In this expert interview, we ask mobile marketing specialist, Franco Beschizza, how businesses can get started with mobile marketing.
There are lots of examples of big brands doing big things with mobile marketing, but what about small businesses and agencies? Is the opportunity there?
Absolutely. As consumers move towards a more mobile ecosphere, and new low-cost cloud-based marketing platforms for mobile are becoming available, it will in effect level the playing field for small businesses and agencies.
Mobile is changing the way that the majority of purchasing decisions are made and opens up a real opportunity just by starting to think and employ some simple mobile strategies and tactics.
What is the biggest challenge preventing companies from getting serious about mobile marketing?
One of the great benefits of mobile marketing is that it can actually make your other marketing initiatives more effective. Linking it to social is a key benefit. Keeping up with all that is happening and developing in this area can be daunting and confusing.
The mobile industry has tended to think and talk in terms that mobile is different and needs to stand alone as an approach to marketing. Referring to mobile marketing as different and stand-alone means it just gets placed further down the priority list for businesses, especial for small businesses and agencies who tend to find themselves juggling several activities at once. The good news is that mobile is not different nor is it difficult, you just need to think it through to see effective results.
Are there any steps that you feel are particularly helpful in overcoming this challenge?
Knowledge is key and an understanding of what role mobile can play within your company. This will require a clear strategy that can be taken in small steps, quick wins, gaining confidence in what mobile can deliver.
To my mind, and research studies supports this, there is no doubt that a connection exists between what happens digitally before, during, and after a shopping experience.
In a recent report by Deloitte, digital channels accounted for some 33 percent of influence of in-store retail sales within the UK, equivalent to almost £100bn in 2014. The influence of mobile on in-store purchases increased rapidly by the uptake of customers to nearly four times for the same period and it now accounts for over half of digitally influenced sale.
To take advantage of this rather than trying to deliver the whole nine yards experience just focus on what you can do well and test and learn to start with and build on this over time.
What’s your top tip for businesses looking to implement a mobile marketing strategy on a small budget?
The biggest step any small business or agency can take is to think of mobile as an enabler, fully integrated and supporting the other digital channels to purchase.
Mobile is about making your customers’ lives easier and establishing how you can support them at the key mobile moments in their customer journey. For this, you need to start thinking about what role mobile has within your business, whether you are a B2B or B2C.
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