Mobile technology has given rise to a whole new marketing model in which reputation and the ability to immediately receive user feedback can make or break a company. In 2012, smartphone subscriptions increased 55 percent to 98 million in the U.S. alone, according to a comScore report. Smart business owners and marketing execs are learning how to build powerful marketing campaigns by managing their reputation on mobile searches.
Reputation Management
There is an immediacy to reputation management. If a meal is good, people will comment on it while the food is still warm. An exceptional hotel room will have its picture posted before the bellman brings up the bags. Make posting positive reviews as easy as possible. If you want Yelp reviews, ensure your review button is the first thing a customer sees on your mobile site. If a person needs to log on to a computer and search for your review information, you’ve lost them.
Stay Friendly
The reputation management company, Reputation.com, says 85 percent of potential customers go to the Internet for information about a business. With smartphones, these searches can happen right at your door. A positive Internet image can mean the difference between the consumer walking through the door or walking past it. In 2012, desktop searches declined for the first time where smartphone searches increased. Mobile accessibility should be the first priority when creating a website. All of the important information needs to be easily visible on a 4.5-inch screen.
Tweet Fast
One of the best things about Twitter is that it’s happening in real time. As quickly as a customer can complain about a service, a savvy business owner can fix the problem. Plug into Twitter and monitor what’s going on. This is really a lot simpler than people think. By setting up a hashtag for your company name and a notification reminder, any time anyone tweets about your company, you will know about it. If at all possible, fix the issue quickly and use the same Twitter feed to respond. This lets the customer and everyone else know see that you’re an attentive business owner.
Don’t Forget The Tablet
Over the last year, tablets have surpassed smartphones in mobile searches and tripled their conversion rates for sales. Tablets hold a special place in mobile marketing. They are a cross between desktop computer, day planners and baby sitters. Desktop apps are relatively easy to create. There are many drop and play programs that allow anyone with a little computer ability the means to create an app to engage your potential customer. Games are a welcoming way to use tablet technology to introduce a new consumer to your business. While they are mindlessly wasting minutes, you have an opportunity to show them the newest in your product line.