Everything mobile? Is going all in with mobile really important for your business? The answer to these questions, as always, depends primarily upon the type of business you are in.
With things like app development, QR codes, SMS, responsive design and more becoming the some of the most talked about buzzwords in the business world, it can often be overwhelming to go in with all of these at once. More so, if you are starting out and still establishing your venture.
Luckily, a systematic approach to mobile is the way forward.
Some pieces of the mobile puzzle are going to be essential for you — other could wait. Here is a very brief rundown of mobile maybes and mobile must haves for your business.
Responsive web design
If there is only one thing you can do for your business, in terms of mobile, that is, this is it. A responsive web design is guaranteed to be a hit with your customers and audience. This is a modern type of design that is fluid, meaning it reshapes itself depending on the device. Everything except flash content will be automatically optimized for mobile devices of all screen sizes, from smartphone to tablets.
QR codes
These are everywhere. And keeping in mind the relative low cost of using QR codes you might want to consider them in your marketing collateral. Do understand that these are still a tough sell to the general public, this side of a tech savvy audience. Many do not even have QR code readers on their mobile devices, which makes them useless for these folks.
Mobile apps
Again, these are almost everywhere. Fact is that users are spending more and more time on mobile devices using apps. Fact also is that the bulk of this time is spent on popular apps like Facebook, Gmail and Twitter clients. If you go the mobile route, however, expect to invest a good deal of time and money to create and maintain your mobile application. It comes down to the type of app you create.
SMS messaging
This luckily is not such an expensive undertaking these days, and there are services that provide SMS messaging at fairly affordable rates. The primary challenge remains getting your customers and visitors to give you their mobile numbers. But if you can, then congratulations, you have a customer base that is well and truly ready for SMS marketing. Dive right in.