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With mobile apps getting more popular by the day, it’s important for you to know how to reach customers through their phones.
It doesn’t matter what type of business you are running, you'll have to leverage the fact that virtually everyone has a smartphone nowadays, and you can reach them through it. Read along for more on why and how.
Most people know that it is important to have an accessible website, but less known are the benefits of having an accessible mobile site. Unlike a desktop page, which can be read in any generally available web browser, a mobile site must be designed specifically for smartphones and tablets.
It’s more common now for companies to create separate smartphone applications (also called apps) for each individual service they offer. But this approach has its disadvantages — mainly security.
A smartphone application is just like your regular computer app, except it’s bigger, helps keep your personal information safe, and connects you to the internet. Many companies choose to build their own proprietary software because it allows them more control over the users’ experience.
However, this means that if you want to use your favorite services on your phone, you may need to find another one. Also, should you ever download a virus or run into trouble with your device, you could face costlier repairs or even the uninstalling of the application.
In contrast, websites are safer since they are only able to operate through connecting to other sites. Other models, such as Google’s Inbox, rely on emails shared via email. Since businesses don’t have complete control over where the messages are going, they cannot guarantee that someone will not send payment information or other private details.
More and more people are making purchases over the phone. Technology helps us get what we want, when we want it. Digital tools such as smartphones and tablets have made it easier than ever for customers to research and buy products and services online.
However, not everyone is comfortable doing business that way. Some prefer speaking with sales representatives who can help them decide what product is right for them.
Other people may be too busy or pressed for time to search for a product or hire someone to design an appropriate plan for their needs.
Still others may feel they receive better service from in-store customer service staff. The internet is all about taking information immediately then buying something at the click of a button.
Customer experience is very important today especially to businesses serving both traditional and new audiences. Product quality, price, and terms and conditions still matter but so does perception of happiness with your company’s delivery of those things along with trust.
Keeping customers happy is what makes companies stand out today. Companies know they must provide good experiences, communication, and content. Consumers use social media to share their opinions constantly.
Businesses live or die by their reputation. For this reason, keeping customers satisfied becomes even more important.
According to a survey, only 2% of web users expect websites to take longer than two minutes to open. For most people, three seconds is enough to decide whether or not to keep a page in mind before deciding to move on to another one.
But how much do you know about your own site? How fast can visitors read it and use it? These questions need answering now before anything else. Your business’ website is an important tool for engaging with customers and potential customers. So it needs to be working properly and as quickly as possible.
There are many things that can be done to improve website speed, such as reducing image size, optimizing layout, using relevant graphics, and removing unnecessary code.
Google has already started punishing sites that are slow, by lowering their rank. If someone visits your site and finds that they are waiting several moments before the page loads (which is likely if the site is very old), then they may never come back to spend time at your company’s retail store or offer you phone information.
Competing companies also have similar stores and offices so there is always the chance that someone could help themselves to what they would want anyway. Google knows that this kind of behavior is illegal and against their terms of service.
Thus, we have the situation where search engines promote quick loading times over detailed content. People today prefer having access to both rather than just one or the other.
Although customers have access to a wide variety of shopping options today, they still prefer making purchases with their own devices due to ease and efficiency.
Nearly half (48 percent) of consumers say using their phones is more convenient than creating an account at a retailer’s website. Moreover, nearly one-quarter (23 percent) report that it’s easier to log into their accounts from their smartphones.
Convenience is significantly increasing retail sales. In fact, mobile transactions are growing faster than online commerce. According to a study by Global Market Insite, global mobile payments will increase almost five times over between 2014 and 2019.
However, many companies miss out on potential buyers who don’t take the time to engage on their websites. With so much attention focused on apps, this can result in losing revenue for other ways through traditional channels.
More than 50% of consumers check their phones during the daily routine, so it is no surprise that mobile companies have focused on developing an effective texting strategy.
Text messaging has become such a crucial part of our society that we don’t even realize how much it influences us. From paying bills to sharing songs, texts are used frequently by most people.
That’s why creating a powerful text message program is essential for any business trying to reach customers. By having a strong text presence, you will be able to interact with your clients more efficiently and effectively.
Your customers will feel like you know them and care about what happens in their life. Some may even feel comfortable telling you things they would not tell anyone else.
You can learn a lot about a person by reading his or her texts. Many criminals have been caught because police reviewed all the materials found at the scene of the crime (i.e. cell phone records, texts, emails, social media profiles).
By knowing what your customers are doing, where they are, and who they're talking to, you can identify fraudsters and inappropriate behavior before it hurts someone.
The key takeaway from this section is not for you to drive prices down so low just to retain customers but to have you keep in mind that once customers know that they'll get the same (just about the same) amount of quality from a competitor's product/service for a lower price, they'll probably jump ship and start buying from your competitor(s).
And with the smartphone era in full swing for several years now, they'll easily be able to know how much more or less they're paying for your products/services.
So if, by any chance, you're offering a discount or the price fixed for your products/services is less than your competitor's, make sure to mention your competitor's bigger price compared to the fair one that is yours.
More and more people are turning to their phones before going to the store, looking for information. There are many reasons why being mobile-savvy is now a must for businesses.
For one thing, consumers are becoming increasingly tech savvy and demand accurate information at the exact time it happens. They want immediate access to information about products and services or they will go elsewhere to get it.
Another reason is social etiquette. People are spending less time eating meals together and getting closer to each other’s lives. By having the ability to look up news, updates, and specials online, they are connected during every step of the meal.
Web search tools such as Google Search Console, Bing Web Search, and Yahoo Search Engine Optimization Services help you track and manage all web searches.
These days, most major websites add keywords to pages so users can easily find them. Most use keyword research software to determine which terms may be useful to promote relevant content.
The best way to interact with your customers is through their mobile device. Many businesses have recognized this shift in consumer behavior and have implemented mobile-friendly marketing strategies to draw in new customers.
The problem many companies encounter is that they fail to develop a plan for attracting and retaining customers as they switch from desktop to mobile.
It’s also difficult motivating employees to create these interactions because they are either not aware of the importance or aren’t confident doing it.
A recent study found that when consumers make purchases, half of them made the decision within the first 30 seconds. If you can get someone to commit to buying something inside those next few minutes, you can add an additional level of motivation to do so.
Keep in mind that people spend approximately 50% more time shopping on a smartphone than what it takes to download. People will leave their phones out where others can see, which helps increase foot traffic in stores.
You can take advantage of this phenomenon by adding apps that help people find things faster. With these apps, customers don’t need to ask questions like “how do I start using google maps?” or “what color paper do I choose for my business signage?”. Examples include Google map search, shop talk, yellow page listings, and Bing maps.
By having all of these options available, people can easily search for what they are looking for. Apps like App Store, Google Play Store, and Windows Store provide some advantages. They separate important information from data that would otherwise be difficult to manage.
