In Australia, we really love our mobile phones. So much so, in fact, that 72 per cent of Australians use their mobile phones to make purchases. And nearly half of us (48 per cent) make a purchase on our phones every single week. Whether it’s on our daily commute, during our lunch break or if we’re a few minutes early for a Sunday-morning coffee, many of our idle minutes can be filled scrolling through our mobile phones.
If you’re a small-business owner, thinking about your mobile strategy could be a very effective way to help reach more customers more often. Here are a few strategies you might want to put into place:
Make your website mobile-friendly
One of the first things to think about is whether your website is optimised for mobile screens. This means that your entire website works as effectively and looks as good on a mobile device as it does on a computer. Don’t overwhelm customers; keep your mobile website simple, sleek and user-friendly.
To test whether your website is optimised for mobile, navigate to your website on your smartphone and ask yourself how it looks and whether it’s compatible. If your desktop website is complex, make the important information easier to find on the mobile version. If your images are high resolution, consider compressing them so pages load faster. And if you have to zoom in to read the text, try using a bigger font, and be more succinct with your words.
Consider your social media presence
Social media can be a great way to engage your existing customers, and reach new ones. Considering 81 per cent of Australians access social media networks from their smartphone, it can be an extremely useful marketing tool if utilised effectively. For example, 80 per cent of Instagram users follow a business account. When you create a business account on Instagram, the platform provides real-time metrics and insights so you can see how followers are interacting with your content. Instagram also has a built-in ‘shop now’ function which can be linked directly back to your website online store. This could be a particularly useful option for consumer-facing businesses in industries such as lifestyle, fashion, and food.
SMS and email promotions
Most of us like offers and discounts but, let’s face it, we don’t all love cold calls. SMS and email marketing can help you to target your customers in a subtle, unobtrusive fashion that lets them read your correspondence at their convenience, without cold calling. Try not to bombard them, though. Only send an SMS or email when you can offer them something of value. A new blog post probably doesn’t warrant a message, but a discount on your product or service might. Offer them the option to opt out though, customers like to have options.
Advances in mobile technology are helping to raise the standards for what small businesses can achieve through their websites. And with 5G expected to be introduced in Australia soon, the power of our mobile networks is likely to increase further. So, to reach the growing number of customers who use their mobiles to shop and do business, committing to a mobile strategy could help your business thrive.
Tara Commerford, Vice President and Managing Director Australia & New Zealand, GoDaddy
