How To Use Text Messaging to Successfully Promote Your Brick & Mortar Business

Fifteen years ago who would have thought that we would be talking about text messaging as a basic part of marketing campaigns? Well, today text messages are the most common way people communicate. If you are not using text messaging you are missing out on a golden opportunity to talk to your customers. How do you go about setting up a text message sales campaign? You will find that the process is not difficult. Thousands of business owners have implemented text campaigns and found they work extremely well. Here are a few simple suggestions to get your text message marketing campaign off to a great start. 



As with any marketing campaign, you need to sit down and do some planning. What is the goal of this campaign? What steps do you need to take to achieve the goal? How long will it take you to get there? These are basic questions to be sure --- but they will help you stay on track when you're planning the details of your campaign. 



When it comes to text message campaigns, you first need subscribers. Without people to send texts to, you have no campaign. Naturally you want as many subscribers as you can --- and you have to get their cell phone numbers, too. That may sound simple. Right? The trouble is, many people do not like to give out their phone numbers. They are afraid they'll start getting sales calls. One way to get over this hurdle is to offer folks a reward for joining your campaign. You might offer a free product, a deeply discounted coupon, or even a book of coupons. 



Once you have established a list of subscribers you can get on to your next step. And that is to start sending out texts. It is important at this point not to send out blatant ads. Send texts that offer your subscribers a benefit they will be glad to receive. How about a closed store sale --- open to subscribers only? Or maybe you can open your shop an hour early just for subscribers. When you get in a special shipment of some item that is hot in demand, send a note to your list letting them know you are telling them first. Be cautious, however, not to send out too many texts. You don't want to be viewed as a spammer. One or two texts a week is about right. 



Each time you send out a text, encourage your subscribers to forward them to others. Try rewarding those who make referrals. This is a great way to expand your customer base. Make sure you offer a reward to your new subscribers, too. This is a very basic way to build a list but it works extremely well. 



You can really grow your business using text messages. The important thing is to use the privilege wisely not abuse it. Try a few of the suggestions we have outlined and you will quickly be using text messages to successfully promote your brick & mortar business.

How To Organize Your Local Business Website So That It Has Mobile-Friendly Information

 Nowadays, we live in a mobile world. More and more web traffic is being pushed through mobile devices, and therefore more and more of your customers are finding your website through their phones!



Whether you have a dedicated mobile version of your website or only one version for everyone, here are some 'mobile best practices' that you can use to make sure that all of your mobile traffic is getting the best experience possible.



1 - Make sure that the layout is clean and simple, coded to be clear on the widest range of mobile devices possible. One of the most difficult things about viewing complex websites on mobile devices is trying to get them to display correctly, or at least in a way that makes all of the information contained in the site available for reading on the mobile device. By ensuring that your website (or at least the mobile version of your website) employs a clean design, free of flash and overwhelming graphics, you ensure that the important part of the website - the information - is available to mobile users.



2 - Make sure that your phone number is prominently displayed, and has 'click to call' functionality. The main purpose of many of the mobile visits that your website receives will simply be to find a way to get in touch with you. Many mobile users will have a specific question about your establishment that goes beyond the basic information, such as your location or hours, that can be found right there on the site. By making sure that your phone number is easy to find and can be dialed with just one click, you make it easy for mobile users to get their questions answered - which naturally leads to them coming into the establishment and spending money there!



3 - Think about what kind of information someone searching for your business on a mobile device would want to know, and be sure that information is easy to find on your site. When people search on a mobile device, they are most often looking for information that will assist them in coming into the establishment - ie, directions, parking information, phone number, and hours of operation. By making sure they can get this information easily, you give yourself the best possible chance of having them come into your establishment!



4 - Offer special coupons or incentives to customers who find you on their phones. By making the customers who access your site with their mobile devices feel special, and by affording them special deals and privileges, you instill in them a feeling that you value their business. This will keep them accessing your site as often as possible, and coming in to your establishment as often as possible, as well.



By implementing these four simple mobile marketing strategies, you will ensure that you are able to build a large and loyal mobile customer following.

How To Grow Sales With Mobile Marketing

Some people are slightly intimidated by mobile marketing because they feel it is too technical and complex. However, the good news is that using mobile marketing for your business is quite easy to do once you get the hang of it.



When applying this type of marketing, there are only eight main tools that you need to learn about. These tools would be: mobile websites, mobile banner ads, SMS, mobile apps, mobile paid search, near field communications and 8, location-based marketing, and QR codes.



With the amount of potential customers that have mobile devices nowadays, not having a mobile site to market your business can cost you dearly. If you are a business who uses a web design firm or ad agency, they are probably already working on designing your mobile website. If you are a blogger or smaller business, there are many easy tips that you can read online to learn how to set up your mobile site.  



Google provides a special tool that allows you to test your mobile site. This tool will help to show you how your site will render on various operating systems. It will also provide tips on how you can improve on the functionality of your mobile site. This is very important because how your customers perceive your site can make a difference in potential sales.



Try to add a fun reward on your website. Giving your mobile website visitors something that is fun and engaging will help keep people returning, as well as encouraging them to share your site with others. Offering them a special mobile coupon or a mobile trivia game can do the trick.



Optimize your website using mobile specific keywords. Try to add in keywords that people will be using to search for your content. An example of this would be using location-based keywords, such as the name of a street if you are a restaurant or business that would have mobile customers driving to your door.



Learning how to generate a QR code for your business can be incredibly important. These codes can be used to engage your customers. Right now there are code generators online that you can use by just copying and pasting your URL into the code generator.



Use your QR code as much as you can. If you do mobile marketing webinars, put it into the presentation. Give the first person to scan the code some sort of prize. 



Create a QR code that has all your contact information. Put this code on your business card. This allows people who scan your card to have all your business contact information by providing them with a link to your website or blog.



If you want to be very creative, you can make a YouTube video greeting and link it to a QR code for your website. People will scan the code you provide and receive a video greeting that will ideally present with a special coupon or discount offer.



Growing your sales using mobile marketing does not have to be as intimidating as some would think. It is a great way to market your business, and to get your message out to your customers.