If there’s one aspect of marketing where small businesses need to focus their attention this year, it’s mobile. According to research cited on Mobile Marketing Engine, 70% of people searching on their mobile device connected with a business, and 66% of mobile searchers visited a business.
Mobile is everywhere, and it’s the primary way consumers from all walks of life are finding the businesses they need and want, and ultimately becoming customers of those companies.
With that being said, it can be somewhat intimidating for small, local businesses to take on mobile marketing, so starting with a simple yet valuable strategy is the best option.
Below are some of the critical goals you should set for your small business in 2017, and it pertains to mobile marketing.
Create a Complete Responsive Experience
There are so many reasons your website needs to be responsive. The first is fairly obvious. You want mobile users to be able to access your site from any device easily.
Responsive design is also important for search engine rankings. Google, as it becomes more and more focused on ensuring users get the best possible experience, is rewarding those sites that are responsive.
It’s essential that small businesses use 2018 as the year they work on their site design to make sure that it’s not just responsive, but that mobile users are getting the full and complete experience of their site.
You can visit the Google search console to find something called the “Mobile-Friendly Test.” All you do is enter your URL, and you can see how easy it is for a visitor to use your site on a mobile device.
Mobile SEO
When you’re creating an SEO and keyword strategy, you should be thinking about your mobile users. Having a truly responsive web design is a big part of that, but you should also do separate keyword research for your mobile marketing.
When you’re researching keywords for your mobile SEO strategy, you should think as a mobile user would.
You’re going to want to localize your SEO in many cases as well, because many times when consumers are looking for businesses on their mobile devices, it’s because they want to find them in their local area.
Mobile Social Media
As a small business, you’re probably already on social media, but some social apps are more conducive to mobile users than others, and you should make it a goal to build your presence on those in 2018.
One example is Instagram.
Instagram, unlike Facebook, is almost entirely for mobile use. Yes, users can access it on their desktop browser, but they’re more likely to do so on their smartphone, and it’s a good way to entice your potential customers directly on their phones visually.
Another mobile-driven social media app is Snapchat, so these are two areas where you’re going to want to put some attention this year.
2018 isn’t necessarily the year of the mobile user because it’s somewhere marketing has been focused in recent years as well, but it is the year when having a strong mobile marketing strategy is no longer optional for even very small businesses.