It is no exaggeration that smart phones have changed the life as we know it, and as we get further into 2012, they keep getting smarter. So it’s not surprising that the trend of mobile marketing is becoming more and more important for business owners marketing franchises.
According to a recent report by Covario, an independent search marketing agency, mobile search will be the main process by which digital advertising is served to consumers within the next ten years. Recent studies have shown that mobile marketing efforts pay off with customer retention and interaction. So, let’s take a look at what mobile marketing means for franchise development companies and what trends and strategies you need to be savvy on to make the most of the mobile marketing landscape.
Mobile devices allow for many new mediums for marketing franchises. Most notably, these are QR Codes, SMS (Texting), fragmentation and personalization of search.
QR Codes
Ever wondered what that strange looking square barcode is that keeps popping up on more and more billboards, signs, and ads? These Quick Response codes can be scanned with a smartphone to link to content on the web. It’s a quick way to send people to your site without them ever having to type in a web address, or even know the web address. If you advertise in print or media, a QR Code is definitely worth having. There is huge potential here – these codes allow for tracking and measuring how well your marketing efforts are working.
Texting
Text Message Marketing is tricky. The last thing you want is to turn off the consumer with invasion of their personal space. However, if done right, it can be hugely valuable – people are more likely to open text messages than emails, according to certain findings – the open rate is 98%. There are ways to implement marketing efforts via text that consumers will respond to. You must, must, must choose a legitimate service that allows people to opt out. Send short, concise messages with incentives, and don’t send messages too often – this will annoy your customers.
Search Fragmentation and Personalization
Search results are becoming fragmented depending on the device used – feature phones, smartphones, tablets, desktop – and results are projected to differ even more in 2012. This calls for sites to be designed an optimized with specific devices in mind. Searches are also becoming more automatically personalized with the introduction of Google+, which takes into account a user’s network and personal information when they are logged in. Read more about what that means for SEO here.
Don’t underestimate the importance of mobile marketing! Mobile devices are not going anywhere – in fact they are becoming more and more prevalent. Don’t get left behind!
