Marketing to Mobile Devices: Simple, Affordable Strategies for SMBs

Mobile marketing is more than just a technology-driven trend. The fact is that more people have mobile devices than land lines. Furthermore, four mobile devices are purchased for every computer consumers buy.

So how do you specifically reach out to mobile users and take advantage of the capabilities these devices have? The key is to leverage some core innovations like near field communication, geo-fencing, and location-based retargeting to help you find customers where they are and stand out from the crowd.

Mobile marketing with NFC

Near field communication (NFC) technology is the wireless connectivity standard that allows communication between devices when they are brought close or touched together. It has been available for several years, but we're still at the stage where it feels pretty cool to walk into a store, pick up what you need, and pay without ever taking out your wallet. Making sure to prominently display that you accept Apple Pay and Android Pay can actually make a difference in foot traffic, and you can't underestimate what it means to make people feel rewarded at the very same moment they're paying you.

It's important to keep in mind that NFC can do a lot more than just make a payment. If you have the right setup, you can tap a location to open a web page, send a text, share a contact, do a social check-in, follow an account, and much more. It can remove the friction from asking customers to do these kinds of interactions, and you can even offer a discount to sweeten the deal.

Geo-fencing

With geo-fencing, you use the GPS or RFID that's already built into almost every mobile device to create a specific boundary in the physical world. When someone brings their device into that "geo-fence," they get notified. Most commonly this is some sort of special deal offer, like a discount.

The tricky thing with geo-fencing is that you need to figure out how to get your target customer to opt in. Working with third-party apps can help. If your customer is already using something to get coupon or discount offers, you can work with the app to create a geofence and hit them with a special offer.

The power of location-based retargeting

Retargeting is great because it's efficient: you already know something about your audience and its interest, so you can reach them with a more specialized message that has a higher chance of succeeding. Adding geo-fencing ideas into the mix, you can get even better retargeting results. You can offer a better discount if you know someone's visiting a second time and didn't use a coupon the first time, or ask for a review if they come by often.

Mobile marketing strategies are powerful because these devices have so many capabilities. They know where they are, they can broadcast live video from anywhere they have a signal, and they still plug into all of the networks that make internet marketing in general so potent. Adopting some mobile-specific strategies around location and NFC lets you tap into that power to connect better and tell your story.

Source: Marketing to Mobile Devices: Simple, Affordable Strategies for SMBs