Mobile marketing is a new frontier for many businesses. Some have utilized this form of marketing very well, while others have merely been stumbling along. Here are the top four mistakes businesses make in mobile marketing:

1) Not optimizing your website for smartphones & tablets:

Or also known as not making your website “responsive.” I have seen this happen even to the best of them, i.e., mobile app companies. I try to pull up a website on my phone and the writing shows up teeny-tiny on my screen and I have to continue to zoom in because the website is made for desktop use only. This mistake should hopefully phase out over the next year or so as companies become more knowledgable in responsive design. (Heck, maybe some of the services popping up will help make responsive design the norm.)

2) Not targeting ads to your audience:

With any form of marketing comes advertising. Remember the days when banner ads were the hottest way to display ads? Nowadays, people can buy ads on Google, create affiliate programs with other power partners, and even create targeted ads to find the company’s audience. The act of creating targeted ads seems to fly over some businesses, as they think that their product is for “EVERYONE!” No. No one product is for everyone. This mistake is based more on ill preparation by the business for defining their audience.

3) Don’t tell me, you’re still using pop-up ads?

Hmmm. Thought we had gotten rid of these last decade! Some businesses still think this method of advertising serves audiences well, but it really does not. A famous example of this is Forbes Magazine, which makes any user encounter a pop-up ad before continuing on to an article. For me, this is unnecessary and annoys me as a user and I feel less likely to read the article or stay on their website.

4) Spamming people to buy your product:

No matter how much the Internet evolves there will always be spam. These days spam takes the form of overly eager tweets sent out constantly on a company feed. Some more “advanced” users will seek out influencers in their audience and spam them with info to “buy our product!” Wake up, people! It is a new era. And businesses would benefit much more if they used social media to build and establish relationships with their target customers rather than constantly pinging out “Buy! Buy! Buy!”

By avoiding these mistakes, you can help ensure that your mobile marketing is a productive part of your marketing strategy. (Feel free to contact me to learn more about using mobile marketing for your business.)

If you enjoyed this article, you may also want to check out these others:

4 Common Social Media Mistakes and How To Avoid Them
4 Ways To Grow Your Business Using LinkedIn
How To Amp Up Your Visibility With Facebook
4 Ways Business Blogging Helps Build Trust In Your Business
Grow Your Business With Email Marketing
Combining Blogging and Social Media into a Truly Effective Strategy
5 Ways You Can Benefit By Using LinkedIn

This article is published by Will Sherwood | The Sherwood Group |Website Design | Graphic Design | Marketing Communications: The Sherwood Group has over 30 years of experience working with all sorts of companies, small and large. Our clients range from entrepreneurs to Fortune 500 firms, in nearly every business sector, from across the street to around the world (and yes, even Europe, China, and South America). Our goal is to create advertising,  graphic design, website design, and marketing communication that still looks fresh and relevant 10-15 years later. Our mission is to stir your imagination and leave your competition shaken and wondering,  Now what do we do?”  We are located in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

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