It was recently revealed that over 1/3 of mobile searches on Google are for items relevant to the users current environment.  Search engines Google and Yahoo are both working to make their advertising reach as local as possible. If your company is locally based (pizza shop, salon, record store, etc) it is crucial for you to have a strong mobile presence. Here are some mobile marketing tips for local businesses.

Make sure your website and social media sites are mobile-friendly- You MUST have an optimized mobile website in order to appear in organic searches. This is especially true for locally based businesses because mobile search engines display pages that are the most relevant to mobile users. So if you want your barber shop to appear in the top ten mobile Google search results, you need to make sure your mobile site is optimized, with fresh, relevant content for mobile users. Another tip- be sure that your social media outlets are mobile friendly. Twitter and Facebook have mobile versions of their websites- make sure the website that hosts your company blog does as well. If you use WordPress, be sure to install the MobilePress plugin.

Utilize SMS/Text Message Marketing- Build customer loyalty and a solid opt-in list by sending interesting, relevant texts to your customers. Studies show that text messaging has a 70% response rate (compared to the 30% average response that e-mail marketing draws). A great way to build your opt-in list and ensure customers are willing to receive texts is to use other media in conjunction with your initial texting campaigns.  You could display fliers or posters in your store that use text as the call to action for a special sale, promotion, or contest. In exchange for the special deal or chance to win a great prize, your customers allow you to send promotional texts. This can start your opt-in list, and informative, useful texts from you can build your opt-in list. Whatever the case, if you have a locally based business, you definitely should be using SMS- just be sure you’re sending to a customer base that has opted-in.

Mobile Commerce- If it makes sense for your locally based business to allow consumers to purchase goods/services via mobile device, then create a full scale mobile commerce website. Pizza parlors, hotels, salons; any business where consumers can order or pay ahead could benefit from allowing users to place orders, make reservations, set/pay for salon appointments all via mobile phone. Think about how mobile commerce could fit into your business plan and have experienced developers help you make your mobile site ready for commerce.

If you own a business with a local customer base, and you’re ready to start your mobile marketing initiatives, call us at 985-9277 or e-mail Bill@mowbi.com or Jordan@mowbi.com