Using the
Power of Smartphones to Grow Your Business
By Ford
Saeks
If someone had told
Alexander Graham Bell that one day his invention would evolve into a
device that could turn your lights on and off, he would have taken
your temperature with a mercury thermometer, which incidentally, in
1876, hadn’t changed much in over 100 years.
Remember when cell phones first emerged? Chances are, you
were just as cynical as Mr. Bell. You probably made that first call
with a furrowed brow, skeptical to the possibility it promised. You
were certain that your call wouldn’t connect, or at the very least
your voice would be overridden by static. Like the rest of us, your
bulky cordless phone had conditioned you to only walk within a
certain “range” to avoid disconnect. Then you made that first
call… from an oversized bag-type cell phone and shazam… how cool was
it to have the umbilical cord of your landline cut and the freedom
to connect anywhere in cell phone range?
What started as a
must-have device that didn’t tie you down has now morphed into a
texting, tweeting, multi-tasking productivity and entertainment
gadget that offers a wide range of possibilities for you and your
business.
The lightning-speed
advancement of the Smartphone has left many companies scrambling to
keep up with the technology and new opportunities. According to
ComScore, there are 45 million Smartphones now active in the U.S.
alone. Like social media, they are the new wave of communication
and the only place they are going is into the hands of more and more
consumers.
So, how can you
capitalize on the growing popularity of this new technology? Here
are four things you can start doing today related to Smartphone
technology to increase brand awareness, build relationships and grow
your business:
Text Message
Advertising:
More people now use
their mobile phones for texting, rather than making a phone call.
Plus, most users have it attached to their hip; figuratively
speaking. Imagine the impact of advertising to your target market
via SMS (Short Message Service) text message; you have the
opportunity to get their attention… anytime, anywhere. Smart
marketers get creative with these campaigns and often include a
chance for the recipient to win something by responding to the
text. Other ideas include mobile coupons, event invitations, mobile
alerts, and special promotions.
SMS text marketing
works for virtually any industry, is relatively inexpensive, and
allows businesses to create highly targeted campaigns. The first
step in launching a text-messaging campaign is to find a company
that provides subscriber lists and can distribute your ads. Search
your favorite search engine for “mobile marketing”, “SMS Text
Marketing” or “SMS Advertising” and you’ll get plenty of options.
Create a Smartphone
App:
Like most things, Smartphone apps have been created to solve a
problem, increase productivity, offer an intrinsic benefit, or for
pure entertainment. Apple’s IPhone store alone has more than
150,000 apps available for download and users have downloaded more
than 3 billion apps. The HTC and Motorolla Droid, a.k.a, Android
phones, also have millions of users and offer thousands of apps.
You don’t need to
be a member of the geek squad to capitalize on this trend; all you
need is an idea for an app; there are plenty of companies who can
help you develop an app for your idea for you to sell or offer for
free. A word of caution; do your due diligence and check the
developers’ references to ensure your intellectual property and
ideas are protected.
If your app can
solve a problem (i.e. the Jott app records voice messages and
converts them to text messages) then you’re on the right track. If
you own a Smartphone, think about your favorite apps and how you
heard about them. Most likely you heard about them from a friend.
Viral word-of-mouth marketing is why popular apps can grow in use so
fast with virtually little marketing expense.
Make your website
Smartphone compatible:
The Internet is
going mobile. Have you visited your website using a Smartphone?
What type of user experience did you get? If you want to gain a
competitive advantage over your competition, your brand needs to be
as mobile as your customer. Your customers and prospects don’t have
the patience to view websites on their phone that aren’t
user-friendly.
Start by viewing
your current website on a Smartphone or Ipad. If you haven’t
designed a mobile specific website, it probably won’t look the
same. Text is smaller, graphics may not show up and you have to
scroll up, down, left, right, etc to view content. You’ll get much
more targeted traffic and improved conversions if you create a
mobile-enabled version of your site’s main content to meet the
demands of today’s multifaceted Internet mobile user. Creating the
mobile version of your website’s content from a layman’s
point-of-view requires reformatting the navigation, text and
graphics to fit the smaller screen size of Smartphones. The files
are then published on your web server and special code is added to
your regular website to identify the type of device accessing your
website. When a user visits your website, the appropriate version
of your website is displayed. It’s a good idea to provide links
from your mobile version to your full site as some users will elect
to visit your full-size website.
Engage mobile
customers through social networks:
If you’re not
friending and following, tweeting and YouTubing, you’re missing out
on a lucrative opportunity to connect and engage with your target
market. Social networking has leveled the playing field; it’s no
longer just the companies with an over-inflated ad budget who can
make waves. If you learn to add value and create a presence on
websites like LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter, you can expand your
reach, increase awareness of your brand, and create a loyal
following of customers who will help promote you!
Research shows that
more people access social media via Smartphones than with their
desktop computers. People who access the Internet with their
Smartphones are more likely to socialize online than their desktop
counterparts, according to a Ruder Finn study. The study found 91%
of mobile Web users socialize online, while just 79% of desktop
users can say the same. The average American spends 2.7 hours a day
on the mobile Web, the study found, with 45% of those users
commenting on social networking sites and 43% contacting with
friends through the sites.
Imagine the impact
you can have when your customers can view your YouTube videos
anytime they want using their Smartphones. Just think of the effect
a viral video could have on your business success. This can only
happen if you create and upload the videos to content sharing
websites like YouTube or Vimeo. There are hundreds of video
sharing websites, but start with YouTube since it’s the 2nd
largest search-engine.
Keep your videos
short, authentic and to the point. If you have a larger message, you
may want to break it down to shorter segments as user’s attention
spans have shortened.
Don’t Wait… Make
Your Brand Mobile:
Not only is mobile
marketing a great way to gain and connect with new customers, it
also enables you to add value for your current customers. By making
your brand mobile, you will increase awareness about your company,
products and services.
The future of your
business is in the palm of your hands, and in the handheld devices
of your customers and prospects around the world. If you aren’t on
board already, make sure you jump on or you and your business will
surely get left behind.
Read other articles and learn more about
Ford Saeks.
[This article is available at no-cost, on a non-exclusive basis.
Contact PR/PR at 407-299-6128 for details.]
|
