Service Providers

Dial up your smartphone customers

Androids, iPhones and BlackBerrys are taking over pockets and purses across the country. Look around and you’ll see people plugged in and tapping their fingers on their smartphones. The buzzing of a vibrating phone is now commonplace. Whether texting friends, connecting to social media, or finding products in their local area, nearly half (46% – Pew Research) of Americans now own and use smartphones.

Ask any smartphone user what they use their phone for, and you’re sure to get a dozen or so answers. You may hear, playing Angry Birds, checking email, browsing the Internet, or searching for local businesses, products and services. Most business owners know they need to adjust their business for mobile, but how do you tune your business to pick up your smartphone shoppers?

Smartphone searches are mostly local, and a majority lead to customer action. A recent article from Think with Google says 92 percent of Americans find local business information with their smartphones and 89 percent take action after finding that information, either by calling or stopping into the business. According to the article, “The companies that make mobile central to their marketing strategies will have an advantage in engaging with the mobile consumer.”

You have several options to help mobile customers find you. However, the most important thing you need to do for your mobile customers is to create a place for them to experience your dealership: a mobile website. First, you’ll need to consider customers’ mobile activity before you buy or build a mobile website.

What do your customers want to do on your mobile website?

  • Find your products. From vehicle inventory to PG&A, if they can find a product at your dealership, they should also be able to find it on their smartphone. A good mobile website will let your customers easily browse your products, sales, factory promotions and business information on a four-inch screen.
  • Find your dealership. With a smartphone, a customer can shift from shopping to calling your dealership with a simple press of a button. Make sure your mobile website is built to help your customers contact you, whether through email, contact forms, business address, or a simple phone call.
  • Make a purchase. As people become more comfortable with mobile commerce, smartphone-specific sales will increase. For now, sales made on smartphones are not the norm, but for the people who do want to buy right now, you need to give them a way to save their shopping cart or their credit card information.
  • Mobile Customers Want Mobile Websites. When 43 percent of US adults would rather give up beer for a month than give up Internet access on their smartphones, according to Google/OTX’s “The Mobile Movement”, you know it’s a big deal. When creating a mobile website, make sure it shows your entire store, allows customers to contact you and has the ability to sell your products.

 

Like all members of the 50 Below team, Ben Borchert wants to help powersports dealers help their customers. Ben uses his skills as a Marketing Analyst and Writer to empower, educate, and advise dealers in the ever changing realm of online marketing. To view more of Ben’s articles visit www.50below.com/knowledge.

Website: http://www.50below.com/

 

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