Mobile marketing is on the rise all across the country but is mobile marketing in Sarasota and Bradenton really worth the money?
I don't have to tell you that mobile platforms are the way of the future. There is an app for this and an app for that and there are more tablets and smart phones on the market than ever before. By the end of 2013 it is expected that almost half of all web searches will begin on a mobile device! However, does this mean that all markets are equal? Is mobile marketing in Sarasota or Bradenton a complete waste of money?
What is Mobile Marketing
Let's start here. When I talk about mobile marketing I am not talking about a moving billboard or anything like that. I am talking about marketing that is intended to target users on their mobile devices. Mobile marketing includes things like mobile optimized landing pages, text marketing, email marketing, mobile advertising and other methods of trying to interact with people on their mobile phones and tablets.
With more than 273 million mobile subscribers in the us alone and almost 100 million of those subscribers using smart phones, there is no doubt that competition for attention across mobile platforms is getting fierce.
I won't bore you with a bunch of statistics about mobile marketing but you don't have to be a psychic to see that people are becoming more and more attached to their cell phones and tablets.
People are getting more comfortable shopping and searching on mobile devices but where do companies draw the line? Where do we cross over from convenience to annoying when it comes to mobile marketing?
Can Mobile Marketing Help My Company?
As CR8INC continues to grow and develop our mobile marketing platform in Sarasota and Bradenton we come across all sorts of objections from the local small business owners. They tell me that their customers won't benefit from mobile marketing because they are an older demographic.
Small business owners think that because a large part of their customer base is a little older that their business could not benefit from mobile marketing.
To this I say, "Nay Nay"! You cannot simply presume that because someone is older that they would not respond to your mobile marketing. Mobile marketing can be as simple as optimizing your website for delivery on a mobile phone so that they don't have to pinch and zoom to view your website which I would say could be a huge advantage for anyone with less than average eyesight.
Anything that makes your company easier to find or simpler to engage with can be a beneficial tactic for any business no matter the demographics.
Additionally, the proliferation of smart phones is not just restricted to the under 40's crowd. While they do make up a large portion of smart phone users they do not make up the whole, and ignoring any part of that market would be foolish from a business growth stand point. Not to mention that it could possibly increase the overall engagement with every patron who visits your business.
"As with many new technologies, it is often up to the business owner and the company itself to train/educate the consumer on how they can benefit from mobile marketing."
It's about staying ahead of the information curve
Every business owner is looking for an edge to help their company stand out. Small businesses in Sarasota and Bradenton are no different. We live in an information rich environment and the businesses who are able to access, process and understand more information about their competitors will be at a considerable advantage over the next few years.
People are connected on so many different channels these days and they are looking for referrals, recommendations, and promotions from a number of different sources. Mobile marketing, (yes even in Sarasota and Bradenton) allows you to engage with your buyer across all of those platforms and anything that increases your potential exposure base can't be a bad decision.
Can our business afford mobile marketing?
There are a number of online tools which will allow you to easily and inexpensively enter the world of online marketing. The new CR8INC marketplace is a great example of an easy entry point in to the world of mobile marketing. It allows you to test the waters of mobile marketing in Sarasota and Bradenton without having to break the bank. Then, as you grow and become more proficient the mobile marketing platform can scale with you.
So when I hear people tell me that mobile marketing in Sarasota or Bradenton is a waste of money I can usually be sure that I am talking to a low information marketer. Then my job becomes to educate them and help the business owner understand the value in becoming an early adopter.