Dalno Digital Marketing: Using location-based mobile marketing services to reach a local audience

Friday, March 3, 2017

Using location-based mobile marketing services to reach a local audience

If you have ever turned to your smartphone to help you find a good restaurant in an unfamiliar neighborhood, then you have used location-based services. This kind of mobile marketing allows business owners to target local consumers with hopes of welcoming them into nearby establishments—and the system is less complicated than you might think.

While large companies with mobile apps have the most options at their disposal, every small business owner has the opportunity to reach a bigger audience with location services. Here are some ways you can get more local business by managing your company's online content.

Target local customers

As soon as people perform Google or Yelp searches for local restaurants or bars, the information battle begins. Companies with informative websites and positive reviews immediately catch consumers' eyes. Before worrying about sophisticated marketing efforts, make sure the basic Web content related to your establishment is in order on search engines as well as on your company's website.

Posting hours of operation, nearby parking options, public transportation directions, fast-loading menus, and mobile-friendly pages will make you stand out from the crowd. Consumers standing on a corner looking at their phones are not the pickiest individuals you might encounter in a day of business. To give your operation the best possible shot, make it easy on them with a user-friendly website and social content. Test your efforts by placing yourself in the shoes of a passing consumer to understand the impression people get. The basics do not require large marketing budgets.

Encouraging reviews and returns

The simplest mobile marketing you can do is ask satisfied customers for a review of your business on Yelp—and offer an incentive for those who follow through. Establishments with overwhelmingly positive reviews on Yelp and other mobile sites are proven to field more business than those with few reviews or (worst of all) bad reviews. Offering a coupon for customers who leave reviews gives you the opportunity for repeat business and a better reputation online. Be careful not to ask customers specifically for positive reviews as that is against Yelp policy.

More advanced marketing campaigns involve the use of "beacons," or sensors that detect a customer who has downloaded a company's mobile app upon entering the store. When the beacon senses the consumer in the vicinity, it will offer a special deal in the store via a push notification on the spot. Clearly, there is no better time or place for a company to make its move. However, most businesses will have to rely on less sophisticated means to draw in crowds looking to spend money in the neighborhood.

Better mobile marketing

on your company's website using a smartphone. Any content you post on social pages and your company site should be ready for consumption on these smaller devices. Web content recognized by Google's search engine will put your location on the map. Click-to-call functions enable mobile users to talk to employees immediately. The benefits are available to dining and drinking establishments as well as retail shops.

From this perspective, everything you put online to inform the public about your business should be considered mobile marketing. Restaurant and food stand (or food truck) owners should time text and e-mail offers to coincide with meal times, while bar owners should think about happy hour and late-night offers. Facebook and Foursquare check-ins have become less popular in recent years, so consider alternative ways to find your customers on their mobile devices. In most cases, a good reputation will close the deal for a consumer who is on the fence.

Small business owners should consider the impact that successful mobile marketing strategies can have on sales and brand recognition. For a mobile-friendly website, turn to Two Minute Mobile for help. You can find deals on these mobile services now at The UPS Store.

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The Top 5 Marketing Tips

Mobile Accessibility and Optimization -More and more shoppers are turning to using mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets to research a product, compare deals, finding a retail outlet – and most importantly, make a purchase. As people become more tethered to their mobile devices, marketers are specifically looking to engage millennials in hopes of turning them into lifetime customers.Almost three-quarters of millennials admit to never being without their phones and at the same time, this digital generation is expecting a lot more engagement from their brands. In 2016, mobile marketing is predicted to surpass $100 billion in spending and account for more than 50% of all digital spending for the first time, according to eMarketer. In fact, there are some predictions being made saying that mobile will completely overtake desktop next year. So, get with the program or get left behind.
A Refined Social Media Presence -As I’ve said before, having a constant social media presence is vital to the survival of your business. I don’t think I know of any company or small business without a social media presence – and in 2015/2016, not having it means you’re probably out of business by now. The simplicity of building a Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn presence can sometimes give brands a false sense of security and confidence. Companies need to always keep in mind that social media shouldn’t be used for self-promotion but rather as a way to engage users and build brand trust.
Content Is Still King -While more brands are resorting to visuals to get customers engaged, content is still where is at. Developing quality content should be seen as a priority for any company, regardless of industry. Content marketing provides information to current (and potential) customers in order to build trust, develop the brand and ensure your brand is considered an expert in a specific subject matter. Content will continue to reign as the most-often used way to connect with consumers as they look for more, better, and faster. Quality content generation also gives a bit of a boost in search engine ranking, but content’s main power lies on the effect it has on the perception of your brand. According to a Content Marketing Institute survey, 80% of business decision-makers prefer to get company information through a series of articles, compared to an ad. Seventy-eight percent of consumers believe that organizations providing customized content are building better relationships with them, while 58% of consumers consider companies that produce video content to be more trustworthy.
Improve Your SEO - SEO, Search Engine Optimization, is a game-changing tool for marketers. Prioritizing visual content on your website adds the benefit of building your SEO ranking. Visuals such as pictures, infographics and video are much more engaging than any plain text and therefore make a search more relevant to any consumer. Pictures are worth a thousand words, but video can be “worth 1.8 million words,” according to a Forrester study.Engaging visuals can also increase the chances users will “linger” on your page longer, but you must supplement your page with optimized descriptions, alt tags and targeted keywords – all imperative in having an effective SEO strategy. Think about it this way, most people won’t get past the first page when they conduct their search; therefore, if you’re not on ‘page one,’ you might as well be invisible. Don’t be invisible!
Brands Must Get Personal -Social media, new mobile technology and other types of digital communication have made us a big, online community with an explosion of online interaction. Yet, while we are being more social, we are still a bit apprehensive about giving our information away. So what’s a brand to do? Get personal! According to the Direct Marketing Association, 76% of consumers will share personal information with a brand if they believe it will improve their experience and interaction. By collecting key data from consumers, such as past customer purchases, newsletter sign-ups, discount offers and social media, companies are able to build profiles offering targeted content and incentives to purchase.