SMBs Eyeing Mobile, Content Marketing For Future

Last week we told you Google had found mobile “critical” to your marketing efforts and that ignoring mobile made your customers feel like you were ignoring them! And it seems like small businesses owners are ready to heed that warning. A recent study issued by Pontiflex and Borrell Associates found that 72 percent of small business owners plan to increase or maintain mobile marketing spend over the next year. Let’s here it for proactive SMBs! Even more interesting—of the 27 percent who will increase spend, many will do so considerably.

• 42 percent will increase mobile spend by 11-20%
• 20 percent will increase mobile spend by 21-30%

eMarketer believes the significant spend increase is an effort by SMBs to play “catch up” in the area of mobile and to finally go after the growing number of consumers now armed with smartphones. But SMBs aren’t looking to simply become mobile-friendly, they’ll also be seeking to incorporate mobile elements into ad and marketing campaigns over the next year to better attract on-the-go consumers and increase their visibility during crucial buying moments.

But not everyone is on board. Thirty-eight percent of respondents said they’ll wait a little bit longer and have no plans to integrate mobile into the marketing mix within the next year, putting their businesses at risk of falling behind the curve.

Mobile isn’t the only area SMBs will be investing in the next 12 months—content marketing will also see a big push!
eMarketer reports that 55 percent of in-house brand marketers and 58 percent of agencies/consultants will get “bullish” on content marketing in the future as they try to build brand awareness, lead consumers down the conversion funnel, and build customer loyalty. While budgets for content remain fairly small, more and more marketers understand that the content on their site is what will (or will not) allow them to create a connection with their audience. And their eyes are set on doing that.

When it comes to which types of content they’ll most invest in: email newsletters (50 percent), social media posts (46 percent), blog posts (36 percent) and videos (31 percent) were cited as the most effective forms of marketing content. It’s nice to see video making the top four, as adding video to product pages and email campaigns has been repeatedly shown to encourage brand interaction and keep consumers on a site/page longer. Your website is the voice and face of your brand online, and content marketing efforts are vital to help SMBs craft that brand story and keep consumers engaged with them online.

I think both reports from eMarketer show great trends and offer insight into where SMBs are looking to invest their dollars in the coming years. What’s on your agenda? Are you among the business owners looking to buckle down on mobile and content, or are you still waiting?

Mobile Spending Photo via Shutterstock