Mobile strategies to grow your business

Chukwuemeka Fred Agbata Jnr.

The world keeps evolving at a super-sonic speed, thanks to technological innovation. The Vice Chairman of Toyato, Fujio Cho, said, “If you are not busy reinventing your company, I guarantee you are falling backwards.”

Cho’s comment is galvanising enough for every organisation to eliminate the conventional boundaries that exist in the business value chain.

In many cases, it is apt to say that advancement in technology has made it possible for businesses to gain access to world-class tools and solutions. Several business processes are now being enhanced and automated in the cloud on digital networks, giving such businesses the freedom to freely innovate and re-invent their processes and models.

It is, therefore, imperative for your business to re-strategise with strong consideration for disruptive technologies and tools of the fourth industrial revolution. Here are nine ways to boost your business this year, using mobile solutions:

1. Automate your business

Business process automation is a sure way to manage information, processes and data with technology in order to reduce costs. Ascend2 marketing automation trends study found that 85 per cent of marketing influencers described their marketing technology strategy as successful and of these, 30 per cent described it as very successful when compared to competitors.

In other words, to improve your sales in 2018, the first step you need to take is to automate various tasks. You can start with automating your outgoing emails including follow up emails, scheduling emails, reminders, blog emails and lead nurturing emails, using mailchimp, infusionsoft and hubspot as a lot of mails go out from your business daily. Automate as much as you can but make sure that the emails still feel personal.

2. Focus on mobile users

Africa mobile subscriptions and Internet penetration report released by Jumia in 2017 reveals that there are 960 million mobile subscriptions across Africa – an 80 per cent penetration rate among the continent’s population.

Internet penetration is at 18 per cent with 216 million Internet users. While Nigeria’s Internet penetration is much higher at 53 per cent, it’s mobile subscription is similar to Africa’s at 81 per cent penetration (150 million mobile subscriptions). These are where your customers are talking about your brand. You need to meet them there.

3. Equip your sales team with mobile tools

As the Executive Director, Sidmach Technologies, Mike Olajide, would say, “With increase in broadband penetration, year 2018 will witness increased BYOD (Bring Your Own Device), cloud computing and other enterprise solutions that will unleash industry 4.0.”

Some of the tools required include smartphones, laptops and tablets or phablets. This is crucial in empowering your team for constant and instant response to clients’ requests. Nothing discourages a client more than delayed response. If you must do business in the jet age, behave like a pilot in charge.

4. Use QR codes to engage customers

Online marketing and SEO consultant, Peter Semple, gives two case studies showing how small businesses can do this. In one instance, a savvy auto mechanic sent out a direct mail piece with a QR code allowing customers to download his mobile app. In another, a local promotional clothing company offers customers a protective sleeve for wireless credit cards. On the sleeve is printed a QR code to the company’s mobile store.

5. Leverage data capturing tools

Businesses are leveraging data collected along every point of the customer journey to increase their leads. This information may include mobile app usage, digital clicks, interactions on social media and more, all contributing to a data fingerprint that is completely unique to its owner.

A useful app, BioRegistra, enables individuals and companies to create and dynamically configure and capture projects, which would be used for data verification, reporting, identification of any sort, i.e., human, animal, plant, automobile, object capture, etc.

It is useful for individuals and small-sized businesses that cannot afford the high cost and complexities involved in deploying a data capture/enrolment solution. It is a low cost, easy to use, online data capture system usable in every sector and by everyone.

6. Deploy Chatbot

Bot as a software performs an automated task. You should, however, be more concerned with bots that live in chat platforms called chatbots. A bot is software that can have a conversation with a human, e.g. a user could ask the bot a question or give it an instruction and the bot could provide suggested responses or perform an appropriate action in a timely manner. Also, consider voicemail, CallerID, conference bridges and more.

7. Make your website more mobile friendly

Get your webmaster to make the website function very easy for mobile users to view. One way to accomplish this is to simplify your web design so it is easier to view on a smaller screen like the one on a smartphone. Another is to create a special mobile version of your site designed specifically with mobile visitors in mind.

8. Mobile meets social media apps

Mirror your business as a digital marketing company. Okay, when you are building a new list of leads, you want to include small businesses that are the most likely to take to your business presentation and your products/services.

As apps can provide many specific benefits, you want to zoom in on businesses that can take advantage of these benefits. Now, a mobile app can help them increase reviews and improve their star rating on Google, Yelp, Facebook, and Tripadvisor.

So, when conducting online research for new leads, look for local businesses that have poor ratings or don’t have reviews at all. When you then reach out to the small business with this pitch, they will be able to see the benefit of what you are selling almost immediately.

9. Deploy mobile apps for management tasks

A study by email marketing company, Constant Contact, found that small businesses are using mobile apps for a host of management activities and they, most often, use apps for activities like scheduling, time management, customer communications, GPS, mapping, accounting and invoicing. Apps, such as Asana, Trello, Slack and Evernote will help you to achieve this.

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