Everywhere you go, you’ll see people on their phones, and most of the time, they are just trying to keep themselves entertained. At work, at restaurants, and even at home on the couch, people are glued to the screen. In fact, we are starting to see a huge shift in how people browse the internet. They are beginning to prefer searching on their smartphones. While the average consumer used to prefer desktop computers, larger screen sizes and a mobile-friendly internet have made smartphones just as simple to use. And since people always have their phones on them, it is much easier to whip it out to search things on the internet than it is to get out a computer.

This is why it is so important that your business is spending time advertising to your customers through mobile. Since the average person is surfing the web through their smartphone, you will likely make first contact with them through a mobile device. On top of that, they will do their research on your company through their phone. Here are 4 ways to get ready for those first contacts:

1. Optimize your website for mobile

The internet is a great thing. It connects people to brands giving you the opportunity to gain the business of customers you would never have been able to reach before. Unfortunately, it also means that your customers have a lot more options at their disposal, and your business will have to be at the top of its game to beat out the competition. Customers have very high expectations and aren’t willing to stay on a web page that isn’t working. They will quickly move on to someone else. That means your website needs to work flawlessly, especially when being used from a mobile device. Optimize your site for mobile and make sure it is working properly. This is the most important part of mobile marketing for any business, so it is important that it is your main focus.

2. Seamless purchasing ability

I cannot tell you how many times I have gone to buy something from a company and not made the purchase simply because I didn’t want to get up and go find my wallet or because I didn’t want to take the time to fill out all of the forms. Being able to use PayPal, Google Wallet, or other similar services is invaluable to a company. When someone is sitting on the couch surfing the web, they don’t want to go find all the credit card information you need. Though many people still prefer to type in credit card information (so it should be available as an option), someone who is making an impulse purchase will not go through with it if it is too much work.

Also, if you want people to buy things through your site, offer free shipping. Just build the cost of shipping into the products. This is especially important to Millennials who are used to getting free shipping on all their purchases from companies like Amazon.

Make sure your purchasing process is as simple and easy as possible, or people will go away.

3. Use mobile advertisements

Since you are trying to reach new customers who are surfing the web on their phones, use advertisements. According to Forbes, paying for ads means you are able to target specific demographics that need and want your product. These can be done straight through Google and Adwords but can also be done through social media. Both methods work because you will either be getting customers who are looking for your type of business or you will be getting customers who are spending a lot of time on social media. That pretty much covers everyone.

4. Communications are important

It is very important that your customers are able to communicate with you easily through their smartphones. Make sure your website and social media accounts are updated with all contact information including phone numbers, emails, and addresses. It is even better if you provide a phone number they can use to text you questions and get automated responses. Since talking on the phone feels like a huge hassle for most smartphone users, being able to text you their questions is a huge bonus.

Source: Forbes