When it comes to marketing your small business, the next thing you really need to concern yourself with is mobile web marketing. You need to have a helpful website that is mobile ready, especially if you are a local retailer. Far more people use cell phones to access the Internet than ever before. In fact, according to a Pew Internet Project, 55 percent of adults in the U.S. access the internet from their smartphone, which means no matter what you sell, you need to make sure your customers can find your small business through mobile searches. Here are 9 strategies for using mobile marketing to promote your small business.

Mobile Marketing Tactics:

Text/SMS marketing: Once you have permission to contact your customers, you should create the right message to get them to click on your link or opt-in to a specific promotion using text messaging.

Incorporate QR Codes: Incorporate QR Codes or Quick Response Codes on your business cards, ads, flyers and in your email signature. A QR code is a matrix barcode (or two-dimensional code) that is readable by QR scanners which can be downloaded for free to any smartphone device. Once scanned, a QR Code allows you to send your customer to a specific page on your website or to a special discount and offer.

Encourage check-ins: You can encourage customers to use Foursquare, Google+ location sharing or shopkick and give incentives for checking in, including special recognition, discounts, kickbacks, and gifts.

Mobile search advertising programs: It’s just like traditional PPC or pay per click advertising, it’s just on mobile devices. Google lets you bid on what you are prepared to pay, either per click or per call from a potential customer. From text to locally-targeted ads and click to call ads, there are lots of options for mobile search campaigns. It works well for local retailers as it’s estimated that 30 to 35 percent of mobile searches have a local intent. Source: mobiThinking

Create a mobile app: Some smartphone users prefer apps over mobile websites; 20 million apps have been downloaded. You can create an app that provides unique content, produces an e-newsletter, sells products or drives traffic to your business website. App advertising is an option as well. Source: comScore, mobiThinking.

Use your smart phone to grow your email list: To grow your email list via a mobile device, you should focus on the contact moments we have with people using a smartphone. Instead of collecting business cards from people at a conference there are new tools you may want to consider for building an email list. You can use a text to join app that integrates with your email marketing program, a QR Code app which can be scanned to join, or a business card scanning app such as www.Camcard.com, and create a registration app at Go Canvas http://www.gocanvas.com/

Use Mobile Directories – Get on the “mobile map” by joining a few mobile directories. Make sure that all of your directory listings include a simple description of your services, hours of operation, phone number, address and a link to your website. Sample directories include Google+ Local and Yelp.com

Mobile Customer Service:  Use your smartphone to track payment processing and shipping details and to respond to any customer service or new business inquiries on the go.

Social Media Marketing: Keep your Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter and Google + profiles up to date from your smartphone.

“Creative Light Bulb With Cloud Of Colorful Application Icon” courtesy of KROMKRATHOG / www.freedigitalphotos.net

Do you have any other suggestions for going mobile with your small business marketing?