In a technology-driven world, engaging your customers through the mobile world of smartphones, tablets, and even computers is more important than ever. In fact, this new, mobile realm is a lifestyle, not just a device, and, as such, it creates new contexts that demand new solutions. Here are five ways you can help your business cross over into the realm of mobility.
Understand the Mobile World
The first step to helping your business serve customers through mobile solutions is to understand the vastness of the mobile world. For example, by the end of 2011, it was reported there were around 4.5 billion mobile subscribers in the developing world, and this number is estimated to reach 6.9 billion by the end of 2013. Additionally, tablet sales hit 122.3 million shipments last year alone, and are estimated to reach 172.4 million units in 2013. The more of these users you can appeal to, the more likely your business is to thrive.
Consider Your Customers
While you may not immediately know how “mobile” your customers are, just think about how many people access their email on their mobile devices and use those devices to perform web searches. In fact, research indicates that 1.1 billion people used some form of mobile web in 2011, which represents 16 percent of the global population. By the end of 2018, the Ericsson Mobility Report suggests that global mobile broadband subscriptions will reach 6.5 billion users. When determining how best to appeal to your customers, it’s important to consider their underlying and unmet mobile needs.
Create a Mobile Strategy
The next step in the process of going mobile with your business is to create a successful mobile strategy. Some things to consider during this process are whether you want to
- Maximize customer awareness of your brand
- Make your company website more mobile-friendly and subsequently drive more traffic to it
- Improve customer experience by developing apps for certain services you provide
Keep in mind that you can choose to pursue just one or all of these depending on how much you want to engage mobile customers.
Consider the Importance of Mobile Commerce
More and more people are starting to prefer buying things online with their smartphones and tablets. It’s easy, quick, effective, and it doesn’t require one to find a computer to make an online transaction. That’s why making your mobile site or apps commerce-friendly is essential if you want to stay ahead of the curve in terms of competition.
Consider Your Mobile Metrics
Ultimately, the best way to truly determine whether your mobile strategies are working is to consult your metrics. These could include factors such as how many customers visit your mobile site daily or weekly, or how many download and use your app regularly. You could even send SMS surveys to your customers to find out how they think you’re doing in your efforts to be more mobile-user-friendly.
Your customers and potential customers are looking for you online, and they’re using their smartphones and tablets and other mobile devices to do it. Be sure your business is mobile-friendly so they can find you.
