How to Build an Effective Mobile Strategy

When marketing a small business, it's best to cover several bases, including social media, paid search, review sites and, most prominently, mobile. Mobile marketing strategies are ramping up due to the increased consumer use of mobile devices. It's estimated that more than half of consumer time spent online is on mobile devices. It simply isn't good enough to just have a website for your small business these days; you need a site that's optimized for mobile use or even a mobile app.

Most consumers have some sort of mobile device, and desktop usage is declining due to the technological advances made in the mobile industry. As a small business, how do you build an effective mobile strategy? Consider the following tips:

1. Think bigger than apps. With over 25 percent of all smartphone mobile applications made never getting downloaded, it's easier to understand that building an app can't be your whole mobile strategy. If you really want to build an app, go for it. There are plenty of companies out there ready to build the best custom application for your business. Once you grasp how people use their phones for commerce, you have a much better chance of making your mobile strategy work effectively for you.

For example, when consumers look for information about your business, they're most likely to look up your website in their browser or go to a review site or app like Yelp. This means that you need to optimize your site for mobile use so that images and information aren't lost in translation, while also claiming your business on all review sites and filling in all relevant information.

2. Integrate your mobile strategy with social, cloud and the internet. Your mobile strategy should combine elements from your social strategy, your cloud system and the internet. In short, your mobile strategy could go beyond consumer use and become a part of your business plan as a whole. Many retailers are turning to tablets as point-of-sale terminals. And because engagement is such a huge measure of your overall social success, mobile devices are making it easier than ever to constantly stay connected to your followers.

3. Optimize mobile search. Once you've built a mobile-friendly website and decided how mobile you want your business to be, you can begin creating a better mobile experience for your customers. The biggest part of your mobile strategy should be making sure your mobile site is searchable, including local search, social media and mobile search engine optimization. The best way to keep mobile SEO simple is to incorporate responsive design for your mobile site (i.e., your mobile and desktop sites are the same and you don't have to do any extra tracking).

If you have a separate mobile site, you have to do SEO for a whole new site. Google must know that this new version is mobile. Social media is huge for mobile search as well. Eighty percent of people who access a social media platform do so on a mobile device. Ensure the content you share via social media is mobile friendly.

Local search is another large part of any mobile strategy because it pins your stores to a user's specific location, making it easier for them to find you. Be sure to add your retail locations to Google, Bing and Yahoo so that when your business is searched, the location pops up as well.

4. Offer exclusive mobile content. A great way to incentivize customers to use your mobile app or to interact with you via their mobile devices is to offer exclusive mobile content. A lot of businesses offer deals to users who check in on Yelp, which gives their business a huge boost when it comes to local search. If you do decide to build an app for your business, you can also offer exclusive deals and sales via that application. Retailers also send out sale alerts via mobile apps or emails.

Mobile is big and only getting bigger, so you NEED to adopt a mobile strategy now. The first step should be building a mobile website. Decide how much work and time you want to put into your mobile marketing strategy before you commit to any apps, deals or content.

Victoria Treyger is the chief marketing officer of Kabbage, an online financing corporation that provides working capital to small businesses.