According to Smallbiztrends.com, more than half of American adults surf the Internet with their smartphones, making the need for a mobile presence essential for businesses.

Companies that have brick and mortar stores shouldn’t ignore this advice. Their websites should be mobile-friendly so consumers can use the websites successfully on their phones and tablets. The article offers a few tips to help small businesses utilize this technology effectively.

1. Ask customers to check in and reward them. FourSquare, Google Plus, ShopKick, Spotit and Facebook allow customers to let others know they are at your carwash. Businesses can reward these customers with incentives like prizes and recognition for a certain number of visits, notes the article.
2. Social media marketing. The article encourages owners to keep their business’ social media profiles up to date to keep users engaged.
3. Text marketing. Allow customers to sign up to receive special text messages, alerts and rewards when they join a text campaign, shares the article. You can offer customers rewards in exchange for taking a survey or other specific action.
4. QR codes. Quick Response codes “[allow] users to access a specific content area in order to obtain a special reward or to take advantage of a specific promotion,” reports the article. Users can download QR scanners for free onto their phones. Businesses can create their own codes using websites like www.qrstuff.com.
5. Mobile customer service. Let customers track orders, payments, etc., using their phones. You can also respond to questions quickly using this method.
6. Mobile directories. Many people use mobile directories instead of the phone book yellow pages, claims the article. Make sure you are registered with mobile directories like Yelp, Google+Local and YP (Yellow Pages).
7. Create a mobile app. Apps can be used to provide unique content different from your other digital presences, says the article. “Eighty-five percent of smartphone users surveyed feel more at ease navigating an app than a mobile version of your website.” Apple's iOS apps usually generate almost four times the revenue as Android, but they can also be more complicated. Websites and professionals can help you get your app started.

People use smartphones to look up information and pass the time, according to the article. Large and small businesses can take advantage of this opportunity to get their companies in front of current and potential customers.

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