Bobby speaks to Anthony Quigley co-founder of the Digital Marketing Institute and John Mitchell Managing Director of Strata 3 about Mobile Marketing.

Advice From Anthony Quigley co-founder of the Digital Marketing Institute

Mobile marketing is increasingly essential

• Mobile isn’t just a new technology we have to deal with, it is fundamentally changing consumer behaviour and we have to respond to that in the way we market to individuals
• SOMOLO (SOcial, MObile, LOcation search) is driving consumer behaviour 
• Eircom survey this year estimated 1.6m people in Ireland now have a smartphone, also that the number of tablet users had doubled in 6 months – estimates there will be 1.2m tablet owners by the end of the year
• Smartphones are the primary way people stay online during the day and when they’re away from home
• Smartphones and tablets are increasingly becoming more popular than desktop and laptop PCs 
• It’s an opportunity for business –the consumer can always be reached on mobile
• FYI – in emerging markets many web users are mobile only, they simply don’t use desktop and laptop units

What this means for SMEs

• Sales via mobile are on the increase, but primarily at this stage people use it for research purposes, so make sure you’re displaying the information they most readily need
• Everyone who has a consumer facing website needs it to be mobile compatible – if you’re building one now, make sure the designer builds this in (tell them it needs to be a ‘responsive site’). It’s essential your site loads quickly on mobile – people don’t have patience on mobile devices. For the same reason, if you have an eCommerce site, the buying process has to be really simple – the fewer clicks the better
• This is especially true of businesses who have physical locations (coffee shops, florists, restaurants etc) mobile technology is making us impulsive in our decision making, we could be standing on Grafton Street and whip out our mobile to find out the best coffee shop nearby – you need to appear when that happens (Bewley’s Coffee does well with this)
• Google Local: register your page, it’s totally free. Google is tying in reviews, opening hours, maps, contact details, directions so when you search on Google on your mobile all this information comes up together as Google Places. 
• FourSquare: Register your business. Free app that loads of people use that tells you what businesses are near where you’re standing, so you can tell it you’re looking for food and will pull up a list of food outlets near you. You can also register specials and deals so you can promote your offers too

 Should I build an app?

• Can be costly – see what you currently earn from your website sales via mobile devices and then assess whether it makes sense for your business
• Most local businesses (where you don’t buy online – such as cafes) probably don’t need an app, it suits those who have large scale online trade such as Tesco grocery

The future is mobile

It’s only going to get more sophisticated

• Adverts that target people on their phone when they’re near your store
• Real time rewards for customers who talk about you socially online
• Payment for small purchases on your mobile phone, Google Wallet is just the starting point (available in the US, allows you to send money (to people, stores etc) from your Google account rather than carry cash)