Mobile devices are nearly omnipresent in the developed world right now. I’ve personally seen users connecting to the internet in more places than ever, including the subway, the carpool, the lunch room and even the great outdoors. What does this mean for small businesses? That it’s time to jump on this so-called bandwagon and use it to our advantage. Here’s why.
Attention Spans are Shrinking Every Day
This is a fundamental truth of the modern world, and it is directly related to the new ways in which most people access various types of media. Shared content is shorter, photos are more prevalent, and although people are connecting to information more than ever, their actual engagement time is shorter than ever. I can’t expect customers and potential clients to read through a lengthy press release, much less an industry white paper. Mobile interaction helps me to share content in small pieces, which helps to build a stronger company following.
Online Ordering
These days if I want to go shopping, I’ll type the name of what I’m looking for into Google’s search engine and click the first, most relevant and up-to-date link I’m presented with. Here’s where mobile business strategy comes in – key word searches. It’s important to build a professional, mobile-friendly website complete with key word articles and items to help round up these potential clients. All those searches being conducted during flights, during lunch times and just lazy afternoons on the couch can expand businesses in a big way. I think of the creation of my mobile presence as a direct way of investing in myself.
Opportunity for Calls to Action
The latest trend in mobile marketing will never be successful unless we remember to include a call to action in our shared and published content. When I send out a cute, industry-related cartoon? I simultaneously remind viewers to click and search my product list. Updating members via an email newsletter? I provide links to new services and updates, as well as product order pages. I try to avoid pitfalls such as linking to irrelevant data, or over-linking and over-selling. It’s our jobs as business owners to find that sweet spot.
All in all, mobile presence is to small business what advertising in the Yellow Pages was 25 years ago. If we embrace that, we’ll see big returns!
