How to Use Mobile Phones to Drive Traffic to Your Website

By 5hmg In E-marketing, Online Marketing, Video Marketing On February 18, 2011

Tapping on mobile phone users as a target market for your business is a smart thing to do. There are over 4 billion mobile phone users in the world today and the number keeps increasing everyday. Most mobiles users would keep their smart phones open all day, which makes mobile phones good platforms for business promotion.

Here are some simple ways that a business owner can tap into the opportunity presented by mobile phones:

1. SMS

You can send updates, promotions and other information about your business by sending text messages. Tests and our own client campaigns have shown more than 90% of mobile phone users open their text within the first hour. If you have a slow day every week, why not send a text to your subscribers inviting them to your location for a special discount. This is an inexpensive way to reach out to a huge market and right now the most effective mobile marketing strategy.

2. Email

Most mobile phones now allow users to read their email wherever they are. This means they can access the internet even when they are mobile. Did you know more mobile users read their email on their phone than on a PC? It also means that you can now easily send advertising and promotional materials to anyone, anywhere.

3. Social networks

Some mobile phone users also access their social media accounts using their mobile phones. Facebook and Twitter make it very easy for their members to access their sites using their mobile apps. You can use this opportunity to your advantage by creating your accounts on these social networks and keeping your potential clients updated with new tweets and posts about your product.

4. Mobile phone ads

You can also tap on the power of mobile phones to circulate your promotional ads. Try putting up mobile phone ads which are targeted to a specific market in your locality. For instance if you are a pizza restaurant, you can target mobile users searching for pizza in your area. Carry out anyone? This is an effective and compelling method of promoting your products that is actually a lot cheaper than print ads.

5. Videos and Podcasts

You can create videos and podcasts about your products, which mobile phone users can download onto their phones. More and more phone can now display video and most of them come with a Youtube app. Just remember to link your video to your website or embed your website address in the video.

6. Applications

Studies show that mobile applications that allow mobile phone users to access Facebook, Google Maps, Google Search, iTunes, and Pandora are among the most used applications today. If you can create an online presence for your business on these sites, you already have an advantage over your competitors. If you employ search engine optimization strategy and your website shows up in Google Search, people can then browse through your content using their mobile phones. This is an effective means to drive traffic to your site. One application that you can explore for instance, is the Where Inc app for iPhones which allows anyone to read reviews about a certain product or find best recommendations for interesting places, events and great deals.

7. Offline

So many businesses forget about connecting their offline and online marketing strategies. If your company is having success with direct mailing, be sure to add an SMS texting campaign. Do you have a brick and mortar business with foot traffic? Put an SMS texting campaign on your window or display it in your store.

These are just some of the ways you can tap on the potential of mobile phones for your business promotion. Study what these features can offer and create ways to reach out to the huge market that mobile phones can reach.