Get Moving on Your Mobile Marketing Strategy for B2B
Did you know that smartphone users typically check their phones 150 times a day? This is just one statistic that communicates the importance of mobile communication in today’s marketplace.
If you think this doesn’t apply to B2B brands, think again. Just like the average consumer, business professionals are never too far from their mobile device. In fact, according to a survey of B2B decision makers, 42 percent of researchers use a mobile device during the B2B purchasing process.
8 Ways to Transform Mobile Engagement
Mobile marketing is the future, and if your brand doesn't currently have a B2B mobile marketing strategy, you may be missing out on this vital opportunity to connect with new leads. Here are 8 great ways to transform how your B2B company engages mobile users.
- Make sure your site is mobile-optimized.
Mobile-friendly is no longer an option. More than a billion people use their mobile device as their primarily access to the internet. It’s essential for businesses to have a responsive website design. To get started, simplify your site design or create a mobile version of your site that is easy for mobile device users to navigate.
- Utilize SMS communication.
One of the best ways to maintain communication with mobile consumers is through SMS messaging. This two-way communication helps you improve customer experience by allowing you to interact with leads and customers in real-time.
- Offer mobile discounts and promotions.
The costly nature of B2B products makes many prospective customers uneasy about trying new vendors. A mobile discount or promotion can help offer the initial push that a company needs to try your brand. Delivering these promotions straight to the individual’s mobile device makes it easy for leads to redeem offers.
- Create a Customer Loyalty Program using text messages.
Building brand loyalty is an important part of B2B marketing. In fact, Bain Research found that customers who promote a brand stay with the company longer, buy more, cost less to serve, and are most likely to refer others. You can use SMS communication to create a customer loyalty program that rewards customers for repeat sales or customer referrals.
- Go beyond just textual content.
The attention of your on-the-go audience is often being pulled in multiple directions at once, making it essential for brands to produce visual content that catches the eye of mobile consumers. Video content is a great way to engage this mobile audience. Deliver visual content by linking SMS-based consumers to your company’s YouTube channel, offering compelling videos and other valuable content to text subscribers.
- Develop an app.
Though app development takes time and resources, this can be a great option for B2B companies that want to capture audience attention and control the stream of content. The app can be as complex or as simple as the company needs. Apps are a great way to manage loyalty programs or allow customers to leave reviews and share their experience with your brand.
- Use mobile to enhance the event experience.
One survey shows that 70 percent of B2B marketers rate in-person events as effective. You can use mobile to boost live event participation by holding a social media contest during a trade show or conference. Ask participants to provide user-generated content, such as pictures and reviews, with an event-related hashtag to get others interested in your brand.
- Create traditional marketing to boost mobile participation.
You can merge your online and offline efforts by using traditional print marketing in stores, at trade shows, and in other areas to encourage mobile participation. For instance, you might use a QR code on a store endcap or a short code on a flyer to get viewers to sign up for your SMS marketing list.
So what are you waiting for? It’s time to start planning your B2B mobile marketing strategy. Use these tips as a starting point for reaching more customers and prospects through mobile.
Boston-based Grant Marketing has deep expertise in developing comprehensive B2B marketing strategies for industrial manufacturers. Click here to get in touch.
What's Next?
How do you ensure that your customer is getting the best mobile experience possible when interacting with your brand? Make sure to share them with us in the comments below. I would love to read them.
About Guest Author, Sophorn Chhay
Sophorn is the marketing guy at Trumpia, a mobile content delivery service that allows users to customize their one-to-one marketing efforts by interconnecting and optimizing all digital platforms. As an innovator in two-way SMS/MMS marketing, Trumpia's mission is to empower brands and public figures with interactive access to their audiences, reaching targeted affinity groups in a personal way. Trumpia delivers world-class content such as video, ticketing, polling, products sales, contests, and giveaways.
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Thanks for contributing, Sophorn! These are fantastic, actionable insights!
