Bringing Down the Mobile Curtain: Local Presence for Mobile Search

In this ever-connected society, all businesses and brands must focus in on a local and mobile-centric approach to marketing. Competition is stiff and making it to the first page of Google, the Snack Pack, and into the hearts and minds of consumers is not an easy feat.

As Street Fight Insights so eloquently pointed out in this research paper, The Mobile Curtain: Optimizing Your Local Presence for Mobile Search:

“In fact, the more ‘local’ a company is, the more there is to lose by not having a mobile plan at play. After all, 90% of U.S. customers have mobile phones, and according to a recent comScore report, tablets and smartphones account for 62% of digital media time spent, with mobile apps representing 54 percent. Consumers are using their mobile phones to find information on where to eat, shop, and be entertained. Businesses that aren’t aware of this local search behavior on mobile are missing out.”

It’s easy to tell a business or brand they need to go mobile and to say that mobile is the new local, but distilling it down into something that can be easily understood and articulated is another story entirely. And that is exactly why I have made this commitment to local and mobile education. And also why Advice Local contracted with Street Fight Insights to compile this important research paper which is available at no cost to the community. But enough about that, let’s get back to the topic at hand.

Bring Down the Mobile Curtain with These 4 Essentials

The first step in bringing down the mobile curtain is to really understand the components involved, then to create a plan and take action. Today we are going to explore four of the essentials that are far too often hidden behind the curtain.

1. Local presence management for search.

Nope, I just couldn’t skip over addressing the importance of consistent and accurate NAP data (Name / Address / Phone Number) and the impact it has in mobile search results. I’ve said it before and will probably say it another 100 times, or until everyone gets their online data right: If a business or brand has inconsistent NAP data online, search engines are less likely to trust that the business is really there, and are less likely to deliver that business as an option to consumers in a search result. You’ll notice that with this statement I did not specifically say “mobile search.” That’s because this impacts all search results, not just mobile. There are lots of tools to help you identify bad data and fix it, such as ours. Run this online visibility report for free.

2. Location data and big data give digital marketers superpowers.

These two things bring targeted marketing campaigns to life. Demographic and psychographic data help businesses to amplify their targeted marketing efforts. One size has never fit all, and that is true in marketing for mobile audiences too. All this data is a great place to start, but there’s another point to consider as well, and that’s device usage. Taking in the whole picture before making marketing decisions is essential.

3. Meet the consumer where they are in their journey.

Mobile is frequently targeted to consumers based on current location, whereas desktop results will be based on things like browsing history and search queries. The goal is to understand where the consumer is in their journey and intersect with them through the right type of content including video, eBooks, tips and tricks that draw them in deeper. Approximately 51 percent of consumers have purchased from a different brand than originally intended, thanks to the useful information encountered in search.

4. Don’t forget about mobile apps.

Even though perceived as an expensive undertaking, a mobile app is an invaluable tool for local businesses to connect to their communities. And it’s getting easier for businesses to create their own mobile app and pay a monthly fee to keep it active. With consumers spending an average of just over three hours per day in applications, it is well worth it. These apps can include features such as sending push notifications, scheduling appointments on the fly, and placing orders for delivery or pickup. Businesses need to make themselves available, at the right time and place, to the right people.

Optimize Your Local Presence to Master the Mobile Space

At this point, I think you get it – mobile is a big deal. And what works for desktop may make for a royal disaster on the smaller platform. If you haven’t already downloaded our sponsored research paper, The Mobile Curtain: Optimizing Your Local Presence for Mobile Search, do it now. The Advice Local team is quite proud of how it turned out.

Mine the data and talk to consumers, find out what they like, what they need, what they hope to accomplish. Then provide that information to them, before they even know they need it, in a mobile-friendly way.

Be sure to come back next week. I’m working on something good that goes right along with this topic.