Develop the ability to reach your customers wherever they are

Mobile apps can turn a business’s static marketing materials into interactive content.

This is the age of 'always-on' and road warriors who carry multiple gizmos to be connected with office, peers, customers and suppliers while on road. That means you are always on some device, whether it is a tab or a mobile. Successful marketing today is all about the ability to reach your customers wherever you or they are. And they are all over the place. What this means is that your brand needs to be in the mobile. If not, you have a fairly good chance of missing them. That is not going to be viewed favourably within your company and you are likely to lose some budgets in the next quarter and in some extreme cases you can even your job!

There is no second question about it: mobile devices are indeed changing the marketing landscape. There are over 6 billion mobile subscribers currently in the world and in some countries like India, there are more mobile devices than there are toothbrushes. The year 2016 has seen handheld tablets/iPads crossing PC sales, globally. By 2030, it will cross even laptop sales. It is no more futuristic to plan marketing through mobile devices. You are seeing a surge of such marketing activities right now. As mobility rises, customers are increasingly accustomed to having important information available as soon as possible on their mobile devices.

For many SME folks, this is a scary situation and daunting task. But mavericks take this as a great opportunity. The massive adoption of mobility offers an opportunity for constant connectivity with customers who are on the move. It is also a fabulous opportunity to offer customers new services or resources that are valuable to them.

There have been many benefits for those companies who have successfully made the move to mobile. These include efficient use of employee time, improved customer service and an expanded range of products and services. From an interactive iPad app that can be used for a live demo to giving a network of business associates in conversation together, the new mobile solutions offer enormous power to marketing. Taking your brand to mobile devices need not be an overwhelming task. According to experts, here are four ways to easily take your brands mobile:

1. Mobile Apps: Mobile apps integrate a business with an engaging user experience – a great way to establish a swift connection with a target audience and enhance your sales process. With payment gateways, closing a sale is also easy. Mobile apps can turn a business’s static marketing materials into interactive content that can be customised for each customer depending on their interests and preferences. The advantage to customers is that these apps make doing business with your company simple, accessible and very relevant to them. Moreover, one can create an app with many related benefits on an exclusive basis for the targeted customers.

2. Keynote for iPad: When a company’s salespeople are on the go, providing them with a tool to easily share marketing materials or presentations simplifies their job and enhances the customer experience. Keynote for iPad is a great way to present content-rich, highly interactive presentations wherever the customer may be. Even MS Office for iPad will allow this and there are other apps too.

3. Make use of HTML5: This fifth revision of the HTML standard allows companies to share interactive site components on mobile devices. Because many features of HTML5 have been built with the consideration of being able to run on low-powered devices, it is perfect for smartphones and tablets. HTML5 allows customers to interact with your brand easily wherever they are and can include components like interactive infographics and product tours. Even videos are easy with this.

4. ePubs: ePubs are another great way to turn static business documents, especially those with numerous pages, into engaging tools. For example, annual reports, white papers and product guides can include multimedia elements such as video and audio to visually demonstrate information for customers or shareholders.

These advances in technology and one-on-one opportunities will make marketers salivate. Mobile changes the customer experience into something enjoyable and engaging in a way that has never been possible before. Determine what mobile elements will positively impact your customers most, and make that the first step in taking your brand mobile. Each mobile element you incorporate after that will only work to enhance the experience with your brand.