Two-thirds of small businesses are on board, proving that mobile marketing is no longer the sole domain of major brands like Subway, Google, and Target. Given the growing interest in mobile marketing among small businesses, it seems worthwhile to take a deeper look at the survey results.
So, how exactly are small businesses using mobile technology?
More than 70 percent of small businesses are using mobile for social media marketing and email marketing — think Facebook updates and email newsletters that can be viewed on smartphones or tablets.
Forty-four percent are conducting mobile advertising through social platforms.
When asked what types of mobile/social advertising they use, 97 percent of respondents said they use social media platforms like YouTube, Pinterest, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Location-based promotions (Foursquare check-in, etc.) came in a distant second at 17 percent and text messages came in third at 15 percent.
Another interesting survey tidbit — small business owners are big Apple fans. iPhone users trump Android users 66 percent to 39 percent. Sounds like Apple’s carved out a good small business niche given that among the general population, Android subscribers account for more than half of all subscribers while iOS subscribers account for just 38 percent.
By now you’ve probably heard the ubiquitous stat that claims there are more mobile phones than toothbrushes on the planet, so it’s great to see small businesses taking advantage of mobile marketing. And why not? It’s a fast and direct way to reach customers and mobile advertising can be very cost-effective. There’s no denying our mobile-optimized world and it’s not going away, especially when you consider some analysts are predicting that mobile searches will surpass desktop searches this year.
Of course, there’s always the flip side of the coin and that leads us to the 34 percent of small businesses who’ve not yet boarded the mobile train.
Why not? A lack of customer demand?
Fifty-six percent say their customers haven’t expressed a demand for mobile communications and 47 percent say their customers haven’t expressed a demand for mobile payment solutions. More than a few respondents even said things like, “I have no idea how this stuff works.” The problem with this wait-and-see approach is that you may miss some prime marketing opportunities. Not convinced? Consider the fact that 42% of emails are opened on mobile devices and 1 in 5 internet users don’t use a computer. Mobile is a way of life and smart small business marketers need to climb aboard before this train leaves the station.
And now, a question for you: Are you using mobile to market your business and if so, how?
