Is mobile part of your marketing strategy? If not, here’s food for thought. A recent survey from Web.com of 500 small businesses indicated that of the 14 percent of you that have a standalone mobile website, 84 percent experienced an increase in new business among smartphone users, whose numbers are growing dramatically. According to comScore, there’s been a 47 percent increase in smartphone users (106.7 million or 45.6% of U.S. mobile population) between March 2011 and March 2012. Of these users, Web.com says ‘mobile consumers are seamlessly searching, processing and making a purchase decision via smartphone devices.”
Besides the 14 percent of you that have a standalone mobile site – the content and layout are designed specifically for mobile purposes – another 26 percent have a mobile-friendly website. That means, the layout and content of your mobile site are the same as your standard site but adjusted to a smartphone screen.
While 60 percent of you have yet to make the move to mobile, the next five years should see a change. Over 69 percent of you agreed that mobile marketing is key to your growth and indicated that you will consider increasing your mobile spend this year. You see mobile marketing as the way to provide better service to existing customers (38 percent), attract more customers (36 percent) and gain a competitive advantage (34 percent).
With all the hats you wear, it can be difficult to initiate new marketing strategies. The survey revealed that 64 percent of you are your own one-person marketing team. Fortunately, there’s help. A number of efficient emerging technologies – cloud computing, virtual PBX, unified communications, video conferencing and more – can increase your productivity. Find out how the “Big Trends for Small Business” can free up your time and resources to spend on marketing and new business.