Soon the distinction between traditional and social marketing won't matter. It's all going mobile. Right now Nielsen reports that 64% of 25-34 year olds own smartphones. 53% of 18-24 year olds do too. Just try to buy a non-smartphone. As it gets harder and harder to find "simple" phones, smartphone ownership among 35+ adults will skyrocket.
And what are all of these smartphone owners doing with their iPhones and Androids? Downloading apps and using them while shopping in your store.
The time to get your mobile with your business is now.
- Get your business listed on mobile networks: Ceating your profile on Google Places, Yelp and Foursquare will let you take advantage of how your customers are trying to find you online.
- Create a mobile website: Yes, there is a difference. A mobile friendly website that loads quickly and works on the smaller "second screen" will open your door to mobile customers.
- Creating a mobile app: This isn't for all small businesses, but development prices are going down and might be right for you. A mobile app lets your users interact with your business services in an environment that is dedicated to your business alone.
- Start using QR codes: Again, this isn't for all small businesses, but if your customers are QR code scanners, then you need to be QR code friendly.
- Get into mobile advertising: It's where your customers are spending their time.
- Text Messaging: 95% of all text messages are read. At some point text message marketing will become like email marketing with low click-through rates, but until then...
