Unless you have been living under a rock somewhere or on a remote island with no contact with the outside world for the past few months you have probably talked to someone about how Mobile Marketing could help your business grow.

You may even have learned just enough about it to be completely overwhelmed . I can seem very high tech and vary complicated So how do you cut through all the noise to figure out what Mobile Marketing really is about and whether it can help you with your business. Mobile Marketing is not About this It is not about the fancy gadgets like an I-Phone, I-Pad, Galaxy tablet, smart phone app, or QR Code.  It is easy to get caught up in the shiny new toys because that is what it seems to be about on the surface.  We all can get attracted by the latest tech toy but these aren’t the what, they are just the how. It is easy to get lost in believing that there is a simple magic bullet that is the difference maker. Mobile is really about people, your customers! The world has changed and so have your customers.  They consume information much differently than they have in the last few years.  They are on the move more than ever. They want to do it all and in order to do that they want to consume their information regardless of where they are or what they are doing.  Mobile is about letting all of us have an endless amount of information at our finger tips at any time or place that we want it. Mobile Phones are with us at all times Mobile devices, Smart Phones and others connect devices, are how your customers are accessing their information on the internet.

• Mobile internet usage is projected to overtake desktop by 2014.
• 97% of smartphone use is at home, 83% on the go and 78% in stores.
• The 3 things people won’t leave home without…

o   Their keys, o   their wallet and o   their Cell phone

• 97% of cell phones are never more than 3 feet away from their owners (24/7)

Today, it isn’t a matter of if you need to consider Mobile Marketing as a method to interact with and marketing to your customers it is a matter of when and how fast. How big of an impact can this have on your business What if I asked you how you would feel if you found out that you could lose over 50% of your business growth potential if you didn’t incorporate Mobile into your marketing?  Would that get your attention?  Probably! Customers looking for a business did a mobile search 70% of the time.  52% of the time they called the business based on that search.  50% looked up the business on a map or got directions.  Once they found the business they wanted almost 40% will make a purchase that same day, most within about 4 hours. If your web site doesn’t play nice on their mobile device 74% will abandon the site if it doesn’t load properly within 5 seconds.  If they leave because of this almost HALF won’t return to that site again – ever! Do I have your attention yet What does this mean for you and your business?  Opportunity=$$. Mobile give you the opportunity to convert a searcher into a loyal customer.  The best thing is that Mobile can do it better than any other channel ever has. Remember I asked you to consider how you would feel if you found out you were losing over 50% of your new business growth?  I think you can see by these statistics that if you don’t embrace Mobile you probably will. Now that we have established the why you need to be Mobile, what about the how. Earlier I indicated that Mobile wasn’t about the fancy gadgets so what do you need to consider when you think about Mobile? I would like you to think about what the main goals for all of your marketing are for a second.  I would venture that the goals are the same whether you are thinking about Facebook, Twitter, email or any of the rest of your marketing channels. You want to do 2 things… You want to build a brand or name awareness in your customers mind and then get access to them, interact with them to build a relationship so they become a long term, repeat, loyal customer. You want to do that so they will spend part of their money at your business when they want buy.  It doesn’t matter which channel or tools you use the end goal is the same. Your customers are shifting their habits away from sitting in front of a computer at their desk they are moving around.  It just makes sense that if you are going to achieve your goals of your customer thinking of you and becoming you long term customer that you have to be able reach out to them and gain access to them in a way that they are getting their information.  On their Mobile devices. People are in love with their freak’n phones today! If you don’t believe that just walk around any mall, park, social gathering, any place where there are a lot of people.  Watch the people, young, older, mid age, it doesn’t matter.  They are checking their email, searching online, texting.  A few are even talking on their phones.  Although that seems to be less and less.  What should this tell you?  If you want to communicate with them you need to do it on their mobile phone. What are the three things your business needs for Mobile 1)    Every business needs a mobile-friendly web site.  By Mobile friendly I mean one that can easily be read on a Mobile device.  There is some debate about whether you actually should have a separate “Mobile Web Site” or not but for the majority of local business an optimized site will be a great choice. 2)    Every business needs to identify who their ideal customers are.  This would involve developing a Customer profile or some Mobile Marketers call it a customer “persona”.  Regardless of what you call it you need to know who you customers are, how & why they spend money, what they spend money on.  Their age, income range, family status etc., etc.  You need to know them better than they know themselves. 3)    Based on all this information you need to develop a Marketing Strategy that is targeted to you customer.  This marketing strategy should include all of your available marketing channels. Mobile Marketing is not a Magic Bullet that will solve all your marketing issues in one fell swoop.  It is an enhancer for all of your marketing. Competition is stiff in today’s world and you need to use every method available to get your share of the business that is out there. Now it is up to you! Understanding that you need to incorporate Mobile into your marketing strategy is one thing but it is critical that you take some ACTION.  As you are getting started it is important to stay focused on these few things:

•  Start to think Mobile first in all of your marketing.
•  Identify who your ideal customers are.
•  Develop an overall Marketing Strategy for your Business.

Every statistic and indication points to the facts that Mobile is important now but it is about to become Critical for the future success of your business.  It is time to develop and implement a Mobile First Marketing strategy to help your business grow and prosper.