As a small business owner, you’ve surely heard all of the hype about mobile marketing—and SMS marketing

If you’ve already decided to give it a try, you may have been disappointed by the contrast between promised results and actual results. Before you write off mobile marketing altogether, however, consider these tips for getting the most out of your mobile marketing strategy.

Set clear, measurable, realistic goals

In order to reach your mobile marketing goals, you first have to set them. It may sound like common sense, but many business owners jump into mobile marketing without first deciding what they want to get out of it. Are you looking more customer acquisition? Customer loyalty? Better customer service? Some combination of these? You have to decide what you want before you can craft the perfect mobile campaign to get you there. Your goals should be clear, measurable, and realistic.

Your disappointment in mobile marketing may be a result of not having set realistic goals to begin with. As with any other type of marketing, success will take time.

Be instantaneous

What makes mobile such an attractive channel for customers is that it’s immediate. Mobile users use mobile because they know what they want and they want it that moment. One of the best things you can do to succeed with mobile is to know what your customers want, and to make it as easy to find as possible. When customers search for your business from their phone, you want to make it easy and painless for them to find the information they need.

Keep it simple

Another thing that sets the mobile channel apart is the simplicity. Because mobile devices, especially smartphones, have smaller screens than desktops and laptops, mobile users prefer texts that are very concise and easy to read. They prefer websites that a very minimal in their design so that they are easy to navigate. Whatever mobile marketing channels you’re using, keep the idea of simplicity in mind.

Be relevant

Finally, try not to get caught up in what’s in it for you. While it’s important that your marketing efforts result in a profit for you, that’s most likely to happen when you think less about your own needs and more about the needs of your customers. In all of your mobile marketing efforts, make sure that the content you’re creating, sharing, and texting is going to be relevant for your customers.

By following these tips you’ll find that mobile marketing really can be what it’s cracked up to be.