What’s So Hot About Mobile?

Published by in Marketing & Advertising, New & Emerging Technologies on October 27th, 2011

What's so hot about mobile? Check out Five Sparrows on Facebook!When you walk out the door each day, what items do you typically take along with you? Among other things, I’ll bet you take your keys, your wallet, and your cell phone, right? 

Today’s consumers typically keep their mobile phones with them at all times, and are using them for so much more than phone calls and text messaging.  The mobile web now enables users to be productive and/or entertained while on-the-go, and lets them make use of “spare” blocks of time – like time spent waiting in line or between appointments. Users also rely on their smart phones in moments of need – like getting directions or finding a gas station, or even for locating friends and making online purchases. 

Small businesses today can also take advantage of this unique, personalized marketing channel to reach customers anytime, anywhere, and help them get what they need right at the moment they need it most.

As a marketing channel, mobile provides small businesses with high deliverability rates and new ways to engage users with targeted content.  Email campaigns, SMS text messaging, and mobile websites all provide businesses with a direct connection to users, and allows users to interact directly from their mobile phones (e.g., respond via email, redeem coupons, make purchases, etc.).

Given the enormous growth and adoption of mobile devices (sales of smartphones were up about 87% last year alone), it is clear that sooner or later your business will need some type of a mobile experience for your customers. 

So what’s so hot about mobile?  Here are some points to consider:

  • Mobile devices can perform a number of tasks, like snapping a QR code for a coupon, then redeeming it and making a purchase – all on the same device.  This provides users with a seamless mobile experience and makes it super-convenient to do business.  No other marketing media can provide this type of consumer experience.
  • Mobile devices can provide small businesses with laser-focused targeting opportunities.  You can target users based on any number of criteria, such as geo-location, social network use, special interests, etc.
  • Because mobile devices are typically with users all the time, your content can be highly personal and relevant (what they need when they need it).
  • Tracking and measuring is easy, since analytics can provide detailed information about how your content is being used, and also where the content is being consumed.
  • SMS (text messaging) provides businesses with an 8.22% conversion rate; much higher than email conversion rates (1.73%) or website conversion rates (0.73%).
  • Research shows that 98% of all text messages are read, and that 90% of text messages are read within the first three minutes of receiving the message.

Clearly, mobile devices are changing the way customers communicate, shop, learn, work, and consume information.  This trend has no end in sight, and continues to grow at a rapid rate. But the popularity of mobile gives small businesses an important opportunity to connect with users in new ways.  By developing mobile websites, emails, and campaigns, small businesses can meet the needs of today’s consumers while improving their marketing reach and results at the same time.

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Tip of the Month: Use Google’s +1 Button

Published by in Quick Tips on October 26th, 2011

Google’s new +1 button (similar to Facebook’s “Like” button) is being clicked on more than 2.3 billion times a day.  The +1 button directly contributes to Google search engine positions, which makes the +1 button an important ranking signal in Google.  The more +1′s your content gets, the more Google sees that people like your content – making it more likely to rank higher in the search results.

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Don’t Be Caught Off-Guard by Google+

Published by in New & Emerging Technologies, Social Networking on October 25th, 2011

Don't Be Caught Off-Guard by Google+Google+ is the new social network that Google launched earlier this year.  Although Google+ Business Pages are not yet available (only personal profiles are offered right now), Google says that Google+ Business Pages will be available very soon. 

So what happens to your business when Google+ Business Pages become available? What impact will it have on your marketing if (when) competitors start using Google+?  Now is the time to start thinking about how Google+ will affect your business, and to start planning a strategy to keep you a step ahead of competitors while keeping up with your customers’ ever-expanding social networking activity.

To get your business ready, you should start thinking about the following:

  1. Since Google+ is a new social network, you will need to know the basics of how it works, and how to get the best results from using it.  Do you already have a personal Google+ profile?  Are you using it regularly? If not, what is your plan to learn this new social network?
  2. Google+ is opt-in, so you will need to invite others to add your business to their Google+ circles (similar to the Facebook “Like” button).  What is your plan to get contacts to add you? Will you send email campaigns asking subscribers to “Add Us to Your Circles”?  Will you offer special incentives or programs? Will you create social campaigns or other initiatives?
  3. Google+ lets you generate a sharing button for your content. How will you add these buttons to your marketing materials? Will you use them in your email campaigns? Should the buttons be added to your website, or added to other selected content?

These are some of the questions you should be considering now, so that your business can be ready for Google+ Business Pages when they do become available.

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Tip of the Month: Quick Social Posts

Published by in Quick Tips on September 23rd, 2011

As an expert in your industry, you probably run across fresh ideas and industry news that can be shared on your social profiles.  When you find information that would be useful to your market, pass it along!

When sharing info socially, remember to include links back to your own website or blog.  For example, you could provide a link to related information on your site, or deliver visitors directly to a landing page where they can be more easily converted to customers.

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Kiss Your Flash Goodbye

Published by in New & Emerging Technologies, Web Site Tips on September 23rd, 2011

Well, it’s official – last week Microsoft announced that the upcoming release of Internet Explorer (IE 10) will not support Adobe Flash.  Instead, IE 10 will join some other popular devices (such as iPads and iPhones) that do not support Flash technology.  So if you have a Flash-based website for your business, it will soon become useless to an even larger number of today’s web users.

We’ve been advising against Flash-based websites for years, since they are typically complicated, difficult to update/maintain, and slow to download.  But more importantly, Flash-based sites are invisible to search engine spiders because the spiders cannot read or index proprietary Flash programming. 

Last year, Apple’s Steve Jobs cited Flash’s poor performance on mobile devices (such as significant battery strain, among other issues) as one of the reasons Apple products would no longer support Flash. Jobs noted that “Flash was created during the PC era – for PCs and mice,” and stated that this older plug-in technology is not needed to run Apple’s new mobile devices.

Apple V.P. Danny Winokur points out, however, that Flash content will still be visible in desktop versions of IE 10 (but not visible on mobile devices, smart phones, tablets, etc.).

So when it comes to Flash, small businesses need to be aware that this legacy plug-in technology is becoming more of a problem all the time. If your business has a Flash-based website, or if your website relies heavily on Flash animation or programming, now is the time to plan ahead.  Upgrading to a standards-based site could help your business gain additional visibility on the web today, and prevent you from being inaccessible to your customers tomorrow.

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