Mobile devices provide consumers with the ability to discover nearby destinations while on the go and, in turn, can even boost foot traffic in many brick-and-mortar locations.
In fact, a 2012 Nielsen study reveals that 73 percent of smartphone users have used their device to find a local store. This means businesses that aren't showing up in local search results are undoubtedly missing out on valuable revenue.
To help businesses ramp up their mobile and local initiatives, Website Magazine has compiled a list of five strategies for connecting local brick-and-mortar businesses with mobile traffic. Check them out below:
Local Listings
Listing your business on local directory websites has always been a good idea because it provides brands with better visibility on the Web, but with the growth of mobile, this task is more important than ever. This is because most smartphone users occasionally leverage their devices for finding nearby businesses while on the go, and luckily, most local listing sites - such as Google Places, Foursquare and Yelp - display mobile optimized results when consumers conduct searches for nearby businesses.
Local Advertising
Fervent mobile Web users run across many mobile ads during the course of the day, but if you're a local business, you can make your advertisements stand out by adding a regional flair and targeting them to reach nearby consumers. This ensures that mobile users are seeing ads that are actually relevant to them (based on their locations while they're out and about), which in turn makes it more likely that they'll pay attention to your ad and see what you have to offer.
Local Deals
Running promotions with daily deal websites is a good strategy for driving local brick-and-mortar traffic because deal service providers, such as Groupon or Living Social, not only help businesses promote their deals, but also have a mobile-optimized version of their site that enables customers to discover local deals directly from their mobile devices. Additionally, the most well known daily deal providers typically offer mobile applications, which provide customers with a second option for finding local deals on their smartphones and tablets.
Local Loyalty
While using larger agencies to promote deals can be helpful, it can also be problematic when dealing with local shoppers because businesses aren't using their own customer lists. By offering sign up bonuses or deals for contact information like mobile phone numbers, businesses can foster a relationship with customers and use their information to keep in touch through text message alerts that include information about upcoming promotions, or even exclusive loyalty customer deals.
Local Mobile Optimization
One can't talk about the mobile Web without stressing the importance of optimizing your site to render across all devices and still be workable for consumers. If you're a locally focused business, it's also a good idea to take this a step further and consider adding special local landing pages to your mobile site that provide unique information (promotions, directions, contact information, etc.) to the visitor based on their location to make their experience on your mobile site more useful.
