What the rise of mobile search means for your business

Very quickly, let’s recap the two statistics presented in the overview of hyperlocal marketing in the first article of this series, because they provide a foundation for understanding what emphasis on the marketing strategy can do:

In 2014 (for the first time ever) there were more mobile searches than desktop searches. Furthermore, according to the Global Web Index, 80% of adults online have a smartphone, and nearly 50% have a tablet.

It doesn’t take a seasoned marketing strategist to figure this one out, but I’ll just come right out and say it: you’re going to need a responsive website. Failure to adopt a website that can scale to a mobile device is going to cut off a huge portion of potential customers. So what exactly are you giving up by not having a responsive website?

Brace yourself, here comes the numbers.
According to a Google/Nielsen study, 45% of mobile searches have goals. What kind of goals? Well, when people mobile search, they are:

• 30% more likely to visit a retailer’s website
• 57% more likely to visit a store
• 51% more likely to make a purchase
• 39% more likely to call a business

As discussed in the local directories article of this series, setting up your business online involves listing it among as many relevant business directories as possible. But it doesn’t end there. The data above tells us that those searches are going to land customers on your website. The following statistics (a store visit, a purchase or a call) are the results of optimizing your marketing strategy for mobile search.

Lastly, another (often overlooked) advantage of a responsive website is the value of the data it collects. In addition to landing goal-oriented local customers, your responsive website will yield more detailed search analytics—the perfect ammunition for getting the greatest return on investment for your marketing budget. The collection of data such as how often the website is visited, how long it’s visited, how much new traffic versus repeat traffic and from which devices it is being accessed (mobile, tablet, desktop, etc.) is going to be very valuable in the hands of marketing consultants who can help you test and optimize the best hyperlocal marketing strategy for your business.

At the end of the day, failing to embrace mobile search will result in your business missing out on a large percentage of prospective customers. A hyperlocal strategy that fully optimizes the power of a responsive website is going to yield much more customers than the local competition. And this isn’t just hearsay on a company blog, this is marketing strategy based on easy-to-understand data. You don’t need to be a statistician or an analytics specialist to crack this code. The writing is on the wall: A responsive website is a necessary tool for attracting local customers.

Check out the other stories in our Hyperlocal Series:
Hyperlocal Marketing Series #1: How to Connect With Your Best Customers
Hyperlocal Marketing Series #2: Local Directories
Hyperlocal Marketing Series #4: Social Media
Hyperlocal Marketing Series #5: Loyalty Programs

Article written by Merrell Sheehan, posted by SB