Small business owners have a lot on their plates, from creating amazing products to developing a strong team. But one of their most important priorities is creating a strong marketing strategy. 

Mobile marketing is one such strategy. While all businesses can benefit from an increased mobile presence, mobile marketing for small businesses is especially fruitful. 

Read on to learn why small businesses benefit from mobile marketing and how to get the most out of this powerful marketing strategy. 

What is mobile marketing? 

Before we get into the nuances of this strategy, let’s first get a working definition of mobile marketing.

At its core, mobile marketing is any marketing that’s designed with mobile devices in mind. This can include text message (SMS) marketing but may also include email campaigns and others tailored for mobile use. 

Traditional marketing techniques, including newspaper, TV, and radio ads, broadcast out to a broad audience, while mobile marketing allows for targeted, personalized communications with customers. For example, both SMS and email marketing are only sent to those who have indicated that they want to hear from you. These individuals are already engaged with your company and are the most likely to convert. 

Why is mobile marketing important for a small business? 

There are various reasons why small businesses, in particular, benefit from a strong mobile marketing strategy. Mobile marketing tends to be budget-friendly, and it can help your business reach your audience more effectively while focusing on the customers closest to you. 

Create strong marketing campaigns on a budget

We recommend mobile marketing for small businesses since you can create creative, enticing, and effective marketing campaigns on a budget when advertising with a mobile audience in mind. 

Paying for traditional advertisements, like television commercials, can cost your company thousands of dollars. And that’s not even considering the cost of creating the materials in the first place. A compelling TV commercial requires scriptwriting, videographers, and maybe even costume designers. 

Sending a text message or email, on the other hand, can be done for next to nothing. And, when creating and sending an email or text message to your customers, everything can be done by your in-house marketing team. 

Reach your target audience with ease

There’s a key rule in marketing: market in a location your audience is already going to regularly. And since roughly 80% of people in the world own a smartphone, mobile marketing is a smart choice for reaching almost every target audience your business may be trying to reach. 

Current studies predict that, by the year 2025, 72% of internet users will solely access the internet via mobile devices. By getting comfortable with mobile marketing for small businesses now, you not only improve audience accessibility but also set your business up for future success.

Improve location-based marketing

Mobile users often search for “XYZ business near me.” By optimizing your website with mobile users and local traffic in mind — like setting up a Google Business Profile — you increase your odds of showing up in local search results. This increases local organic traffic and boosts the likelihood that your target audience will see your business when in need of your products or services.

The top mobile marketing strategies for small businesses

Understanding how to implement mobile marketing for small businesses can take some work. There are numerous options for making mobile marketing work for your brand. 

Let’s take a look at some of the top mobile marketing strategies, as well as a few mobile marketing examples, to learn how they can work for your small business.

Improve all marketing with mobile users in mind

One of the first steps you should take is to optimize your online presence with mobile users in mind. Get to know the difference between mobile-friendly vs. mobile-responsive website design. Then, switch to a mobile-responsive website or develop an app for mobile users instead of a website.

Another way to make content more mobile-friendly is to opt for short lines of text. Using headings and subheadings in written content or GIFs in emails can make it easier for mobile users to scan through your content without being intimidated by walls of text. 

You can also make social media content more targeted toward mobile users. Think about focusing each post on one core message with one targeted call to action (CTA). Mobile users are scrolling quickly through information. So, if you want them to notice your social media posts, you need to make your posts eye-catching and scannable and include a clear CTA. Otherwise, mobile users are likely to just keep scrolling. 

Implement voice search optimization

Many mobile users choose voice-to-text options to search. For example, Apple users might say, “Hey, Siri, what plumbers are near me?” 

Voice search optimization makes it easier for voice recognition software to find your business when looking for answers to these kinds of queries. Just as mobile optimization is different from search engine optimization, voice search optimization has its own set of best practices that you should be aware of. 

Voice search optimization is distinct because it focuses on long-tail keywords. Users might only type a few words into a Google search engine — for example, “SEO best practices” — but when talking, they tend to use long phrases and sentences. “SEO best practices” turns into “How do I improve my site’s SEO?” 

In fact, since voice search has become more common, the use of questions in search engines is on the rise. Searches with question words (like “who” or “how”) have risen 61% year after year

When you understand how people search with voice-to-text, it becomes clear that targeting these long-tail keywords is key to voice search optimization. 

One way to do this is to include more FAQs on your website. You can also target FAQs specifically to different products or categories on your website. 

Another way to optimize for voice searches is to take on a more conversational tone, rather than a professional one, with your content. After all, searches don’t use words like “utilize.” You can use tools like Grammarly or the Hemmingway Editor to double-check your content’s readability and tone. 

Finally, be sure to use local keywords, such as your hometown or state. Over half (52.8%) of people who use voice search do so while driving. Typically, these searches are targeted toward a specific, local need. Ensuring that your business shows up for these local queries can improve your organic local traffic based on voice searches. 

Run strong text message marketing campaigns

Text message marketing is one of the first things you might think of when you hear the term “mobile marketing” — and with good reason. Nearly 80% of text messages are opened and read within 15 minutes of being sent, making text message marketing faster and more reliable than most other marketing channels. 

Before you start a text message marketing campaign, get to know SMS marketing best practices. And search for mobile marketing examples online to see how other businesses have implemented these best practices effectively. 

Once you have a clear understanding of how to use text message marketing, set goals for your upcoming text message marketing campaign. For example, are you looking to promote a specific sale or increase the number of people subscribing to your email list?

SMART goals — goals that are specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time-constrained — can help you measure your successes and identify your struggles. Over time, this understanding can lead to continual improvements to your text message marketing game. 

Embrace multimedia marketing strategies

One of the best parts of mobile marketing for small businesses is that you can communicate with more than just your words. Pictures, gifs, emoticons, and videos are all valid communication strategies that your brand can use to nurture genuine connections with your customers. 

One example of this is video email marketing. While your small business may not have the budget for the type of high-end videographer you’d need to pull off a Super Bowl ad, creating video content for mobile consumption is a more low-stakes investment, and it can pay dividends. 

Studies show that 54% of internet users want more video content from businesses they support. And 84% of customers admit that promotional videos have convinced them to buy a product. By embracing video marketing, you can connect with your audience in a new and immersive way. 

Another way to embrace multimedia marketing is to use more images in emails, blog content, and social media. Current research suggests that infographics and illustrations rally the most engagement for visual content. Plus, articles with images every 75 to 100 words are 200% more likely to be shared than articles with fewer visuals. 

example of mobile marketing for small businesses via Facebook
Volkswagen is a brand that has embraced the power of visual content creation. Their Facebook page is filled with engagement-driving images and video content.

But despite the effectiveness of visual content creation, only 38% of marketers feel like they can consistently create high-quality visuals. One way to combat this obstacle is to get in the habit of taking pictures more frequently, especially when you attend events.

Candid photos are a great way to tell a visual story, even when the photos are taken by amateur photographers. You might also consider investing in a relationship with a freelance artist, photographer, or videographer so you can produce original visual content on a regular basis.

Personalize your marketing

Mobile devices can be a great tool for you to gather more data about your customers. That data, in turn, can be used to personalize your marketing efforts. 

Knowing how to personalize marketing is important, not just because it can help you tailor your ads to the right people but because it matters to your customers. In fact, 71% of customers feel actively frustrated when their shopping experience feels impersonal. 

One way to personalize your mobile marketing efforts is to employ email list segmentation so that customers only receive emails that are relevant to them. You can segment email lists on several factors, including where your users live, their gender, and their activity on your website. 

With segmentation, you can increase click-through rates on emails as your readers find them to be relevant. Seventy-one percent of customers agree that a personalized experience would impact their decision about whether or not to open emails from a brand. 

You can also make shopping recommendations to customers based on their browsing history. Providing recommendations increases the chances that your customers will decide to make impulse purchases. And 91% of customers are more likely to shop with brands that offer recommendations. 

Keep mobile campaigns concise

When you’re sending text messages to your customers, concision is key. Standard text messages allow for 160 characters. Anything longer than that may produce split messages on certain mobile devices. This can leave your message looking disjointed and confusing, which isn’t what you’re going for. 

Shorter text messages are also more likely to be read in full. After all, the human attention span lasts an average of 8.25 seconds — and research suggests that the attention span is shrinking over time. One theory is that reliance on short-form messages, like texts, has made humans more impatient. By keeping your mobile campaigns short, sweet, and to the point, you improve the odds that your target audience will actually get the point.

Consider podcasting

Depending on your business, creating a podcast could be a creative way to generate buzz around your company while positioning yourself as a thought leader in your industry. 

Having an interesting podcast can be a great way to nurture leads since podcast listeners can casually listen on their mobile devices throughout the day. While driving, cleaning the house, or working, your target audience could also be building brand recognition and trust with your company. An impressive 26% of people in the U.S. over age 12 listen to podcasts at least once a week. With a good podcast concept, you can quickly become a household name. 

example of finding new and inventive ways to use mobile marketing
Mcdonald’s provides an interesting example of a business podcast idea. They created the podcast “The Sauce” as a way to address a PR mistake. Image source:  TuneIn.com.

Experience the power of TikTok

TikTok for small businesses can be a great way to generate video content without paying for a videographer. That’s because TikTok is built around the idea of casual, short-form video content creation. You don’t have to be a model or an expert with a camera to create video content that gets traction. 

TikTok is a great avenue for mobile marketing for small businesses since you can create TikTok videos from anywhere at any time. If you delve into mobile marketing statistics, you’ll find that TikTok users spent $2.3 billion on the app in 2021 and that spending amount is growing year by year. 

TikTok can also increase the recognition of your small business. If users find your content engaging or funny, they may be more interested in learning about your business. 

Project Home Again is a great example of how simple videos can generate a lot of views. This small non-profit based in Massachusetts amassed thousands of followers with simple videos of one woman pulling together donations for people in need.

Embrace mobile marketing for small businesses

Not all mobile marketing techniques are right for every business. Some businesses may thrive on text message campaigns, while others will find podcasts to be more their speed. 

The great thing about mobile marketing is its versatility; it can be tailored to any business’s marketing strategy. By better understanding the variety of tools at your disposal and tailoring all of your marketing techniques with a mobile audience in mind, you can get the most out of this powerful marketing technique. 

Get started today by taking steps to optimize your website for mobile use. Then, choose one other strategy to implement, whether it’s setting up a mobile-optimized email sequence or establishing a TikTok account for your business. Find a strategy that speaks to you and fits into your schedule. 

When you implement techniques one step at a time, you can master mobile marketing strategies and determine how to best fit different marketing techniques into your schedule.