Staying Visible When You’re On The Move
Mobile businesses have experienced a popularity rise in the past few years. Indeed, more and more aspiring entrepreneurs choose to turn to the business on the go approach to create a profitable side-hustle – with the aspiration of developing it into a full-time business in the long term.
With a low starting cost, it’s easy to understand why mobile companies are appealing. However, they come with a non-negligible disadvantage when it comes to asserting your presence and existence on the market. Where other small ventures can rely on the likes of Google Maps to attract local customers, you lack the benefits of a physical address. This leaves one essential question for you to answer before you can pursue your mobile business adventure: how can you optimise your visibility on the go?
Mobile business offers the mobility and freedom you need
The bottom line about mobile companies lies in the ‘mobile’ part. Ultimately, the absence of a physical address gives you the freedom to pick the best possible location to exercise your skills. For someone who’s starting a retail business, car boot sales, craft fairs and dedicated markets can provide the platform you need to reach out to your audience. But not all mobile business ventures belong to a recognisable community. If you decide to sell warm food on the go or professional services, it’s fair to say that your first line of action needs to be online.
But it comes at the cost of your local visibility
A website can help you to tap into new market opportunities. However, a website assumes that your audience will be already looking for your services. You need to catch those accidental shoppers who come across your business on the go. The first rule of visibility starts offline: make yourself noticeable as you drive around. You can, for instance, find out more about wrapping your vehicle. Developing a bold brand logo and design – alone or with a specialist – can make your van or car memorable.
#hashtag your schedule to raise community awareness
How do you get people in your local community to talk about you? You start a social media campaign. Going viral might be optimistic in small communities, but you can certainly get noticed through a #hashtag campaign, especially if you get in touch with your town council and local newspaper for support.
Take a look at a recent viral campaign, such as the #CanYouHearUsNow campaign on Twitter. Through a list of influencers and careful preparation, the hashtag was seen more than 98 million times. You might not achieve such results, but the strategy remains the same.
Keep your clients in the loop
A mobile business changes locations regularly. Consequently, if you want to help people to buy from you, you need to make yourself findable. Publishing your location through geotracking – read more about it here – can encourage locals to meet you in person. You can even use a business app to share your location and products with your community.
Staying visible is all about offering your clients the support they need to find you. From vehicle branding to geotracking apps, you can give your mobile businesses the awareness it deserves.
