(Image source: Cyanide & Happiness, Explosm.net)
September 9, 2014 —
If you’re like most people, you probably got up this morning and the first thing you reached for was your smartphone. Today’s consumers check for text messages, email and social media replies long before they have their first cup of coffee.
If this sounds familiar, you’re in good company. According to new Pew Internet research, 90 percent of Americans have cell phones, the average owner looks at her screen 150 times a day, and 67 percent check for messages, alerts and calls even when their phones haven’t rung or vibrated.
It’s time to embrace all things mobile. As a retailer, are you using mobile marketing and advertising to steer customers your way?
Here are eight truths about mobile marketing every retailer should know to make the most of this hyper-local and -targeted marketing strategy.
1. Your mobile presence has to look terrific.
Plain and simple, your online presence has to function perfectly on mobile devices or your best customers will take their business elsewhere. Now’s the time to create a responsive website that looks great on smartphones, tablets, computers and TVs, then invest in a native app that mirrors your website content. That way you’ll update a single website and know that your content is consistent no matter how it’s accessed.
Here’s some motivation for you: open your web browser and go to mattkersley.com/responsive/. Type in your website and see how it looks on different devices. Ask yourself: would you want to visit your website on a mobile device?
Although you may think you need a large budget to build a mobile app, it might surprise you to learn that even if you have a small company, you can create an app for very little cost.
Really—there are code-free, do-it-yourself (DIY) services out there that will cost you as little as $10-$20 per month. The focus of the following list is on DIY resources that allow mobile apps to be assembled quickly.
AppNotch (Android, Apple iOS, HTML5; paid plans start at $18 per month)—This service includes a prototyping option for mocking up your mobile applications before committing too deeply. It offers a variety of templates and there is a 30-day trial period.
App Press (Android, Apple iOS; entry-level plan starts at $30 per month)—This cloud-hosted development platform was designed with image in mind: the focus is on helping small businesses create highly visual mobile apps. One notable feature is an instant preview function. The entry plan includes 10 gigabytes (GB) of storage, 5 GB of bandwidth and up to two projects.
BuildAnApp (Android, Apple iOS, BlackBerry, Windows Mobile; starts at $19 per month depending on platform)—The company has created a six-step process for building either mobile native apps or one that can be viewed with a mobile web browser. It offers a feature that lets your visitors “click to call” from within the app.
Infinite Monkeys (Android, Apple iOS; pricing starts at $12 per month for a native mobile app plus HTML5 Web site)—This is the sister service to Appmakr, which it acquired last year. It focuses mainly on social or “fan” apps that help restaurants, retailers, organizations and individuals build apps that have a social twist to them. The company runs an Android marketplace where it features apps built on its platform.
Orbose (Android, Apple iOS; published pricing for businesses is about $40 per month)—The company behind this offering, Enigma Systems, promises a big reduction in development time for those who don’t have any programming knowledge. The platform supports development of apps that can accommodate push notifications, appointment scheduling, and payment processing and social media plug-ins.
See our full list of DIY code-free mobile app development resources for small businesses
2. Design for mobile first.
When choosing a responsive template for your website, be sure the mobile version delivers clean, clear graphics that load quickly, along with a compelling call to action for mobile users. This is known as “mobile first.” Larger screens have the luxury of more space and more features, so work closely with your website vendor to strike the right balance on visible content features and graphic load times across all devices, putting the mobile experience first on your priority list.
3. Don’t forget these mobile email marketing essentials.
Redesign your email messages for the mobile crowd. Although flashy graphics and colorful HTML may work well for emails that are viewed on PCs, an Intuit article about mobile marketing for small businesses states that every email you send should be snappy with a call to action that, just like your website, must render perfectly using responsive email templates. Avoid using splashy graphics, however, since they are often slow to load and many mobile users choose the default setting on their phones to avoid downloading them.
4. Remember, your audience is mobile and loves videos.
A recent survey by Google, Millward Brown Digital finds that 34 percent of consumers start their purchasing path on mobile devices. Put this stat into action today. Customers want to see the brands and products you sell in action on their mobile devices. Your audience is there, and they’re spending time on mobile devices when researching local purchases. You can engage them effectively with videos, hosted on YouTube or, even better, with Wistia for responsive embedding that’s search-optimized and more easily tracked and measured in your site analytics.
Wistia is an Internet video hosting and analytics company that enables marketers to track and analyze web video viewers. The elaborate analytics Wistia provides really sets them apart from the other guys (YouTube, Vimeo to name a few). For example, heat mapping lets you see exactly where you are losing users or gaining interest based on playback and drop-off.
These guys rock. So much so that the popular WordPress Multi-User Development blog, WPMU DEV (premium.wpmudev.org), created a special deal with them, giving you five videos, 10GB bandwidth and all Wistia features, for free, forever so you can find out for yourself.
All you need to do is enter your email at http://bit.ly/WistiaXL so Wistia can send you a special invite.
5. Keep the holiday season in your sights.
Winter tends to be a slow sales season for retailers, but you have the opportunity to counter seasonal trends by taking advantage of one important fact: Huge numbers of people get mobile devices for the holidays. Mobile ad developers can target new Google Play or iOS registrations to reach new device owners.
Add a “mobile” line item to your holiday marketing campaign. This campaign might include:
A special offer in your mobile ads
Free store app download
Or, if your store app is free (which it should be), a special offer with the store app download
Special offer when customer/user creates or sends a mobile wish-list to friends and family
A mobile coupon, either through your app or through any of these popular mobile coupon apps or services. (view this article online for the full list)
For large chains:
Ibotta—free Android and iPhone app that offers rebates redeemable for real cash rewards. Reach: 3+ million users. Cost: undisclosed.
Shopkick—free Andriod and iPhone app that gives users access to exclusive deals. Reach: 6 + million. Cost: undisclosed.
For small businesses:
Yowza—free Android and iPhone app that displays coupons offered by local businesses. Reach: 2+ million users. Cost: Normally $89/month per business location; current limited-time offer $50/month per business location.
Coupon Sherpa—free Android and iPhone app that displays coupons by proximity, category, and brand. Reach: 1+ million. Cost: free.
Cellit Spark—DIY mobile messaging platform that enables local merchants to send coupons, alerts, and event information to customers via text (SMS) messages. Reach: as many opted-in consumers inside your geofence (within a certain radius). Cost: $49-$179 to send 1500-7000 SMS messages per month; offers a free trial.
For any size business:
Foursquare—free Android, Windows Phone and iPhone app. Reach: 50+ million worldwide. Cost: $20 to register/claim your business listing.
Placecast—a service that enables retailers to send text (SMS) messages to customers when they are within the vicinity of their stores. Reach: as many opted-in consumers inside your geofence (within a certain radius). Cost: undisclosed, but the company’s CEO says merchants can expect to pay a one-time setup fee plus monthly fees that vary based on the number of messages sent.
Marketing messages targeting new device owners after the holidays work best if they provide a sense of urgency coupled with a limited time offer.
6. Text message marketing must be done carefully.
Text message marketing works, as long as you understand that text messages start out as interruptions. Therefore your messages must offer recipients something that makes up for that interruption, like the announcement of the arrival of a highly anticipated new product. Text messages should be used sparingly. Experts recommend starting with only two text messages per month, then monitoring click-through and unsubscribe rates to determine if they should be sent more often.
7. Mobile social media is increasingly important.
A recent eMarketer survey found that among mobile social media users, 60 percent visit these sites daily. Ignore mobile social media at your peril. One of the top activities of mobile social media users is photo sharing, and this indicates that using more imagery than text in your social media marketing makes your social media strategy more effective. Mobile social media also offers important location information, and this data can make it easier to capture the attention of mobile users on the go.
Tips for shareable images that drive traffic:
Give your audience what they need. To encourage genuine engagement and relevant shares, your images have to appeal directly to your target audience. Images that give short, instantly actionable advice are highly shareable. Quick tips, how-tos, quotes and fun facts are all very popular.
Be consistent and quick. Facebook’s reach is a constant topic of conversation for marketers, and by now you should know sharing images continues to boost organic reach and engagement. Every social media strategy should include a consistent approach to sharing images. Your audience will become familiar with your posts and if the content is good, your posts should gain traction.
Tips for consistency:
Share at the same time every day.
Create campaign with a hashtag.
Or, jump on a current hashtag trend bandwagon
(i.e. #tbt – Throwback Thursday or #ProTip)
Q3. What is the ugliest piece of furniture in your house? #LeonsCAE pic.twitter.com/rYf8VJZgvy
— Leon's Furniture (@LeonsFurniture) September 12, 2014
Tips for Timeliness (This is trickier, especially if you don’t have staff dedicated to social media—which you should, but we know not everyone can).
Make use of scheduling features on social media management platforms like Hoot Suite or Sprout Social to schedule relevant posts for upcoming holidays.
Keep an eye out for new updates to products or services in your niche. These updates are important news for your customers.
Create original shareable images. This will keep your photos relevant and ensure you can use them any way you want. You don’t need to hire a graphic designer to create original images. You can do it yourself with the advice and tools listed here.
If you’re in the office, use image-editing tools like Canva or PicMonkey. Both offer neat templates—use them to create 5-10 images with a similar theme.
Create a branded background template you can reuse for tip or quote images. Simply upload it to Canva or PicMonkey when you want to create a new image with a text overlay.
Not at the store? Use your phone! Apps like Instagram, InstaQuote, Overgram (free) or Over (paid) make your on-the-fly pictures into works of art you can share immediately.
Optimize size, branding and source. Your image should not only suit the platform(s) you post to, but also have a good chance of being noticed and shared.
The best size for your image will depend on how you want to use it and where you’re posting it. Make use of social media sizing cheat sheets and tools like the Social Image Resizer Tool from Internet Marketing Ninjas (http://bit.ly/IMNinjaResizer).
When you create your original shareable images, brand them with a simple watermark, like your logo or URL.
8. Mobile data is powerful marketing currency.
Digital data is being generated at a staggering rate, and mobile technology is a major driver of data proliferation. Many brands are testing use of mobile device location information and data from marketing researchers to deliver ads to people when they visit retailer locations. But other insights can be unlocked from mobile data, like how mobile data fits into consumer data overall, which patterns are emerging in local digital advertising that co-brands and localizes brand messaging, and how marketers can improve the consumer experience.
Set specific goals for your mobile marketing. Before you rush out and join the mobile marketing revolution, consider what your objectives are for using it. For example, you may want to drive traffic to your website or use it as a way to build awareness of your brands, products and services.
If lead generation is your goal, talk with a Google Premier SMB Partner about enhanced campaigns and advanced mobile advertising. Ask them to research your local market to see how many searches are done via mobile devices daily, and if now is the right time to invest in paid mobile advertising.
What the heck is a Google Premier SMB Partner? Let’s break it down:
Google: popular search engine
AdWords: puts your ads on Google.com and across their network of search partners
SMB: small to medium sized business
Partner: a friend that helps you help them
The Google AdWords Google SMB Partner Program connects experienced AdWords partners with businesses that want expert help in creating, managing and optimizing their online advertising campaigns. To get started, visit http://www.google.com/ads/premiersmbpartner/
Once you have a clear idea of what you want to accomplish with mobile marketing, you can devise a specific strategy designed to help you achieve success.
Regina Dinning is a business development director for home goods (furniture, mattress, appliances) at Netsertive, a fast-growing online marketing company and Google Premier SMB Partner leveraging the latest technology to swing retailers’ doors. Dinning (rdinning@netsertive.com) is a seasoned professional with more than 15 years’ experience in marketing and advertising in the home furnishings industry. Sydnee Seites is the webmaster for RetailerNOW and tech guru for the NAHFA.