Nowadays, you can't go anywhere without seeing people staring at their smartphones - and if they're not using a mobile phone, they're using a tablet. Mobile devices are everywhere. If you're still not convinced, you should read this. In 2017 more people worldwide own mobile devices than computers - and every other statistic related to online activity reflects this shift.

What does this mean for local marketers? Put simply, it's time to stop ignoring mobile and make it a vital part of your marketing mix. You can't afford not to. Still not sure how to reach mobile users? Here are five proven strategies to help you increase your mobile reach.

Make your website mobile-friendly

To be perfectly honest, if you haven't already taken care of this first point, then it's time to stop hesitating and get it done. You can be penalised by Google if you don't use a mobile-responsive theme. However, it's about more than just using a mobile theme. You need to ensure that visiting your website is a great experience for mobile users. They should be able to access all the functions and features that computer users do. With many websites, the issue lies in the details.

Sometimes mobile users can't access all content – or they can't access certain features. The good news is that if you don't want to hire a professional designer, you can get most of what you need by purchasing a premium WordPress theme if you are using WordPress for your website. All premium themes are mobile-friendly, and any every one in five users of mobile payment methods made use of them?

Allow mobile payments

dsIf your business doesn't allow customers to pay with mobile wallets, you might be missing out on an opportunity to engage with mobile users. To engage with mobile users, you need to accept the technology that they use. Mobile wallets offer customers an added layer of protection by encrypting their credit card information. This makes them – and you – less vulnerable to hackers . By offering mobile payments and letting your followers know about it, you can grow your mobile following and attract mobile customers to your business.

Use location-based marketing

As a local business owner, you need to be able to reach local customers. That makes sense. If you're based in Poughkeepsie, there’s no point in the advertisement reaching someone who might be interested in your business but lives in Seattle. Geotargeting offers local business owners the ability to reach mobile users at the times they are most likely to visit a business. That’s pretty cool – but it’s only one part of the puzzle when it comes to location-based marketing. Let’s start with the obvious.

Simple geotargeting means you can use GPS to directly target customers when they're near your shop. An example would be a restaurant targeting its mobile followers on a Thursday at 5 PM with a happy hour voucher. Or... you could use geofencing to send automatic notifications to users when they are.

But geotargeting is more than that. You can use geotargeting to send notifications and offers to people when they are in a location where your products might be useful. How about targeting dog owners in a local dog park? Or informing people about your range of beach toys when they are at the beach? You get the idea. Geotargeted marketing is the type of precision marketing that can help you get the most out of your investment, as it targets people who are in a position to take advantage of your offer immediately.

Use text messages for your marketing

If you want to be sure that your target group is aware of your advertising, text messages - or SMS messages, as they are also known - are one of the best ways to do this. The statistics prove you right. Research shows that SMS messages to 90 % can be opened. This beats any other form of contact by far. With email marketing, you are lucky if half of your recipients open the messages you send. Text messages are ideal because they are delivered immediately.

And unlike regular advertising, which depends on Facebook algorithms and other metrics you have no control over, every person who receives a text message from you gets a notification. This is the kind of personalised reach that marketers could only dream of - at least until text messaging came on the scene. You can use SMS messages to make offers, send coupons, resolve customer service issues and more.

Text messages feel personal because they are sent directly to your audience, and that kind of attention can help build trust and brand loyalty. And perhaps most importantly – at least when it comes to managing your marketing budget – text messages are affordable. What have you got to lose?

Optimise your emails for mobile users

Did you know that it is highly likely more than half of the people you email open your messages on a mobile deviceIf your marketing emails aren't optimised for mobile users, they're likely to be deleted out of frustration – or simply ignored. No mobile user wants to be scrolling horizontally or waiting an age for images to download just to see your content. You can significantly improve your chances of connecting with mobile customers by ensuring your emails look great, no matter where your subscribers are viewing them.

Use a tool such as Litmus, to preview your emails on over 70 different platforms, including mobile devices and all major email providers. With this small step, you can ensure you don't miss out on any mobile marketing opportunities or lose subscribers because your emails aren't mobile-friendly.

The future of marketing is mobile…

You don't want to be left behind. Mobile marketing offers a wealth of opportunities for local businesses. What can you do to reach mobile customers today?