Since 1995, Small Businesses have been focused on making sure that their companies have been properly positioned to sell products and services on the Internet. Of course not every company is suited to allow customers to purchase directly from their website; however, every company needs to have a presence so that those that are looking for solutions can find them easily.

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The Key to Internet Marketing

The key to Internet marketing has always been to be present and visible to a customer when they are looking for a solution. Often, this involves search engines optimization (SEO), social media, e-mail marketing and public relations. Companies that master the 7 basic marketing principles  and can implement them using Interne channels, can successfully reach customers and clients with their best messaging to entice them to buy.

By now you have probably seen a number of businesses that have more than a functioning website for their customers to get information.  These companies have realized that a number of their customers access the Internet from mobile devices when they're on the go, as well as their PCs at home. That means that a customer could be visiting your website from a smartphone, iPad, Kindle or Tablet PC. When they do, it's going to be more positive experience for them to interface with your company through a mobile app.

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Little Bits of Software

Mobile app developers have been creating these little bits of software for mobile device users at an increasing rate since 2009.  Mobile devices or apps are designed to offer users a convenience when using their device...

A general observation of the people that are your customers, prospects, friends and associates would probably tell you that mobile technology has become a permanent fixture in our culture. The fact that people are using mobile devices in order to access the Internet is not going away anytime soon. In fact, we can expect it to take over more of the conversation about how we communicate, do business and socialize.

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Of course that means that as small business owners, we will need to make sure that we are in front of our customers and clients where they choose to be. If the key statistic is correct, and there is every reason to believe that it is, consumers stay within a 3 foot range of their mobile device 24 hours a day. Therefore, any effective marketing strategy must incorporate mobile devices. It's going to be important for you to know your target market extremely well.

One of the fastest changing aspects of marketing involves reaching prospects and customers on their mobile device. As little as two years ago, the most important factor that a company needed to pay attention to was there website. In other words, they needed to make sure that customers could see their website properly on a Tablet PC, iPad or smart phone. In fact, there are many companies that are transitioning to this way of website marketing now.

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But even mobile marketing is changing quickly. There are a number of companies, that are already making them self a presence on mobile devices. They are creating their own mobile app, and convincing customers to download it in order to get discounts and specials.

When your customers are using a desktop or laptop computer, they can typically access your website with ease. The software on your web server recognizes their browser, and displays the information as you intended for them to see. What happens behind the scenes inside of the code, is technical and rather complicated; however, the end result is a pretty straightforward process to make sure that your site visitors can make decisions that move them closer to making an actual purchase.

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Mobile Visitors are Different from Desktop Computing Visitors

However, things are a little different when your customers and prospects use mobile devices. They're accessing your website, but their browser doesn't display things in the same way that your desktop computer does. Depending on how old the technology is running your website, your customer could see information that only makes partial sense to them.

When it comes to mobile marketing, all its basic elements are easy to see having a need for. Having a mobile website is easy to understand. It's pretty simple. If customers and prospects can't access your website and see it properly on their mobile device, you'll lose sales. So that one is a "no-brainer".

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SMS Marketing Is Also Necessary

It's also easy to understand the need for SMS marketing. You can send messaging in "real-time" to attract customers to your location; you can deliver coupons and important information to those who opt into your list. As is the case with mobile websites it's simple to understand the business use for SMS.

The Internet has, in its brief of periods in history, given consumers new ways to communicate. Prior to the mid-90s, if you wanted to communicate with someone, you likely had to do it face to face, by telephone, fax or letter (known as snail mail).

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These conversations were made mobile by the cellular telephone. That meant that phone conversations could be carried on from locations other than home and/or work. In fact, it was during the mid-1990s that pay telephones practically disappeared from the landscape of everyday life.  Cellular telephone used increased and consumers had less of a use for them.

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E-Mail and Instant Messaging

As everyday internet access increased lives, e-mail and instant messaging were more commonly used for communication.

Of course, it is no secret that you must include mobile marketing as another channel to reach your targeted customer. While much of what you will be doing will take place on the Internet, the rules are different than the ones you use for buyers using desktop computers. In fact, you can no longer assume that your target customer will be seated at their computer when they see your messaging.

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If you send e-mail or put new content on your website, it is just as likely that your prospect or customer will be reading it from their mobile device as they would using their desktop computer. Mobile devices are a fact of life today, and you will need to take that into consideration as you promote your business.

Mobile couponing has been a growing consumer marketing practice since 2010. As mobile computing began to take hold of the everyday consumer life at this time, a little more than 10% of smart phone users were using mobile coupons. Of course, some of this was a function of the fact smart phones weren't widespread in the public. As you probably well know, smart phones have become standard in most corporate and small business settings.

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As a result, growth has been doubling ever since 2010. It is expected that by the end of 2014 that mobile couponing will have grown to well over 40 million users total. This is significant because couponing has always been a fairly tedious consumer process.

There's no question that businesses (and marketers in particular), have begun to embrace QR codes as one way to implement mobile marketing. You are probably seen what looks like little black and white two dimensional barcodes appearing in newspapers, magazines and other print advertising. You may have even seen them on the brochures of certain businesses that you frequently purchase from.

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Creative QR Code Use

Other companies have been creative in the way that they have placed their QR codes in their advertising. Some have used billboards, park benches and even the sides of vehicles. Others have used large events to promote their business with QR codes by having their and always wear them on their clothing.

Of all of the aspects of mobile marketing, couponing is the one that most businesses can benefit from learning to do effectively. It is the one element that integrates 1) text messaging, 2) e-mail marketing, 3) mobile websites, 4) mobile apps and 5) QR codes. Even newer technologies such as proximity marketing, benefit from the use of mobile couponing.

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Constraints of Text Messaging

Those that use text messaging on a regular basis are probably used to its constraints. If we were to look at this from a consumer perspective, you know that there are various people that only have a limited amount of reading space on their mobile device's screen. That means that even a long text message, does it suit the convenient use of their device. You've probably known that for some of those that you regularly communicate with by text message, you will probably have to use as little as 140-160 characters.