From the days of good ol’ Adam West, when “WHAM!” and “BIFF!!” flew across the screen in obnoxious callout bubbles…to Michael Keaton’s edgy portrayal alongside Nicholson’s sinister sneer…to the present day of IMAX screens and a voice I can barely understand (honestly, the guy needs a Halls) – I have always been a huge Batman fan.

I think my favorite line ever comes from the old 1960 TV series – barely missing being impaled by a knife, Robin interjects, “Holy whiskers, Batman! That was a close shave!”

But all corniness and scratchy voices aside, Batman can offer us some good insight into how to operate our businesses with social media and mobile marketing in this ever-changing digital world.

Continue to find out how to rise above the noisy, messy internet-Gotham and let your symbol shine – who knows, maybe you’ll even get your own Batmobile one day!

Batman was relatively “normal”

The first thing to point out is Batman is just an ordinary guy. Well, apart from having a traumatizing experience with bats, and his father leaving behind massive wealth and estate, that is. But no spider webs or leaping tall buildings with a single bound, here.

Despite being just a regular dude with no crazy super-strength, Batman is still quite effective at his job. Why is this?

Some of you might argue that it’s because of his equipment, and I’ll come to that later. But, I think it’s also because of the way he thinks – always a step ahead.

Often this is not the case for most business owners. It seems that instead, we are always behind on everything that is going on – inside of the office and out!

Fortunately, we’re not alone. There are so many business owners out there that are feeling overpowered by the big industry giants and their massive reach.

But there’s good news! While you might not be able to out-cap the amount of customers, subscribers, fans, or followers that these mighty moguls have, you can certainly come in a close second.

How do you do this? Simple. Use all your social media channels – Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, etc – to regularly create or share content that is fresh, creative, and relevant to your target market.

Monitor blogs that talk about topics of interest, follow funny and influential people on Twitter, join a related Facebook group, share a video of the new Google Handwriting mobile tool that came out last week.

Whatever you do, keep it current, creative, and consistent.

Batman likes cool gadgets

No, Alfred – I don’t mean revolving library walls, the Batmobile, or flying gunship (c’mon, Director Nolan…).

I’m talking about that one, trusty piece of equipment that is always strapped on and ready for action – his utility belt! (or is it a Batbelt?)

With this belt, Batman can harness the grappling hook to his body when scaling buildings, turn his belt buckle into a ninja-star Batarang, or track the perp with a GPS monitoring device.

Using all of these tools in combination with each other gives the Dark Knight the ability to overcome the crude power of Gotham City’s villains.

This is the way we should be looking at all of the marketing tools at our disposal – especially social media and mobile marketing. Using tools like a Facebook fan page and an engaging mobile strategy in tandem, gets your business out of the store and into your customer’s pocket.

Effective social and mobile marketing strategy empowers you to rise above competition and give your patrons a unique experience, turning them into repeat customers – “same Bat time, same Bat channel!”

How can you pull this one off? It’s easy when you put your creativity cap on.

Try this one out for size…

When it comes time for your next customer to pay for his or her products, food, etc., offer them an incentive for Liking your fan page. Give them a discount on the total bill, a free item, a chance to win a contest – anything is possible, just make it an attractive offer to your specific customers’ interests. One that makes them say, “Holy poker hands, Batman! That was a great deal!”

But wait – the best part is they don’t even need to go home to do it. And it’s as easy as 2 steps: first, have them pull out their cellphone and text the words “like [the name of your fan page]” to 32665 (FBOOK). Next, have them show you the confirmation message on the phone saying that they have just become a fan of [your fan page].

And just like that, a mutually-beneficial exchange just happened. Your customer has now connected with your business via social media and broadcasted that information to their entire social network. You have now created a positive impression in your customer’s mind by giving them a memorable and valuable personal experience.

It doesn’t take flashy ads, crazy costumes, massive billboards, or explosions. It’s about using the tools available to define the customer’s personal experience first, then asking to connect with them once value has been established.

They are now tuned-in to your “Bat channel” through opening up to receive updates from you on Facebook, and by creating that positive personal experience, you ensure they will be coming back – Bat-time and again.

What do you think? 

Could using a mobile strategy have an effect on your customers’ overall perception of your business?

Meet David A. George

David A. George I'm a UX + Growth Marketer passionate about people, music, intelligent UX, Android, and breathing underwater. I'd love to connect with you on LinkedIn, Twitter, and on my website.