Once our mobile apps for small business are designed smartly for our industry it is time to turn our attention to our highest priorities - fans.
These are the people who may be today's customers. With the right strategy you can soon develop tomorrow's prospects. You can even expand geographically if it makes sense.
Target Audience - Target Needs
There are few businesses that can meet every type of group's primary needs. Successful smaller firms often have an innate ability to attract a particular demographic group.
One of the keys to successfully using mobile apps for small business is to know the specific profile of your strongest demographic group.
Consider age, gender, income or even race, ethnic or faith considerations.
Next, are you primarily trying to reach current customers who already know your business and equip them to introduce your offerings to others?
Or, do want to engage a totally new group from the start?
Mobile apps for small business can easily be designed with loyalty and repeat business criteria.
Most mobile apps for small business primarily lead with something fun and engaging. Just be sure to keep the most dominant felt need your target audience is likely experiencing the most frequently.
Not sure what this is yet? This will be much easier to determine from your target demographic profile.
For example, a studio photographer targets early bird specials for high school juniors for the senior portrait market. Their mobile apps for small business targets busy working parents with attractive referral discounts as well.
One felt need that is often overlooked for mobile apps for small business surrounds status. Be sure to include a social forum where your fans can share what they are most proud of accomplishing.
Examples can include recognizing local sports teams and their fans championship season with a picture gallery. How about proud grandparents sharing their favorite pictures of special times with their grand kids? Don't forget area alumni, chamber or association groups for posting professional awards and designations.
What Zip Codes Do You Want to Reach?
What is exciting about mobile apps for small business is that with a minimal budget you can literally reach anywhere in the world. Just think of the popular social media tools today that are a growing global phenomenon. Facebook is closing in on 1 billion registered users. Smart phones are forecasted to be at 1 billion users by 2016.
At the same time you can much more quickly become a local leader in your market with the right mix of mobile apps for small business.
In fact Silicon Valley recognizes this area as one of the hottest investments in the social, local, mobile market.
Here are some tips to help you grow your footprint as big as you want to.
Local - The local audience is fleeing traditional print sources such as yellow pages in droves. Instead the explosion of smart phone use makes mobile apps for small business the ideal place for your audience to find you. Be sure to really refine your unique brand and niche. The more you make it positive and interesting the more likely your new fans will want to share it with their friends.
Regional - If you have identified an unmet need with your brand and have an exceptional level of product and service why not look regionally? Do some important due diligence on the competition. Reach out to some local affiliate partners that can help you get off to a faster start.
It is often wise to have a clean and simple front door like a welcome or offer page on a regionally branded web site or landing page. Just be sure your regional brand identify is reflected throughout what you offer.
National - With e-commerce growing fast on the web more people are used to buying products from anywhere. Build on this with your mobile apps for small business. Once again 3rd party affiliates will be important to your success. Just be sure they have a strong established national reach and your product or service brings real additional value to what they already provide their current customers.
Other important factors in choosing the right mobile apps for small business include your ability to offer a unique enough product or service at the right price that will trump local offerings.
Any major change in geographic coverage requires thoughtful planning. Always make sure you can deliver what you promise with timely delivery and service. The reward of building confidence with your customers comes with equipping them with the right mobile apps for small business that they will want to share with their friends about what benefit you provided them.
Think Globally and Grow
With select products and services on the web it's now more common for small firms to have a national and even global presence. Simply leverage that in your unique way with the right suite of mobile apps for small business. Just be sure you do the due diligence on complying with international commerce and taxation regulations.
Finding new fans you can turn into customers is made much easier with the right mobile apps for small business strategy.
