meaningless words here. If the customer cannot understand your message in a few words, then it isn’t even worth contacting them in the first place. You need to be very clear here as to your purpose.

Keep the messages you send short and precise. Most people will not read a long message on their cell phones or tablets. Your messages should immediately mention the product or offer you are advertising. Phrase your message so that it calls for an action: you should encourage people to find out more about your offer.

If your company has any social networking sites geared to the business, make sure to put a link on your webpage. You can almost guarantee that your customers will not take the time to search for you, but if they know you are on a site, they probably will take the time to check you out.

Test your campaign before you start sending out your messages. Send the messages you want to use to your family, friends and employees. You will have to make sure the messages display well on most types of devices: perhaps some changes will be needed at this point. Ask people for their opinions on the content of the messages.

Use the information that you learned from this article to build a successful mobile marketing plan. These tips are going to help you make the most of the efforts that you put in to the marketing for your business. Use them all wisely to help you get the word out about the things going on with your business.

Discover The Top Mobile Marketing Tips And Tricks

Mobile marketing can be an effective way to market your business. A collection of tips on what you need to know is provided below.

Perform usability testing for your campaign. Enlist your friends, family and co-workers to help you by receiving messages and responding to them. Ask for feedback on ease of use and enjoyment. They should like what they see on the display and report that it was clear and easy to follow.

You must keep in mind that mobile marketing works best on customers you already have, so your goal is to not only retain them but convince them to forgo the competition and only buy from you. Give them coupons, discounts, information on new products before anyone else has it, and you’ll find they remain loyal to your company.

Tie your marketing to big events or holidays. Special occasions can make your marketing really work. Give special vouchers to ladies only on Mother’s Day. Hold contests on big sporting event days to give your brand a presence. Give your clients a short code number where any person who send in a text message has a chance of winning.

To make sure your needs as an advertiser are met, take the time to find a mobile marketing company that’s a good fit for you. Many companies specialize in marketing certain types of products or in certain aspects of mobile marketing, and may not excel at what you need them for.

Link to specific parts of your website. If you are having a special sale on one part of your site, you should link directly to that site. Mobile sites can sometimes be difficult to navigate, but if you give customers direct access, they are more likely to take the time to look, and possibly buy.

Check out your website and other associated pages from your mobile. Does it look good? This change came on the internet fairly quickly so many websites are not optimized to be viewed from mobile devices. If you do not have a mobile version of your website, you should look into making one soon.

You need to have a home base involved with any mobile marketing strategy. Do you want your customers at your website, or do you want them to go to your Facebook page? Everything needs to be built around the home base of operations online and the rest are fingers protruding from the hand.

You should be offering some type of coupon at least once a week on some type of product you’re selling or service you’re offering. Whether it’s a free app or eBook, a 7-day trial for something or even exclusive access to a certain area of your site or business, a weekly giveaway can work wonders.

Anytime, you start a new marketing strategy. You want to keep your objectives in mind. Have reasonable goals that you can track, and make sure you are hitting the targets that you want to. If you forget your goals, your customer will probably notice that your content is all over the place, and you will seem unorganized and unprofessional.

Well, hopefully the aforementioned collection of tips will help you know what to do and expect when it comes to mobile marketing. When handled with skill, this feature of marketing will prove to be a valuable aspect of your marketing plan.

How To Reach Out To Your Audience Thanks To Mobile Marketing

Mobile marketing can be a very fascinating thing to get into. It has so many ways that it can be customized for each business that the possibilities are nearly endless. This can make it a challenge for a newcomer who doesn’t have a clue where to begin. This list of tips can prepare you for the challenge.

Don’t mix the purpose of emails and texts. You can use text messages to reconfirm information included in an email you sent earlier. It is acceptable to send a text reminding your customers 5 minutes before your store sales starts, but don’t send the two week advance notice as a text message.

Offer check in bargains and discounts at your brick and mortar store. This encourages individuals to “check in” while visiting your location, and increases your exposure to their friends and family. Some businesses have seen a significant increase in traffic just by taking this step. An app like Foursquare can help with this.

Optimize your mobile website for local searches to ensure that people will find you. For example, when you are out in a neighborhood that you don’t know, you will probably search for “(location) Indian restaurant.” If you want to be found, be sure that you focus on those types of keywords for your site.

Promote! Promoting your mobile call to action is one of the most important things you can do to be successful with mobile marketing. Your intentions may be good, but if no one signs up, they will all be for naught. Place your call to action on any existing marketing materials you use, your social networking sites, direct mail, email, and have employees in the store tell every single customer.

Offer discounts or other special offers to customers using geolocation applications to check in at your business. While some applications show check-ins automatically, users can set individual preferences. By offering incentives to check in, your customers are more likely to do so, resulting in increased word of mouth advertising for your business.

Don’t make the mistake of using mobile marketing as a sole strategy for your campaign. Mobile marketing is just one communication medium for your arsenal and should be part of a larger picture. Use it along with other tried and true marketing strategies for an overall, sound marketing plan for your business.

Make at least five minutes of fun for your mobile customers. You should compose unique and fun texts that will leave an impression on your customers. When they are idle during the day, they will look to your text for fun. The more you put into keeping it interesting, the more of an impact you will have.

Mobile marketing is indeed a thing of great variety with so many strategies and plans. That is both its gift and its curse. It’s a gift because it has many options that are customizable and it’s a curse because too many options make it difficult to decide. These tips should have made it a bit easier for you.

Mobile Marketing Tips And Tricky For Savvy Marketers

Mobile marketing can be exciting. It has so many ways that it can be customized for each business, that there are endless possibilities. This can make it difficult for someone inexperienced and who doesn’t have a clue where to begin. The tips in this article can prepare you for the challenge.

If you want to increase your site traffic from users using mobile devices, develop a mobile application for your site, and offer it on your website. Apps are a convenient way for hand-held users to get to a service with one click. There are many tools and sites that can help you to develop your app, so take advantage of that.

Try to write a campaign article for mobile marketing that is easy to understand, straight to the point, and doesn’t include YELLING THROUGH ALL CAPS! Only use all caps for a call to action. Also avoid over abbreviating your sentences or you’ll end up with copy that looks amateurish and unprofessional.

Test your campaign before you start sending out your messages. Send the messages you want to use to your family, friends and employees. You will have to make sure the messages display well on most types of devices: perhaps some changes will be needed at this point. Ask people for their opinions on the content of the messages.

When creating Quick Response codes (or QR codes), try using a URL shortening service first. By using the URL shortening service, you can create a simpler QR code, as QR code complexity is determined by the number of characters in any block of text that you use. A block of text with less characters creates a simpler QR code that is easier to scan.

Having a QR code is an important factor in mobile marketing. QR codes are the new box codes that can be scanned by a mobile device or a smartphone. They are extremely effective in connecting your customers with your brand. Try linking the QR code with some sort of coupon or discount for maximum results.

When sending messages to your customers, be sure to use their real name. Using your customers real name in the message creates a more personal atmosphere that will allow you to bond with them and make your message seem less automated or robotic and more realistic, friendly, and overall more genuine.

Make sure your mobile ads are compatible against all platforms, cellular devices and more. Your business must stay accessible to as many mobile users as possible. By ensuring compatibility on all platforms, you maximize your exposure and your business’ ability to reach more customers via the devices they use the most.

Mention your mobile marketing everywhere you can. Talk about it on your social networking sites, any blogs you have, your e-commerce site, and anywhere else you can think of. You want your customers to realize that they can access your company from where ever they are, and it will be easy for them to do so.

Mobile marketing is a thing of great creativity with many strategies and plans. That is both its highlight and its downfall. It’s a highlight because it has various options that are customizable and it’s a downfall because those various options make it difficult to decide. These tips should have made it a bit easier for you.

Smart Mobile Marketing Tips For Your Business

It is, normally, pretty difficult to find a target audience that is as focused and easy to cater to than mobile marketing. People are on smart phones all day long and what better way to get your message out, than to the device that they hold closest to themselves each day. Check out some of the best tips in this article.

You need to have a home base involved with any mobile marketing strategy. Do you want your customers at your website, or do you want them to go to your Facebook page? Everything needs to be built around the home base of operations online and the rest are fingers protruding from the hand.

If you want to increase your site traffic from users using mobile devices, develop a mobile application for your site, and offer it on your website. Apps are a convenient way for hand-held users to get to a service with one click. There are many tools and sites that can help you to develop your app, so take advantage of that.

To make sure your text subscribers are only seeing the information they want, segment them! When they opt-in, give them a poll asking them what they’re interested in them. Only send gaming offers to people who are interested in gaming, and only send music related content to customers who have shown interest in music. If you segment your subscribers, your texts are more likely to keep them engaged.

Never hide who you are. Tell your customer up front what your business is and who you are. You should never send veiled or confusing messages to your customers. People begin to feel threatened when they do not understand what is going on, so if you forget to do this, you may alienate some of them.

You must keep in mind that mobile marketing works best on customers you already have, so your goal is to not only retain them but convince them to forgo the competition and only buy from you. Give them coupons, discounts, information on new products before anyone else has it, and you’ll find they remain loyal to your company.

With today’s technological age there are more people on their smart phones than ever before. So a good way to market is through mobile marketing in any way, shape, or form. Educate yourself about what you can do to market through the phone; think of applications that people would want or need, and before you know it success should follow.

A great mobile marketing campaign is to have a QR code on physical advertising, like a bus shelter poster or newspaper ad, and then give the reader a coupon in return for accessing your information. This will give your brand value to the mobile user and they’ll be more inclined to try your QR codes in the future.

In conclusion, marketing is not easy and neither is catering to your intended audience. There is a lot of great information in this article to help you understand what mobile marketing is and how to best use it for your own plan. Hopefully, you will be able to start using it today.