The Mobile Movement

Remember the Dynatac? 1983, Zack Morris...well mobile phones have come a long way and it has serious ramifications for business. Smarter phones means smarter shoppers. 

Here are three ways mobile has changed the way people buy:

1. New ways to shop: QR codes, mobile aps and mobile websites means consumers have been given a whole new way to buy. Whether its one click purchasing via Amazon, a mobile store or adding an item to a shopping cart via QR code people can purchase in whole new ways.

2. Information gathering: Whether its through social networks, reading reviews, price comparisons, loyalty points, online chats, mobile coupons, text promotions, group deals or check ins people gather information on the fly and in real time. More than once have I delayed or changed my mind about a purchase due to a review I read on my mobile phone while standing in the store, product in hand.

3. Payment options: Payments can be collected online, via a mobile credit card or using a phone number or text. It's about convenience. Mobile options empower people to pay.

These are just some of the ways mobile is impacting commerce. More and more people are shopping online, mobile websites are becoming more common by the day, whole new industries are rising up around mobile marketing and shopping is becoming more informed and social. 

What does this mean for business owners? That depends. Certainly mobile is changing things and different industries require different levels of adoption. At the very least you should recognize that people are now experiencing your website via a mobile device. If your current site isn't mobile friendly then its time to design something that people can read on a mobile screen and which has clearly visible contact and location information. Adding features such as a mobile catalog and mobile coupons can come later.

Online Advertising, what's happening now?

Web based advertising is big...and changing. Remember the days when the flashy annoying pop up ad's were everywhere. Thankfully those seem less prevalent and advertisers have better options these days.

So what's happening now with online advertising?

1. Eureka!!! Social advertising isn't about "likes", it's about content worthy of being shared. People share ideas, not brands. Create content worth something.

2. Be sniper accurate with targeting. The internet is nothing more than data. All that data means you can really target your audience. Facebook ad's can be used to target folks by age, geographic location etc. You can search Twitter by hash tags to pick up on interesting conversations to take part in. Google Adwords can be honed down to very specific terms if you are willing to put in the time on research and running "split test's". Speak to your niche with accuracy, they are the one's who buy into and share your ideas with others.

3. As I said, the internet is data. That means you can actually measure ROI. If you aren't using analytics (Google and others) then you really have very little idea about how well your online advertising dollars are working.

4. Be BOLD! No-one shares stuff that is boring. Say what you really think. "Like us" is a weak call to action. Why?? Are you interesting? Do you have new ideas? In a world where viral and organic traffic can create an overnight sensation to the bold go the spoils. No one likes boring. Say something new, interesting, candid. Of course there is a difference between speaking your mind and sounding insane. When writing and conversing via social media just write like you would talk, let your mind empty itself out a bit, but don't turn off your filter. A person is always more interesting than a stuffy news release. In social media people talk to people not brands.

What in the world do we do with Social Media?

Arguably it all began in 2004, the year blogging caught the attention of the world. Fast forward just 7 years and whole industries have popped up around it and the world has completely changed because of it. A generation of people will be defined by it and business are still trying to figure out what to do with it. So what do we do with it?

While social media (Facebook, Twitter etc.) has been around for a half decade or so, business, particularly small businesses haven't figured out what to do with it. Sure, its simple to set up a Facebook or Twitter account but what does it mean to actually use it the right way?

That answer is easy, social media is social! That's it. It's not about broadcasting and advertising it's about conversing. It's about engaging and responding. Its about inbound marketing and attracting attention because of value not because of an image or brochures. People want valuable content, provide it and you will get followers who hopefully turn into customers.

Can you ignore social media? Well, there is a lot of debate about that these days. Some "experts" are saying it only works for some types of businesses, others say you can't afford to ignore it. The truth is ignoring it is still an option for now, but it isn't going away. More and more people sign onto social media every day and the search engines are making it a bigger part of their search criteria all the time. Eventually asking "should you be using social media?" will be like asking "Should you have a website?" or "Do you want to be found on Google?".

Ignore it for now at your own risk, ignore it in 5 years at the expense of your livelihood. More on how to use social media in a future post, for now go be social.