Thanks to smartphones, iPads and mobile apps, mobile marketing is a popular buzzword right now.
The question is: Should your business pay attention to mobile marketing?
This question is an easy one. The answer is a definitive YES.
If you don’t believe us, here are some trends that show mobile marketing is here to stay.
Trend #1: Americans Really Love Smartphones
By year’s end, eMarketer projects that 73.3 million people in this country will own a smartphone. That’s up from 60.2 million at the end of 2010.
For manufacturers and distributors, this is an eye-opening number.
Customers are buying phones with advanced capabilities to help with their purchasing decisions. They’re using their smartphones to:
- Look for store locations
- Compare prices
- Find discounts and coupons
- Read reviews
- And more
The smartphone isn’t just a telephone, it’s also a powerful marketing channel for your business.
Trend #2: Tablet Computers Are Not A Toy
Here is another interesting stat: eMarketer projects that 24 million tablet computers will sell in 2011. Apple has sold nearly 30 million iPads since it launched last year.
Here is the important thing. Tablet computers are creating a new environment for consumers to purchase the products and services that you sell. Tablet computers work differently than regular computers.
If you want to reach customers, using these types of devices, you’re going to need to change your game plan.
Trend #3: Mobile Advertising Is A Billion Dollar Business
Mobile advertising in the United States is becoming a billion-dollar business. It’s already nearly a third of the predicted global advertising market. By 2014, analysts project that the U.S. mobile advertising market will more than double in size.
If you don’t start mobile advertising soon, your competition is going to pass you by.
More and more customers are going to use their smartphones and tablet computers to search for the products and service that you sell because it is easier for them to access the information on the go.
Trend #4: Mobile Websites Are A Necessity
With more and more customers purchasing and using smartphones, a mobile website is a necessity.
Traditional style websites are difficult to use on smartphones that have touch screens. Customers hate typing on their smartphones. If you do not have a mobile website, no one is going to pay attention to your business on their smartphones.
It’s critical to optimize your URL for mobile access and to continually optimize your mobile site for speed, image rendering and accessibility.
Trend #5: Social Media Is Bigger On Mobile
Thanks to smartphones, customers are constantly connected to social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter.
According to Nielsen, social media was the fastest-growing category among users of both apps and mobile browsers. It’s grown more than 240 percent. eMarketer estimates that by 2015, mobile social media users will reach 79 million.
Additionally, social media companies such as Facebook are developing location-based features that allow customers to interact with your business in a whole new way. Facebook Places as well as Foursquare allow customers to discover promotions of nearby locations via their smartphone.
Summary
Consumers are no longer chained to their desks when accessing the internet. Thanks to smartphones and tablet computers, it’s a more fluid situation.
Consumers access purchasing information when they immediately need it. For manufacturers, this is a great opportunity to reach customers in the final stages of the buying process. Your conversion rates will be higher with mobile marketing.
At Right On – No Bull Marketing, we help manufacturers and distributors increase channel partner sales. We teach your channel partners how to sell and market in the internet era.
Our Business Partner 3.0 program, uses innovative technology so you can stay in touch with your channel partners, so they can sell more of your products and services.
To learn how we can help you improve your business, call us today at (602) 412-3168 or visit the Right On – No Bull Marketing Contact Page.
