Caribbean businesses are not catering to the digital/mobile consumer as they should. Here are three pro tips to become more mobile-focussed.

 

Last week, the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ) shared the results of Mobile Consumer Survey for Jamaica it had commissioned. Key findings of the exercise included the following:

  • Millennial consumer behaviour is being shaped by the widespread adoption of smartphones and the Internet
  • Social and instant messaging apps, such as Facebook and WhatsApp, are almost ubiquitous on all mobile consumers’ phones
  • Media consumption habits have rapidly switched from traditional to digital, mobile and social media. (Sources: The Gleaner; Loop Jamaica)

The survey findings confirmed trends Jamaican businesses are already experiencing, which led PSOJ Chief Executive Officer, Dennis Chung, to express

The rapid digitisation of business is something that has caught many of us off guard and that’s why the PSOJ wanted to gather these insights for our members… Digital transformation and big data are impacting all Jamaican businesses from agriculture to finance and we must know how to react to stay competitive here and abroad. There is a huge opportunity if we move to grasp it.

(Sources:  Loop Jamaica)

One of the areas in which businesses have been lagging behind is capitalising on consumer access through mobile/cellular phones. Those who are regular readers of ICT Pulse would know that mobile/cellular phones virtually universal across the Caribbean, which establishes a direct channel through which to engage every device owner.

Having said this, a criticism that has been leveled at many business, including those in the Caribbean, is that they are resistant to change (Source:  Barbados Today). Although there are dozens of mobile marketing tips businesses should implement for better engage consumers, especially millennials, which can also result in improved sales, here we highlight the top three.

1.  Develop Mobile Marketing Strategy

Due to the major change in mindset  that would be needed within the organisation, and in the first instance, preparation of a mobile marketing strategy is strongly recommended. In developing the strategy – and if it is done well – there would be a greater appreciation of not just all of the moving parts that would need to be coordinated, but also the broad range of opportunities across the various media for promotion and engagement. Essentially, we are moving the business from just a one-line ‘strategy’ about posting more to their social networks, to a comprehensive approach that focusses on engaging the digital, and more specifically, the ‘mobile-first’ consumer.

2.  Make your company website mobile-friendly

For many businesses, developing their websites turned out to be more challenging than expected, and since its launch, little or no resources have been assigned to keep it current and updated. However new features and technologies are continually being released, the majority of which aim to improve the user experience. It therefore comes as no surprise the many company websites are not optimised for today’s consumer, particularly those who view a lot of content on their mobile/cellular devices – such as millennials.

In having a mobile-friendly website, the layout, along with all of the text and images, automatically adjusts to be viewed on smaller screens. As a result, the website is still functional, attractive, and easy to navigate, which will encourage users to not only visit, but also stay on the site to find what they need.

3. Use text message marketing

In all of the focus on social media, it is easy to overlook a more basic – still powerful channel: text messaging. Short messaging service (SMS), offered by mobile/cellular providers, or Internet-driven instant messaging, such as WhatsApp, Skype and Viber, to name a few, are channels, which have been built for mobile/cellular phones.

Text messaging provides businesses with a medium not only for broadcast messaging, but more crucially, a direct connection to each user, and thus the potential for personalised engagement with each consumer. Further, in addition to being inexpensive, that is SMS, increasingly, mobile/cellular providers, especially those in the Caribbean, have been offering their subscribers with free access to some of those instant messaging services, thus driving their take-up and use.

 

Image credit:  Pexels

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