Small Business Marketing Trends for 2012: Video Blog, Part 3

For the third and final part in our video series on “SoLoMo” (social, local, and mobile marketing), we’ll examine the mobile part of this important small business marketing trend. As we discussed in the previous posts, it’s important to view each of these three components as part of an integrated marketing effort.

In case you missed the first two posts, here they are: the first spotlights the social media piece, and the second delves into local portion.

Now, in the video below, technology expert and pbSmart Essentials contributor Phil Simon highlights some key statistics about our mobile usage. The bottom line is that we’re all becoming very comfortable using our phones for much more than talking. Mobile sites, apps, and advertising are all on the rise. And there are simple ways for small businesses to start mobile marketing, while syncing it up with their social and local marketing pieces.

As you start to think about how to tailor your marketing to take advantage of the “SoLoMo” trend, ask yourself a couple of questions:

1. Is my business anchored by my location? For instance, do you run a restaurant, hair salon, or other business that requires customers to visit your brick-and-mortar location? If so, consider rewarding people for their location visits. Maybe tweet a special deal solely for your Twitter followers. You could also create your own group coupon to promote via Facebook, or use a location-based app to award points.
2. If location isn’t a determining factor in how you do business, what can you offer via the mobile channel? If your business doesn’t require customers to physically visit you, there are other ways to engage people via their smartphones. QR codes are a quick and easy way to join the mobile marketing arena for small businesses. You could print posters featuring your QR code, and offer people a free high-value download or coupon in exchange for their contact info.

What Next?

If you’re interested in using QR codes for mobile marketing, click to read more articles on the topic.