New research indicates that small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are embracing mobile technology and the opportunities it offers for business growth. Many companies are swapping out traditional, offline marketing in favour of online and mobile platforms.
The shift in focus represents management’s adaptability to a rapidly changing consumer market, one which values interactivity and on-the-go advertising instead. In today’s world, traditional marketing falls flat, coming across as outdated and irrelevant.
According to a poll by Pitney Bowes, only 26 per cent of small businesses say that a portion of their budget (around 10 per cent) goes toward traditional marketing campaigns. Just 28 per cent say they plan on using print advertising at some point this year. More than half say they allocate a chunk of their budget for mobile and online marketing to promote business growth.
Online channels are directing funding away from direct mail advertising, with QR codes, mobile websites and e-commerce driving the change.
Today, financial advice for small businesses centres around a flexible marketing strategy. Vice president of Digital Channel Europe at Pitney Bowes, Ryan Higginson, suggested that many SMEs’ success, and ultimately their survival, can be determined by their ability to adapt focused, clear and effective marketing strategies that span across a variety of channels.
Despite ever-changing marketing campaigns, Mr Higginson still recognises the importance of traditional methods, ranging from TV to radio adverts. “Offline will always play a very important role in any strategy, but online has really come to the fore,” he said.
Mobile marketing can benefit SMEs in a number of ways. Firstly, it generates immediate response and drives up traffic almost instantaneously. Secondly, it’s more efficient. Money stretches further and campaigns can reach a larger audience through mobile marketing. Scope and scalability are added advantages of innovative marketing campaigns. Similarly, the convenience of mobile marketing benefits not only businesses but consumers, too.
Additionally, multimedia and supplemental information distributed alongside mobile campaigns help to broaden their scope, making them seem more significant and comprehensive to consumers. This in turn can help a company appear more relatable and drive up customer loyalty – a positive effect that can boost revenue and reputation for businesses.
