Let me start with why the first two steps I am going to share with you are not optional. It is quite simply because the choice to interact via mobile is not in your control, it is literally in the hands of your customer. It is their decision whether to visit your website using their phone, tablet or their desktop computer. If they choose to use their phone and your site is not mobile friendly, then you lose.

Same goes with checking email. If they happen to check email using mobile and your email is too big and bulky to be read easily on the small screen, then it is your email that is ignored. The choice of using mobile is theirs, not yours. Not optional, see what I mean?

Three Steps to Mobilize Your Business:

1. Mobilize your website.

Yes, you need to create a mobile version of your website even if you think that smartphones make mobile websites unnecessary. First of all, smartphones are not yet the majority of phones. In the US the smartphone adoption rate is only 35% as of the end of 2011. It is only 30% in Canada. (See Tomi Ahonen’s blog post about smartphone adoption rates for details.) If you do live somewhere where smartphone adoption is much higher, keep reading to see the second reason you need a mobile site.

Secondly, even though smartphone browsers are, for the most part, powerful enough to serve up a desktop site it doesn’t mean that these desktop sites are easy enough to see and/or use on a mobile screen. It is always smart to give mobile visitors an experience that is customized to their mobile device and the choice to use the desktop version if they would rather.

• Short paragraphs that make it easy to read
• The information that your visitors need when they are mobile (hours, location, etc.) prominently featured
• Small sized graphics that don’t take a long time to download
• Calls-to-action that work well on mobile (click-to-call, links that go to mobile commerce enabled pages, etc.)
• All of this powered by a mobile platform that detects when the visiting device is a mobile one and serves up the mobile site

2. Make your email marketing mobile friendly.

Quick poll: Do you ever check your email on your mobile phone? Yes, you do, I’m willing to bet on it. And so do your customers. Most of them probably do on a daily basis. Let me ask you this: what happens if the email you so carefully crafted and designed doesn’t even open on their phone? Or when it does it is unreadable?

You know as well as I do that people don’t have time to read their email twice, much less once. So your one chance at getting your email read is to have it opened and read the first time it is encountered. The best way to make sure that happens is to send every email out as if it will be opened on mobile.

A few tips about mobilizing your email:

• Don’t send multiple column HTML emails filled with lots of graphics
• Instead, keep your email design simple. Consider following the principles of “skinny email” as written about here.
• Remember that any calls to action you have in email should also work on mobile.

3. Build an opt-in SMS text messaging list.

If you are seeking a way to reach past your customers’ crowded email in boxes using a mobile technology that provides relevant value in a hyper timely fashion, you need to look no further than text messaging. Building an opt-in SMS list at this point in time is analogous to beginning an email list in the mid 1990s. The businesses that did it first and did it well reaped great rewards. You have that chance right now.

While email open rates plummet (ironically, even though we are all checking our email on mobile devices) SMS messages are seen instantly or nearly so. And because so few businesses have an SMS list built yet, you have the chance to be one of the few businesses with direct access to your customers wherever they are.

Since I am so avidly against mobile spam in all its forms, I have to say that it is important that you fully understand that any text messaging you send to customers must be done with explicit permission. This is not the post to go into this in detail, just know that it is critical to stay completely above board with text messaging.

A few thoughts about starting an SMS text messaging list:

• The only way to build a list is to launch a campaign that your customers will opt into.
• You must entice them to sign up with a compelling offer – a reason to sign up: a special discount, something for free, information they can only get via mobile, etc.
• When sending out your text messages you want to include a strong call to action, something worth their time and attention and all the details they need to move forward.

attention and all the details they need to move forward.

ACTION STEPS:

• Request a free mobile marketing blueprint by calling 1-877-211-0202

In addition, social media sites and video go hand in hand and most sites encourage video posting and sharing. The viral video opportunities are endless when you use the right strategies to create and post your videos online.

If you’re new to video, or have been thinking about flipping on your camera for the first time, here are some tips and strategies to get you going.

Six Quick Tips to Optimize Your Videos

Once you record your video, follow these tips to make sure it reaches your core audience and gets the views it deserves.

#1: Make your title count

Just like a headline to a blog post, video titles can pull powerful traffic.  There are two main reasons why the title is so important.  One, a great title can instantly grab a viewer’s attention.  Two, when you use the appropriate keywords in your title, you are more likely to show up on search engines when people are searching for your topic.  And remember Google owns YouTube, so there’s a story connection between video and searching.

#2: Provide excellent content

Take some time to think about your ideal viewer.  What do you know that they’ll find valuable?  What can you teach them?  “How-to” videos are extremely successful because not only do they offer great value to your viewer, but also you’re able to showcase your knowledge and skill, thus positioning yourself as an expert.  This is key as you continue to grow your brand.

Also, no matter how good your content is, it won’t matter if your video is too long and you lose your viewer’s attention.  Try to keep them short.

In late 2009, ComScore reported that the average video was 3.8 minutes in length.

#3: Include your URL in your video

When you edit your video, take advantage of the different editing features.  One easy feature is to add a text box to your video.  This is where you can display your website address and it’s a great way to get exposure.

Here’s a screen shot of Mari Smith’s YouTube channel.  Notice how she used a text box in her video to display key information, including her website URL at the end of her video.  Smart move!

How to Supercharge Your Videos

To make sure your video stands out above all the clutter on the web, here are a few strategies that will give your videos an extra boost.

1. Create a Campaign: To get noticed, think beyond stand-alone videos.  For greater reach and exposure, create a series of content-rich videos that you publish regularly.  Not only will this create a great synergy around your content, but it will also allow you to build upon your brand identity as each video is released.
2. Always Include a Call to Action: Never miss the opportunity to ask your viewers to take some type of action at the end of your video.  You can ask them to sign up for your newsletter, go to a specific website, leave a comment about your video or visit your blog.  If your video is good, you’ll likely have their full attention; make sure to take advantage of it!
3. Don’t Make a Sales Pitch: There is a lot of sales clutter on the web and you want to make sure you come out above this.  There is nothing wrong with selling your products or services, but use your video to define a problem, discuss solutions and support others—when you combine the three, your video will attract the right following.

ACTION STEPS:

• Request a free video marketing blueprint by calling 1-877-211-0202
• Hire us to do your video production

Social Media is here to stay. It’s the new word of mouth machine that drives customer perceptions and purchasing decisions.  Your business needs to be actively involved in the conversation.

That’s where we come in.  The expert team of social media consultants at Maximize Social Media provides complete social media solutions that generate a positive return on your investment.

Here’s a few of the things we can do for you:

Social Media Management Across Multiple Platforms

It all starts here.  We establish your presence on those social networks that will provide the most benefit to your business.  Options include Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, Pinterest, FourSquare and many others.

Social Media Consulting That Turns Fans Into Customers

Put our expertise to work for you.  Our analysts are social media gurus that have years of experience in growing internet audiences by entertaining and educating customers.  A social media consultant works with all of our clients to plan a strategy that will not just bring in fans, but will generate real leads and build brand loyalty.

Publish Fresh Interactive Content Daily

Making the most of social media requires regular activity.  We do that for you so you can focus on running your business.  Car dealership? Restaurant? Insurance Agency? Dentist? We operate in over 40 different verticals and will assign an experienced community manager to your account.

Custom Campaigns Utilizing Facebook Applications

Take your Facebook page to another level of professionalism.  Our Facebook applications greatly enhance the look of your site and add another level of interactivity for your customers.  Run polls, add coupons, and embed your YouTube videos and Pinterest images directly into your Facebook page for easy access.  Our developers can make it happen.

Social Media Marketing Turns Prospects Into Customers

Social networking isn’t just about talking.  It’s about generating leads for your business.  We manage sophisticated lead capture campaigns that involve not just fans or tweets but also include e-mail addresses, names and addresses of prospects, as well as cellular phone numbers.  This data is then provided to you so that your business can turn prospects into customers.

Social Media Marketing Agency That Provides Analytics

We gather business intelligence by tracking the effectiveness of individual campaign elements.  We can capture what customers like, share, and retweet.  We see who and where they are.  Every month, you’ll receive analysis of this data from our team.  Our results are proven.  We invite you to contact us for a free strategy session so that we can assist you in generating more traffic, more leads, and ultimately more customers.

ACTION STEPS:

• Sign up on Facebook, Twitter, Pintrest etc and reserve your username
• Request a free social media blueprint by calling 1-877-211-0202

Online reputation management is a facet of local internet marketing that combines public relations with
positive internet visibility. Being aware of how your company is represented across the internet
and knowing how these representations affect you is essential to the health of your online presence.

Keeping a close watch on your customer’s feedback is as important as having a business plan. In today’s social media thrived society, it is a major hassle to keep up with the “word of mouth”. Anyone can post a blog or status about your company. In the likelihood of today it’s more likely a disgruntled employee than a raving fan.

It is essential to keeping up with your online presence as online defamation can tremendously impact your company’s image.
Not to mention cost you thousands per month robbing your bottom line erroneously.

The main strategy of online management is to have all the highest ranking testimonials and/or reviews posted on page 1 of all the major search engines. It is a proven fact that even when people research via a search engine, they are less likely to browse past the first page results.

With Our Reputation Management Firm you have an entire network of strategist monitoring your brand. This is how we ensure customer satisfaction.

When setting-up a Reputation Repair Campaign, We are scanning the web for any and all acknowledgments of your company in the following categories.

*Review Sites

*Blogs

*Scam Reports

& Much More

ACTION STEPS:

• Call us Today to get your Complimentary Reputation Audit & Analysis 1-877-211-0202