A new study out by Sybase 365 (SAP’s mobile devision) and the Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) shows that 87% of consumers will use a mobile device to help make holiday purchases.

If your business isn’t positioned to capture this HUGE amount of traffic, you are letting sales slip right through your fingers!

Mobile Marketing provides businesses with a convenient, dynamic way of interacting with their customers.

Read more to learn exactly how your business can capitalize on the top 6 Mobile Marketing Trends of 2012…

Every marketer and business owner is asking the same question – How do I capture leads and generate sales through Mobile Marketing?

Well, let’s begin with an example – we’ll use a local, small restaurant business, called The Cellar Restaurant, who specializes in amazing Greek food with an extensive beer list.

The Cellar knows that in order to attract new business, they have to stand out amongst the many other local restaurants in their area. They also know that 47% of consumers use their mobile phone to search for local information, like a local store they want to visit. In addition, mobile searches related to restaurants have a conversion rate of 90% with 64% converting within just 60 minutes!

Because of this, the Cellar has easily created a beautiful and functional Mobile App for their business. But now that they have this app, they need a strategy…

6 Mobile Marketing trends of 2012 that your business needs to capitalize on

1. Click-to-Call

The Cellar is a happening place – they have tons of beer varieties, a cool underground tavern section, as well as live music performances.

Since 59% of consumers use a mobile phone for mobile shopping activities while sitting at home, the Cellar wants to reach their audience where they already are. So, in order to make sure the service is smooth and streamlined for their customers on those busy nights, the restaurant uses their mobile app to offer a one-click calling service for their customers to place reservations.

With the press of a button, the Cellar’s customers have direct access to reserve their spot for the next live music night. Never underestimate the power of a single click!

2. Click-to-Email

If any of you are pizza-lovers like me, the Cellar will put your taste buds on Cloud 9. This is why they have a catering service – to provide incredible pizza, on demand!

In order to facilitate this, the Cellar uses their mobile app and invites their customers to email their delicious order with… you guessed it – just one click!

Through various in-store signage and calls-to-action on their website, the Cellar provides easy access to their catering services as well as a channel for customers to ask the restaurant general questions.

3. Having a Twitter strategy

In 2012, it is reported that 34% of marketers have generated leads using Twitter, and 20% have closed deals. And with 55% of Twitter’s 465 M users accessing the platform via a mobile device, Twitter is way too valuable a tool to overlook.

Because of this, the Cellar Restaurant pulls their Twitter stream right into their mobile app. This accomplishes 2 things:

1. The Cellar can reach out to their customers through a convenient medium with relevant information on things like discounts, special events, and live music performances.

2. The Cellar is encouraging repeat interaction with their mobile app, effectively increasing top-of-the-mind awareness in their customers

4. Facebook Tabs are a MUST!

1/3 of Facebook’s entire social network accesses the platform through a mobile device every day.

But, every fan page owner that uses tabs/apps knows that Facebook hasn’t figured out how to make those fan page tabs show up on mobile devices.

What the smart fan page owners know, is that Heyo gives you that exact ability! After you’ve put so much time and effort into perfecting your Facebook fan page, why let so many leads go to waste?

On the Cellar’s fan page, they made a tab that displays their menu and drink varieties for all their fans and the public to see. They also have a tab with their business information, like address, phone number, and operating hours.

The Cellar understands how crucial having a mobile presence is if they want to be successful in the years to come. So, with a few simple clicks using Heyo’s Mobile App Creator, they pulled their fan page tabs with the restaurant menu, drink list, and operating info straight into their own mobile app.

Now, their customers have full access to the entire menu and drinks list and now exactly when the restaurant is open for business.

5. Facebook Albums tell a story

The Cellar reads up on social media statistics. Because they know that Facebook posts with photos are Liked 2x more than text-only posts, they pull their Facebook albums dedicated entirely to each week’s rockin’ shows, straight into their mobile app.

For each live performance, they create a new Facebook album. A week before the gig, they post a promo poster for the band to create buzz. Then, on the night of the show, they take pics and upload them to Facebook.

The following morning, everyone that was at the Cellar the night before can be found using the Cellar’s remarkable mobile app to view the pics and relive the awesome experience of the previous night.

6. People love Deals

According to a study by Accenture, a global consulting and technology company, 79% of smartphone users say they found it useful to download mobile coupons to their phones.

In addition, 71% of people aged 16-31 years old said they use mobile coupons to get e-commerce discounts according to a report by Cognizant Technology.

In order to capitalize on these trends, the Cellar utilizes mobile deals right through their own mobile app.

Using Heyo’s simple interface, the restaurant can create unique deals, specify the dates their promotion will run, and toggle different deals on/off in literally seconds.

Through the use of QR codes on various in-store signage and their menus, customers are driven straight to the Cellar’s mobile app where they can view the different specials. Another awesome thing about it – the Cellar makes new deals every night, but their customers never have to download an “update” for the mobile app!

Meet David George

David A. George is the Chief Content Creator at Heyo. I'm passionate about marketing, Android, being at the beach, and breathing underwater. I'd love to connect with you on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and Google+. Or email me at dgeorge(at)heyo.com