Many small business owners mistakenly believe that mobile marketing is for big business only. A few years ago that might have been true. But today, many small business owners are flocking to mobile marketing and seeing great results. These business owners are going beyond just having a mobile optimized website and sending the occasional text message. They are investing in in app advertising, mobile search, mobile video, and location based marketing. A lot of these mobile channels thought to be exclusive to large corporations are now being adopted by smaller businesses across the nation.

This year, half of all business owners plan on using mobile marketing. They are devoting on average 20% of their marketing budget on mobile. The truth is, mobile marketing isn’t just good for small business, it works best for small business. Most mobile searches are for local businesses. Here are five tips from the experts for getting stared with mobile marketing for your local business.

Go mobile yourself

If you’re to be successful with any mobile campaign, you need to be mobile yourself. If you don’t already have a smartphone, invest in one. If a lot of your work is done at a computer, a smartphone is a great way to free yourself of that. You can get online and do what you need to do no matter where you are. It also allows you to communicate with customers in a timely manner.

Invest in QR codes

QR codes aren’t quite as popular as SMS and social media advertising but they do work. If you’re unfamiliar with QR codes, think of them as short cuts to online content. Rather than having to go online and search for you, customers can scan a QR code to be automatically taken to a mobile optimized website or mobile video. Well placed QR codes are a great way to get customers interested in your small business.

Adjust content for mobile

One of the biggest mistakes small business owners make with mobile is thinking they can just take content designed for PC and make it work with mobile. The problem with this is that people interact differently with mobile than they do with PC. Mobile customers are typically not looking to browse. They want answers and they want them fast. They pull out their phones for very specific reasons. Your mobile content should be designed with that in mind. Think pictures and very small amounts of text if any. Simplicity and navigability should be your ultimate goal.

It’s not all about selling

In many business owners’ minds, if a marketing channel isn’t selling, it’s failing. That isn’t the case with mobile. Research suggests that customers are less likely to complete purchases on mobile devices than when they’re at a computer. However, having that strong mobile presence will undoubtedly lead to visits to your store and website and to purchases.

Use social media

If you use social media, you’re already halfway there. That’s because many people use social media exclusively with their mobile device. A great way to get into mobile marketing is to start integrating mobile with social.

Source: Fox Business