Web Presence: Apps, Websites, and Advertising

According to a study done by Pew Research, “59 percent of U.S. adults over 18 [are] now using wireless devices regularly. The Pew Center surveyed 2252 people asking them about their daily online habits and how often they access the Internet using a laptop's Wi-Fi or mobile broadband connection, or via a mobile device.”

With 59% of U.S. adults engaging in wireless devices, it is imperative for marketers to take notice—and many have. E-mail marketing for instance is a way to reach consumers easily, and is cost friendly. Now more and more people are not leaving home without their mobile phones.

According to Moto Message, “over 90% of text messages sent are opened and read by your customers in 15 minutes. No other advertising medium has that relationship with the consumer.” So how can you start implementing a better web presence on both a cell phone and other mobile devices?

Social Media

Say what you want about social media, but Old Spice seemed to hit the nail on the head with their Old Spice guy ads. Not only did their Youtube videos go viral, they were updating their channel in real time—addressing people’s tweets and Reddit comments. Social media experts preach about engaging with your audience and keeping the conversation going, and this is one example that takes that advice and runs with it.

If you are a B2B company, doing something similar to the Old Spice strategy may not work. If your clients aren’t engaging, you would be talking to yourself—and I don’t think anyone wants to do that. Do some research before diving into social media, to see if it is a viable option for your company.

Apps

TechCrunch reports that, “there’s a ton of opportunity for corporations to tap into this vast audience with mobile apps, research2guidance [the company who executed the study] adds, according to its research only 10% of Fortune 2000 companies are targeting their customers with a smartphone application to date.”

Much like social media, apps are something not to just dive into. You need some careful planning and need to decide on what you want to gain from your app. Do you want to buff up your opt-in email list? Keep customers up to date on sales and promotions? Or do you want both.

There are free services as well as paid services to get an app up and running. Sites like MobileAppLoader, Mobile Roadie, MyAppBuilder, Mother App, and Sweb Apps are just a few of many options available.

Website

If social media campaigns and apps aren’t your cup of tea, you need to make sure your website is up to par. Having a blog and taking care of the content available on your website is a must. The best way to get your rankings up in search is to have unique content that people find interesting. If they like what they find, more than likely they will continue to visit—and tell people about your site. PPC campaigns are also a great way to get traffic to your site. But again you need to be skilled, or the campaigns will end up costing more than they are generating in revenue.

Let us know about what ways you are using the web to gain more exposure for your company in the comments below.

Shannon Suetos is a writer based in San Diego, California. She writes extensively for an online resource that provides expert advice on purchasing and outsourcing decisions for small business owners and entrepreneurs at Resource Nation.