FIVE REASONS YOU SHOULD GET YOUR BUSINESS MOBILE

 Photo courtesy of Social Axcess

The use of Smartphones is growing more with each passing year for everything from browsing to banking. Chances are you as a professional have a Smartphone yourself! That having been said, Mobile Marketing is on the upsurge. If you're not on top of Mobile Marketing you're not doing yourself justice just as not having a Social Media presence is leaving you in the dust of your competitors. Still not convinced that Mobile Marketing is important? Consider these facts:

Social Media sites are viewed the most on Mobile phones. In fact, according to a study done by Cision, 28% of 18-34 year olds check Facebook on their Smartphones before they get out of bed.

Text messaging will increase to approximately 8 trillion SMS this year (2012) alone.

With the increase of Smartphone technology, videos can now be viewed almost anywhere at anytime. If you're one of the many businesses using video to promote your brand, this is something to be aware of. If you're not, video may be something you'll want to consider as part of your marketing streams.


Through Wi-fi and mobile phone tracking, more businesses are succeeding with Location-Based Marketing.  Meaning they're offering promos, content and more based on where their target market is at that precise moment.


Mobile banking is on the rise. More and more banks are offering clients the opportunity to do everything from purchasing things via mobile to money transfers and more. That said, offering the option of mobile payment can make things more convenient for clientele, upping your customer service to a higher elevation.

CAN GOOGLE'S GOGGLES HELP YOUR WEDDING BUSINESS GROW?

 

Now say that three times fast.

Is Google's Goggles about to hit the Canadian wedding industry? If it does, it could prove to be a sophisticated, albeit pricey, way to reach the mobile market.

For those of you who may be unfamiliar with this technology, Google's Goggles is a mobile app available for download on the iPhone and Android that recognizes real-world objects through Smartphone camera lenses. With the original version, you would take a snapshot of the QR Code (that funky barcode-ish looking thing) and would immediately receive information related to that product such as what it is, who made it and where you can get it.

 With Google's newest version Goggles 1.3 you now have the ability to retrieve information simply by hovering over the QR Code (and now BARCODES too!) rather than having to take a snapshot. What's even cooler is that the new version has the ability to read QR Codes in print ads. For those of us who combine our print marketing with e-marketing strategies and social media...YEE-HAW! This is just one more way of connecting the dots and putting your business everywhere all at once.

Think of all the possibilities that this little do-hickey can bring to marketing your wedding business! Print ads do not have to simply be print ads any more! Not only can the QR Code provide potential clientele with additional information for your product or service instantaneously but it can also send them to the URL for your service. The trick to putting Goggles to task is to ensure that the Goggles tags bring up info that can't be found by a general Google search. You want to ensure that your potential clientele or consumers are receiving real-time info that they can't find anywhere else.

Will "reality advertising" guarantee sales? Not sure. Will it put you one step closer to reaching couples that are constantly on the move, tech-savvy and glued to their phone? Yuppers!

And for those of you who have no idea where to start with QR Codes for your marketing practices...it can also solve your Sudoku Puzzles in a matter of seconds.

Seriously.