Your Mobile Marketing Campaign: What Not to Do

by Thomma on January 16, 2012

If you run a small business, it’s probably become more and more obvious to you that one of the fastest-growing demographics is the mobile market. More and more people are connected on the go through smartphones and tablet computers, so a significant number of your customers and prospects are on the move. To be able to reach them, you’d be well-advised to launch a mobile marketing campaign. There’s a lot of advice out there about what to do for a mobile marketing campaign, but it’s equally important to consider what not to do.

Don’t Waste People’s Time

Most people are extremely busy, whether at home or on the go, but particularly while they’re on the go. So don’t waste people’s time. Remember that from the perspective of your audience, your business’ marketing message is one of countless other messages on the web at large. Mobile marketing campaigns must be opt-in, but just because customers and prospects have opted into your mobile marketing doesn’t mean that you’re the only voice on their radar. Show your customers and prospects that you respect their time by prioritizing clarity, brevity, and ease of use in both the tools you leverage and in the content you create.

Don’t Forget the Importance of Privacy

Since many people carry their mobile devices with them wherever they go, these devices and the communications carried out on them are often considered to be very personal. So when people opt-in to your mobile marketing messages, don’t forget the importance of privacy. Have a privacy policy in place and available for people to read before they opt-in to your campaign, and stick to it. Be sure to adhere to best practices and industry regulations for how you collect and make use of people’s personal information.

Don’t Neglect to Provide Mobile-Friendly Content

It may seem obvious for a mobile marketing campaign, but don’t neglect to provide mobile-friendly content. A regular website will be cumbersome, difficult to read, and annoying to navigate on a smartphone or a tablet computer. For your mobile customers and prospects, you need to provide a streamlined, mobile version of your website that looks good on their devices and on which they can easily find what they’re looking for. Along the same lines, make sure that your content will work on a wide variety of mobile devices; in other words, make your message as universally accessible as possible.

Don’t Bait and Switch

Whatever tools you use for your mobile marketing campaign, remember: don’t bait and switch. In other words, don’t use mobile marketing tools and messages simply to drive traffic to your business’ main website. By its nature, mobile marketing tends to be a more targeted kind of marketing. When people follow a link expecting specific content, they’re going to want to land on a page that provides the kind of content they’re looking for instead of finding themselves on the home page for your business.

Mobile marketing is a powerful tool to grow your business in the digital age. The bottom line to successfully leveraging mobile channels is showing respect for people. Customer acquisition and loyalty can both be greatly enhanced when your business lets people know that they’re respected and appreciated as they go about their busy days.

Photo by LGEPR on Flickr.com.

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