Are you a mobile marketing expert? If not, don’t fret – but continue reading, as this skill is one that you don’t want to miss, especially if you are the proprietor of a small to medium sized start up business. As a start up owner, you are expected to be a modern day ‘renaissance man’ (or woman) – you are responsible for a wide array of tasks that are at times completely unrelated, and you must be successful at each and every one of them.

After all, the survival and success of your enterprise depends on your ability to do basic accounting, provide excellent customer service, network and build customer relationships, recruit, train and hire top notch staff, and of course, complete the products and/ or services for which your business is known. On top of all of this, you must be a skilled and effective marketing wiz, with the skills and know how to promote your company to the fastest growing platform across the world – mobile marketing. If you ignore this pivotal marketing opportunity, you are losing clients, business and most importantly – profit.

With mobile commerce increasing 300% over online commerce, this is a massive opportunity for you to super charge your start up. In order to help you get a grasp on this vital concept, here are ten top tips that will get you started, and more importantly – get your marketing information into the hands of the people you hope to convert and count amongst your paying clientele.

1. Recognise the importance of mobile marketing – Before you can embark on a successful mobile marketing campaign, you need to fully grasp why it is an important step to take in the first place. As Kimberley Whitler wrote in Forbes, mobile marketing is quite literally the closest that you can get to your ideal client. She uses the 3 Ps – a person’s mobile is personal (their mobile is likely their most utilised mode of communication, and people form close attachments to their phones); proximity (it is usually within arm’s reach at any given time) and persuasive (most people check their phones constantly). This is too large an opportunity to miss.
2. Ensure your website is optimised for mobile sites – Sites that are programmed solely for a desktop or laptop computer can often look terrible and become impossible to use when accessed on mobile devices. With consumers increasingly doing their shopping on their phones, a poorly designed mobile site will cause them to head to one of your competitors. If programming your website is above your skill level, hire a website developer as soon as possible in order to make sure your site is compatible on smartphones and tablets.
3. Identify your target demographic – In order to ensure that your site is optimised in the most suitable way, you need to identity your target demographic. Here is a handy link that will help you to identify your ideal customer – this is an important thing to do for many aspects of your business’s success.
4. Build your audience on social media – More than ever before, connecting with your clients in a personal and customised way is a key driver of sales. Social media platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, Snapchat and more can be the perfect way for you to interact with and attract your desired clientele. Remember – social media accounts for business are very different than your own personal accounts – remember to always stay on brand and never be overly familiar.
5. Offer mobile marketing incentives – Offering an incentive (such as a free gift, complementary consultation, discount or sale) to your clients via a mobile marketing campaign will demonstrate the value and importance of your message.
6. Stay on top of new technology – Contactless payment options, Smartphone apps that make mobile shopping more simple, new social media platforms – as a start up owner on the cutting edge of your industry, you need to make sure that you are in the know about advances in technology that could help you with mobile marketing.
7. Email mail outs should be regular, valuable and targeted – Collecting your clients’ emails and putting them to good use is key when it comes to mobile marketing (although you must make sure that your clients willingly sign up for these newsletters). Send a regular newsletter that includes advance information about sales, information about your industry and many calls to action. Here is a comprehensive list of all of the ways that you can harness email marketing strategies for your mobile campaign.
8. Nothing you send should be irrelevant – In addition to the point above, remember – your mobile marketing should be valuable. Put yourself in your clients’ shoes – do you like receiving annoying memes, silly jokes and tangential articles from businesses you have dealings with? Probably not – so keep your marketing relevant and valuable.
9. Timing is everything – Pay special attention to when your target clientele is most active online. If you would like to attract those in an office setting, a Tuesday morning is probably a better time to send out a blast than is a Friday at 1am! That said, with Brits checking their phones 1.1 billion times per day, your clientele might be different – pay this some careful consideration.
10. When in doubt, get some help – There is no reason for you to feel like you are in this alone; if mobile marketing is not your forte, or if you find that it is eating up too much of your time, consider hiring an expert. Expending a few hundred pounds per month on a mobile marketing strategy and implementation plan is a great idea, but do be careful – if you do not begin to see gains within a few months, you may need to assess the company with whom you are doing business and potentially change things up. Don’t spend thousands and thousands before realising that you are not seeing those costs recouped.