Small business owners may want to consider taking out a merchant cash advance to update their mobile technology and stay ahead of the competition. According to a new poll by Constant Contact, 66 percent of small business owners are using a mobile device such as a smartphone or tablet for business purposes, and mobile marketing is only expected to continue growing.
Mobile devices become commonplace, boost marketing
According to the Constant Contact poll, 34 percent of small businesses have a mobile-optimized website and 18 percent use a payment point-of-sale system that is mobile or tablet-based. In addition, out of all the smaller companies that maintain a mobile-friendly website, 71 percent accept mobile payments and 97 percent also utilize mobile social media sites. Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Pinterest were the top social media sites small business owners said they used to market their business.
“It’s encouraging that a majority of small businesses recognize that their customers are relying more than ever on their mobile devices to find information, look for deals and even to make purchases,” said Joel Hughes, senior vice president of strategy and corporate development at Constant Contact. “That said, small business owners are still getting their sea legs, so it’s not surprising that they’re leading with two areas where they have a solid track record of success with customer engagement: social media and email.”
Because statistics show people log onto their smartphones and tablets regularly, having a website that is mobile-optimized, as well as setting up email and social media pages that are mobile-friendly may help a small business reach more people while they are on the go.
Mobile use expected to remain prevalent
When appealing to new customers, it’s more important than ever small businesses engage in mobile marketing, considering the widespread use and effectiveness of the medium. According to Anchor Mobile, $20 billion is spent on mobile marketing each year in the United States. Presently, 271 million U.S. adults use a mobile device. About 88 percent use their device to get discounts and 70 percent expressed interest in getting discounted offers through their mobile phones.
According to recent statistics from the Interactive Advertising Bureau, mobile ad revenue reached 3.4 billion last year. As other statistics indicate mobile marketing is expected to grow to $22 billion by 2016, small business owners who have not already done so may want to consider investing in updating their mobile technology. Small businesses that need some additional financing to pay for their mobile marketing efforts can contact National Funding to find out if equipment leasing or a merchant cash advance will work for them.
