The elections are over and the holidays has passed. Now is a great time to take a quick breath, reflect on the past year and make plans for 2013. Was 2012 a year of change for your business?
Many of our newest clients shared their frustrations with me about how much things are changing. And how fast. The way you market must change, as well.
Just recently, I was a featured speaker at an event in Baltimore. As I was explaining the three places you must be found to get new customers, one of the attendees in the audience started getting very upset. 
Then, in front of several hundred people, he stood up and started screaming at me.
The good news was that he wasn’t mad at me. He was actually mad at himself. His business was down from the year prior and he was still spending $20,000 a month with the Yellow Pages.
What used to work plainly – at least for this gentleman – doesn’t always work anymore. His business? He runs a tow truck company – once a darling for such phone books.
The days of simply putting out a sign or having a coupon in the paper are gone. Even the Yellow Pages and similar phone books are now online and have gone mobile. The truth is that whether we like it or not, the world is going mobile.
The use of mobile phones for Internet search has grown much faster than anyone expected. The Mobile Marketing Association predicted that by the end of 2013, there will be more searches on mobile devices than on traditional computers.
Based on how fast mobile marketing has grown in just the past six months, I personally think it will be sooner than that.
Consider this: According to recent statistics from Google, nearly 60% of all searches regarding a particular business come from a mobile device.
So Much Confusion
The good news/bad news in these statistics is that people searching for your business on a mobile device are generally NOT shopping, but they are looking to make a purchase. They are interested in something you are selling but aren’t necessarily sold on you as the resource.
Here are some interesting numbers from a survey recently published by Google, based on its research of consumer behaviors on mobile devices.
The question I often am asked is: Do I need a mobile website or a mobile app?
The correct answer is both. However, let me make some clear distinctions for you. A mobile website is what should appear on the screen of a smartphone or tablet when someone is looking for your product or services.
If they come to your website and it is not mobile-optimized, there is a very good chance – better than average – that you will lose them as a potential customer. Testing and statistics clearly show that those conducting a mobile search will not take the time to thumb around a standard website; something designed to look great on a 15-inch laptop screen doesn’t work well on a 4-inch smartphone screen.
Simple and elegant is the rule. You want to ensure that your business is easy to connect to with a “click to call” button, as well as maps that can integrate with any navigation system consumers may have on their mobile devices. Google’s latest Maps is a great option.
There are other features important to an effective mobile website, but the major issue with mobile websites is that too much information is a negative. Your mobile website must be easy to look at, easy to navigate and easy to make a connection.
Mobile websites are primarily for attracting new customers. Apps for mobile devices are designed to keep customers by making it handy to maintain a relationship.
There are many ways to raise revenue in your business. Making new sales is always an easy answer, but the best way to increase revenue is by bringing current customers back for more services. That’s where a mobile app can be beneficial.
With a mobile app, your customers will have your business at their fingertips 24/7. Best of all, they agreed to have your mobile app on their mobile devices.
Your customers will have your logo (branding) on their mobile devices, as well as your hours of business, locations, phone numbers, services, coupons for downloading, even a way to schedule service appointments. They also will be able to receive text messages from you.
The easiest customer to sell your products or services to is your existing customer who already knows, likes and trusts you.
The bottom line is that most businesses will benefit from both a mobile website and a mobile app. However, it is a priority to first focus on a mobile website.
Once that is in place, you should then consider adding a customized mobile app to your marketing toolbox.
Brian Sacks is a mobile marketing expert with more than 26 years of direct response marketing experience. He is co-founder of Trackable Response Inc., a mobile marketing provider to the tire and auto service industries, based in Catonsville, Md. Brian can be reached at [email protected] or 410-747-1100.
