The world is going mobile and in the near future more people will view the web from their phone than their desktop. Auto Dealers are starting to leverage the mobile platform. Auto Dealers need a strong mobile presence that is dynamic and reflects the values of their dealership and brand so that they can engage with customers on the go.For Auto Dealers the mobile platform is the biggest opportunity. Today millions of consumers are turning to mobile technologies and mobile phones instead of PCs.

Mobile use has been exploding. Let’s see what Google Stats says….

• Mobile is growing faster than the internet did, with more internet users on mobile than desktop in LESS THAN 5 years.

• The mobile web is the most cost effective way to launch your mobile presence. By building a mobile web application, you can build once and deploy across all the major operating platforms: iPhone, Android, Blackberry etc.

• 77% have contacted a business, with 61% calling and 59% visiting the local business

• 79% of smartphone consumers use their phones to help with shopping, from comparing prices, finding more product info to locating a dealership

• 70% use their smartphones while in the store, reflecting varied purchase paths that often begin online or on their phones and brings consumers to the store

• Consumers are using mobile phones more than ever for information, news, entertainment, shopping, retail and research purposes.

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Mobile marketing has become a broad term today. Auto Dealerships wanting to leverage the mobile platform. The increasing use and dependence of consumers on their smartphones is not going unnoticed. Auto dealers have either started or are planning to establish a mobile presence. The simple fact is – mobile marketing can be very effective.

Here are 5 ways Auto Dealers can target their mobile customers

1. Mobile Website

2. QR Codes

3. SMS Marketing

4. Google Mobile Ads

Last but important – 5. Mobile Apps

Mobile Website

Create a mobile version of your online website. A mobile website is easy to build and will give your dealership a presence on all smartphones.

– Put your location, working hours, inventory, deals, discounts, offers, etc on your mobile website.

QR Codes

QR codes are physical 2D bar codes that, when scanned with a mobile app takes the user to a mobile landing page.

Auto dealers can use QR codes on all sales stickers – to make it easy for consumers to research the vehicles and get more information.

That way if a customer comes on a dealer lot after the dealership is closed – he/she will still get all the information.

SMS Marketing

Getting started with SMS mobile marketing is fast and cost effective.

(a) According to recent research from comScore, 68.1 percent of U.S. mobile subscribers used text messaging on their mobile device in January.

(b) Leverage your existing customer database and web opt-in programs and make SMS mobile marketing part of your mobile marketing strategy.

(c) Send out coupons/deals/specials to your customers via SMS.

Google Mobile Ads

Consumers are increasingly relying on mobile search information. Businesses can connect with consumers while they search on-the-go.

(a) Your ads appear beside related mobile search results or across mobile content

(b) Users can click on your ads and you can send them your mobile optimzed website.

Mobile Apps

A mobile app can help auto dealers to generate car sales, special offers on cars, new updates regarding inventory, even customers can check your inventory, schedule service appointments and give service feedback. Today’s customers like to get the information quickly and conveniently. Mobile apps can be the communication tool between auto dealers and their potential customers.

Having a mobile presence and being found via mobile search is just the starting point. Auto dealers need to reverse engineer these statistics and make sure they are engaging, serving and communicating with customers on each of the above points.

The reason this article’s sub heading is “the not so new marketing technique is because mobile business is so ever green and there such a huge untapped market that it seems to be very much new but in fact was started just over a decade ago. It is said that mobile marketing began in the year 2000 with free text messages that were sponsored by advertising. So it is not a new marketing technique nor is it old. Mobile Marketing campaigns seriously kicked off about 6years ago and became available to average people like you and me officially about 2years ago.

Let me give you some little facts and figures. In 2009 it is said that there were 4.6 Billion people with cell phones (note, that was in 2009), compared to those with a computer that totalled to an average of 1.7 Billion which is 19.1% of the worlds’ population at that time.

I know you’re asking yourself what percentage of the worlds’ people in 2009 used mobile phones then. I even had to start another paragraph for this one, 51.47%!!!!! That was 3 years ago, in the year 2006 mobile advertising rose from 4.61 billion and is estimated be researchers to reach a whooping 2.8 billion in 2015. If this not the marketing technique of the future i don’t know what is.

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If you have started a local mobile marketing business congratulations because mobile marketing is expected to increase 65% annually from now until the year 2015, some say by then it would have increased by 625% which sounds more accurate because at the rate people are increasingly buying cellular phones.

1. Texting Sales to Local Businesses – the quickest and easiest to start

2. Mobile Website Design – terrific if you already do website design

3. Mobile Marketing Consulting – a more comprehensive, full service business

4. Virtual Assistance for Mobile Marketing – will soon be great demand for this service

5. Local Business Listing Service – simple service to offer to get your foot in the door

6. Mobile Affiliate Marketing – if you already do affiliate marketing this is perfect

7. Building and Selling Apps – awesome if you know software sales

8. Monetizing Mobile Content – great if you are already generating ad revenue from

Content

Text message marketing for local businesses i would say is the easiest way to get started on mobile marketing because it is inexpensive and very easy to learn if your completely new to mobile marketing as all one needs to know how to do is send a text basically.

There are more types of mobile marketing methods that are in my blog at http://mobilemarketingage.weebly.com/mobile-marketing-age-blog.html to get more information on the different types of mobile marketing and to find out different marketing campaigns that one can engage in.

If you just started a business or want to go into business for yourself it is advisable to have the best and the very latest of marketing techniques, strategies and tools at your disposal thus the reason i write this article to expose you to all the different and vast potentials that mobile marketing has to offer in the world of business today both for coprates and individuals. 

Easily and cheaply get started on mobile marketing today.