Mobile Website Design and Mobile Marketing for Small Businesses

Over the last year, many brands focused on reaching as many people as possible by blasting them with content through multiple channels. Unfortunately, this strategy isn’t going to work in 2015 as more businesses shift their focus to mobile marketing.

Mobile marketing is growing rapidly in 2015. In fact, according to a new report, it’s expected that mobile marketing will increase by 52 percent or reach $400 billion in 2015. Small businesses that establish mobile marketing budgets will experience more success reaching their customers in 2015.

Mobile marketing is effective for small businesses because it allows customers to have an experience with their favorite store. By focusing on mobile marketing and mobile design, small businesses will be able to develop more personal relationships with their customers. As you continue to plan your marketing strategy for the upcoming year, here are five mobile marketing trends you should be aware of in 2015:

1. Create a mobile website.

If you don’t have a mobile website already, 2015 will be the year you make your website mobile-friendly for your customers. According to Exact Target’s 2014 Mobile Behavior Report, more than half of mobile users want to be able to view information about a business by reading its mobile website.

As you create your mobile website in 2015, make sure it’s filled with adequate information about your business, products, and services. Consumers want to be able to access information such as store locations, product information and prices, and content from their mobile devices.

Are your website developed in WordPress? This topic may help you: 5 Top WordPress Plugins to Get You a Mobile Compatible Website.

2. Focus on local mobile marketing.

Without a doubt, 2015 will be the year of local SEO. Small businesses need to focus on reaching their target customer through local mobile marketing in order to increase traffic to their stores.

There are a number of ways small businesses can emphasize local mobile marketing. For example, you could encourage customers to check into your store via their mobile device upon entering. You could also send mobile promotions or coupons directly to customers.

3. Build relationships through content.

Consumers are reading, watching, and sharing content from their mobile devices more than ever. As they consume content, they want to build an authentic relationship with brands. This is why it’s important for small businesses to create content their target customer will interact with on-the-go.

Also revealed in the Mobile Behavior Report, nine out of 10 mobile users want to be able to access content in any form. As you develop your content marketing strategy for 2015, be sure to think about videos, photos, and articles you can share online. By creating a variety of content for your target audience, you’ll be able to create more relationships with them.

4. Prepare for mobile payment.

Over the last year, tech giants such as Apple and Google launched their first mobile payment systems. Although these technologies are relatively new, businesses can expect most of their customers to utilize this form of payment in 2015. Small businesses who adopt mobile payment systems in 2015 will attract more customers and improve their overall customer experience.

5. Focus more on social media.

Finally, small businesses need to focus more on organic social media as well as social media advertising. Social media is no longer a tool for simply blasting content at your target customers; small businesses need to build relationships with customers through their social media channels.

In 2015, it’s important for small businesses to use social media as a way to create an experience with customers. Whether it’s using social media for customer service or to inform customers about upcoming promotions and news, small businesses need to focus more on their social media strategy to keep conversations going with their customers wherever they go.

Mobile website design and mobile marketing will heavily impact small businesses throughout the upcoming year. If you’re able to keep up with these trends now, you’ll experience more success for your business in 2015.

To know more about mobile marketing you can visit the wiki page.

This article is written by Megan Marie Ritter. Megan is a student at USC who is currently studying Marketing. When she's not study she is active on social media and researching internet marketing trends.