We’ve compared SMS text messaging and email marketing before, with advice on the best situations to use each.

But mobile marketing involves more than just SMS. Thanks to smartphones, your mobile marketing can have a wider reach in a number of mobile channels across apps, location-based services, email, mobile search and more.

Let’s take a look at other ways you can market your business mobile-ly.

Mobile Email

Thanks to mail apps on smartphones, email accessed on mobile devices has seen up to 53% higher click through rates than email accessed on a desktop computer. With email more accessible than ever, it’s important to make sure your messages are readable on a smaller screen.

An email that’s not optimized for mobile. Text is too small to read and links are too tiny to “click” with a finger.

An email that is optimized for mobile. Text is easier to read, and more whitespace makes links easier to tap on.

The rise in mobile email also means your messages can be more timely than ever. When your local customers receive your weekly coupon in their inboxes, there’s now a higher chance that they may be just down the street from your storefront when they see your email on their phone.

Take advantage of mobile email with these tips from our blog:
Optimizing Email for Mobile Devices
Mobile Email Design Tips

Mobile Sites And Apps

Mobile sites tie in with mobile-friendly emails. If you’re establishing a mobile presence, make sure it’s easy for visitors to access and read on smaller screens.

If your website is hosted on WordPress, you already have a mobile version that automatically displays when a visitor views your site on their mobile phone. WordPress also offers additional plugins to further customize the look of your mobile-friendly site.

Apps can be a handy alternative to a mobile site. But don’t just create an app for the sake of having an app. Your app should offer some kind of value to your customer, giving them a good reason to want to download it.

However, you can include your establishment’s contact information, an email signup form, a mobile version of your website and even some helpful videos to make your app useful to your customers.

Resources for creating your own app or mobile site:
8 Tools for Easily Creating a Mobile Version of Your Website
10 Great Tools to Create a Mobile Version of Your Site
14 DIY Mobile App Development Resources for Small Businesses
How to Build a Mobile App for Your Small Business

Location-Based Check-ins

Apps like Foursquare allow mobile users to check into their favorite venues and rack up points. Foursquare is great for exposure across your customers’ social networks, but you also have the opportunity to reward them for their loyalty.

Foursquare for Business lets business owners offer specials when a visitor checks into your venue – like $10 off a purchase on your 5th check-in or a free round of drinks when you check in with 5 friends.

You can tie your check-in deals to your email campaign. Update your deals once a month (or more, if you prefer) and email your subscribers with the new coupon info. You can even offer your email subscribers a deeper discount: “Show us this email when you check in for an extra 5% off your purchase.” What a great way to reward your loyal customers and your email subscribers!

And you don’t need a physical storefront to market your brand to mobile users on Foursquare. Take a look at what Time Out New York, an entertainment publication, did with their account. Build a list of important places that represent your brand and encourage followers to check in there to unlock special badges from your business to continue promoting your brand name.

Geo-Targeted Ads

Geo-targeted ads are powerful marketing tools on mobile devices. Someone using their phone to search for local services will find you more easily when your ad is displayed as a sponsored search result at the top of their browser.

The next time an out-of-town visitor searches for restaurants in your city, or the best place to get a haircut, or emergency pet care, or whatever keywords are associated with your business, your targeted ad will display in their search results. And you’ll be a short walk or drive away from fulfilling their needs.

Get started with geo-targeting:
How to Geo-target with Google AdWords
A Guide to More Mobile Ad Networks

Real-Life Examples Of Mobile-Friendly Brands

Mobile-friendly email trends include companies embracing minimal text with bigger buttons and images – easier for a finger to “click”.

Here are three brands with super user-friendly mobile emails:

Live Better America uses a thin template with image blocks that are easier to tap than text links.

Fab uses more text, but it’s big and easy to read.

Lowe’s has simple top navigation, big text and big buttons that’s perfect for interacting with on a small cell phone screen.

What’s Your Mobile Strategy?

Mobile marketing is about being immediately relevant. Making yourself visible locally in these channels will help people find your business more easily the next time they’re looking for what you have to offer.

How do you use email and mobile marketing together? Have any of these techniques worked for you? Will you rely on SMS marketing, or try some newer mobile technology? Do you use our Call Loop integration to tie your mobile campaign to your email campaign?

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