How to Cash in on the Mobile Revolution

The web is going mobile, and it’s not too late to jump onboard the mobile bandwagon and snatch a slice of what is increasingly becoming an extremely large pie! Google reports that more than half of all local searches are executed on mobile devices of some sort. Everyone is doing business on the move, browsing and price comparing on the way to shop. Now is the time to make sure your business is aligned to take advantage of this mobile innovation. Here are five easy ways to get this done!

1. Having a mobile ready site – Making certain your website is capable of being viewed on any mobile device is a mandatory first step. There is something of an art to making the mobile version of your website, because the emphasis here is on speed. It is estimated you have about five seconds for your site to load on a mobile device or they’re on to greener pastures. Make sure your site loads fast and looks great! Based on Google polling, 52% of users say a bad mobile experience causes them to be much less likely to engage with a business.
2. Offering deals, coupons and incentives to readers – 29% of consumers indicate a willingness to download a coupon from their mobile device. Take them up on it! Currently, only 10% of customers have received a coupon from a local merchant, based on a poll from Mercator Advisory Group. It’s time for you to get out in front of this trend and stake your claim!
3. Buy inexpensive mobile advertising – Mobile paid ads are still the new kid on the block, but there is a great deal of opportunity using these. Pricing is still quite low, and you can get a considerable amount of targeted traffic to your site very quickly.
4. Create a loyalty program – Employing a mobile platform to institute a loyalty program is an idea that is no longer just used by restaurants. You can make rabid fans by having a simple, easy to use digital loyalty card app that works entirely on their mobile device. A fantastic way to reward regular customers.
5. Capitalize on mobile email and SMS – Mobile email is being opened at a rate of 41%, and is on schedule to surpass the PC by the end of 2013, as outlined by MarketingLand.com. SMS (texting) posseses an incredible 95% open rate. These two statistics alone should be incentive enough to get your small business seriously involved in the mobile side of things!