There are more mobile internet users than that of desktop and this is what makes mobile one of the most effective marketing mediums. Let’s have a quick look at some interesting stats from the mobile industry.

• 56% of mobile users in the US own a smartphone and 35% have tablets.
• 25% of smartphone users use mobile coupons for online shopping.
• 58% of typical shoppers are completely comfortable with mobile ads.
• About 60% of typical shoppers update their shopping lists as a result of mobile advertising influence.
• 34% shoppers change preference as a result of something recommended by friends.

So, the mobile and the social media together make a hotspot for any small business to increase their revenues throughout the year and especially during the holidays.

Does your business have a mobile marketing strategy for holidays?

Don’t worry if you do not have one; follow the list below to kickstart effective mobile marketing these holidays. Even if you have a mobile marketing plan for holidays, use this checklist to confirm that you are not missing anything.

1- Optimize your website for mobile and make sure to have a responsive website.

2- SMS is still popular.

3- Take advantage of mobile ad targeting through Google Adword.

4- Offer mobile coupons for holidays.

5- Add the mobile payment experience.

6- Timing is very important. 56% people read promotional stuff while relaxing.

7- Re-targeting is essential; Google & Facebook ads offer better re-targeting, however, a careful analysis of your website traffic can help you re-target through email campaigns as well.

8- Keep things simple; the size of the mobile device doesn’t get good with long promotional messages.

9- The subject line plays a vital role; have multiple subject lines.

10- Create an A/B split test on multiple subject lines and then watch in real time as variations go head-to-head to quickly see which email campaign performs the best.

11- Get short yet effective call to actions.

12- Offer mobile exclusive deals.

13- Integrate social sharing with your mobile campaigns.

14- Must measure the effectiveness of each campaign to improve the upcoming ones.

The above mentioned items do not need any additional investment, and can easily be incorporated into your existing marketing strategy, however, if you have a separate budget for mobile marketing, you may consider any or all of the following:

• Specialized holiday mobile app.
• Gamifying your mobile marketing campaigns with a gaming app.
• Partner with an existing popular game from your industry and integrate holiday rewards.

Whatever the mobile marketing strategy you develop for holidays, make sure to research the behavior of your target audience through industry reports, your own website traffic, previous sales and the current trends.

The more you know about them, the more effective campaigns you create and the better they perform.

Statistics source: Adweek