8 Essential Marketing Strategies for Any Mobile Service Business

This article about marketing strategies for your mobile service business is by Jessica Barrett Halcom, a writer for TechnologyAdvice.com. She specializes in human resources, healthcare, and transportation. She holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin, Green Bay and currently lives in Nashville, TN.

Marketing Strategies for Your Mobile Service Business

Having a mobile service business has plenty of advantages; potentially no brick and mortar, flexible hours, less overhead — but it can also create a few disadvantages as well. One of the biggest challenges mobile service business owners face is helping their customers find out where they are and how to find them.

When we think about adopting marketing strategies, we need to consider those that are unique to a mobile service business. It’s important to find ways to brand your business so that it becomes synonymous with your service or product in the minds of your customers.

Luckily, because of today’s connected world, marketing and communication have significantly transformed the way we not only do business but how we let people know we’re in business. It also means that some of our marketing efforts can be implemented immediately. Here are eight essential marketing strategies for any mobile service business.

1. Get Social

For a mobile business, social media is one of the most critical marketing strategies you’ll need to utilize. It’s important to help keep customers updated in real time. Utilize platforms like Twitter, Facebook, Foursquare and Instagram to engage followers.

One of the keys to having a strong social media presence is to stay active. Respond to customer comments and keep your social media sites updated regularly. Include photos of what’s going on in your daily business. For example, if you have a food truck, post pictures of your daily special, or if you have a pet grooming business, by all means – show your customers pics of those cute puppies!

2. Blogging

While blogging can be a bit more time consuming, and you may need to hire someone or outsource this work, it’s an effective way of establishing yourself as an expert in your field. Be sure that your blog is fun and interesting to read, and that your posts are helpful and relevant to your business.

The key to a good blog is to make your customers and readers want to keep returning to your site. As with social platforms, it’s important to be actively engaged on your blog as well.

3. Contests and Giveaways

The reason contests and giveaways are a popular option is because they generate a lot of attention and keep customers’ eyes on your business. You can run simple contests and giveaways by promoting them on social media. The idea behind a contest is to keep your brand front and center. You can give away products or services and make a big deal about the winner.

4. Word of Mouth

It might seem strange to see someone standing on the side of the road flipping a sign, rather than just sticking it in the ground. But we always notice the guy with the sign. The same goes for a person dressed in a costume, or like a mascot, holding said sign or balloons.

Having coupons or promoting a sale brings attention to your business and helps spread awareness about your services by good old-fashioned word of mouth.

5. Attend Community Events

Getting plugged into your local community is essential for any business owner, but especially for mobile businesses. Reserve space at community events so that you can be there to run a promotion or give away free products or coupons. Also, consider things like sponsoring local sports teams who will wear your logo on their jerseys.

If you need ideas, pull some sample customer information from your customer relationship management tool (CRM — go here for great recommendations of mobile service CRM) and do a little internet research. What do your customers like on Facebook? Perhaps send out a poll via email.

6. Optimize Your Site for Local

Your customers are largely mobile because today’s culture largely is. Take advantage of this by optimizing your site for local. When customers do a search for “cleaning services near me” your site should be one of the first options they see.

You can also look into geofencing which allows you to send a notification to smartphone users within your area who are looking for what you’ve got. For example, you could text message a notification such as, “get one room free when you book your cleaning within the next 24 hours”.

7. Use Push Notifications

There’s no need to worry about push notifications being too, well, pushy. Users need to “opt in” to accepting push notifications, so they’re expecting to receive them from you. This is a way to increase traffic while creatively engaging with customers in quick, fun ways.

It’s also a simple way to build up your brand. Use push notifications as a way to show off your quirky, fun side.

8. Use SMS Marketing

If you haven’t already navigated the waters of short message service (SMS) marketing, more commonly referred to as text messages, there are several software options on the market to help you out. This is a fast, immediate way to connect with customers. You’ll also be able to quickly track the success of your SMS campaign. You’ll know many users opened your message and then took action.

As you work to develop your own mobile marketing strategy, don’t lose sight of your audience. Meet them where they are. Your customers are also mobile, so use this to your advantage by optimizing your website and focusing on your social media presence.

The key to successful marketing strategies for your mobile service business is to create brand awareness. Stay engaged with your customers online and in your communities. It will keep your products and services top of mind.

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