5 Reasons for Small Businesses to go Mobile

In a down economy, small businesses can’t afford to waste money on unproductive advertising. Keyword advertising can boast a hefty price tag, and cannot guarantee a worthwhile ROI. Mobile marketing applications provide a more powerful, accurate, and inexpensive platform to break through advertising noise, and acquire new customers.

1. “Innovate or Die”: Most small businesses realize that they have to stay ahead of the technological curve. Dave McClure of Businessweek writes, “Addictive User Experience (Design) and Scalable Distribution Methods (Marketing) are the most critical components of success…” The Android and iPhone platforms provide businesses a powerful marketing tool to achieve both without breaking the bank.
2. Find your customers: Whether it’s a so-called “Crackberry” or “iPhone drone” people’s attention is rarely focused on what’s around them – let alone what’s ahead! The problem has gotten to the point according to Fox News that “A London street is experimenting with padded lampposts to protect those not paying attention from banging into them.” Mobile applications allow businesses to venture into this new area of consumer focus, and capture their attention…hopefully avoiding injury at the same time. 
3. Non-intrusive: Nobody likes being annoyed by advertising, especially when you didn’t ask for it. Need proof? Just glance at the Android Marketplace comments section and see how many people have immediately uninstalled applications due to inter-app advertising irritation. On the other hand, creating incentives for the consumer as the application itself, gives the power and control back to the user. App users only receive businesses incentives when they open the application looking for value, greatly increasing the % of sales conversion.
4. Geolocation: The rise of GPS and geoloation technology gives businesses to ability to reach consumers on the go. Consumers are always looking for the best deals when they are out, and this provides them with an easy way to explore. Location-based mobile marketing through geolocation is a great way to drive in foot traffic by offering sales and exclusive deals to a given area.
5. Inexpensive: Search engine advertising can be a gamble. You can bid hundreds of dollars for keywords without assurance that users are going to click on your special offers, let alone convert into paying customers. Mobile application marketing is not only less expensive by comparison, but lets you differentiate from your competition so your message isn’t lost in the noise.