We operate in a cross-platform world. This is a concept we’ve discussed throughout this guide, but we feel that it deserves a standalone chapter because too many marketers and business owners procrastinate on mobile.
And you know what? Every moment that you wait is a wasted opportunity.
The numbers alone should convince you.
- Is your business ready for mobile demand?58% of people who own smartphones have used them for store-related shopping.
- An estimated 63% of people expect to do more shopping on their mobile devices over the next couple of years.
- There are 1.2 billion people accessing the web from mobile devices.
- Almost 25% of black Friday shopping in 2012 was done on mobile and tablet devices.
- Spontaneity plays a major role in 81% of all smartphone purchases.
- 88% of people agree that having a mobile device with real-time information makes them more spontaneous with shopping and more open to discovering new things.
You might be less ready than you think. As of January 2013, the Interactive Advertising Bureau reported that only 57% of the top 100 brands are well-prepared with a mobile friendly site.
Use this fact to your advantage. Outsmart the crowd with a stellar mobile marketing strategy.
Table of Contents
KNOW THE USER EXPERIENCE
On mobile, UX is everything. Marketers need to create an experience that’s simple and easy to view on the screen. That means no chunks of text, no lengthy product descriptions, and no leaving readers hanging without calls to action.
CHRIS KILBOURN, CEO at TOFU Marketing,
via Interview with The Freelance Strategist
The best thing you can do is learn why your users are mobile, recommends Klein. Do they not have computers? Is their job on the road? Are they in meetings or classes? What sort of mobile devices are they using? Tablet usage can be much closer to laptop than it is to phone, for example.
LAURA KLEIN, Principal at UsersKnow via The Content Strategist
- Are they taking a brain break at the office?
- Are they waiting at the train platform, en route to or from work?
- Could they be hanging out in the hospital waiting room?
Earlier in this guide, we talked about the value of user personas. With mobile marketing, you need to take this concept a step further. In addition to understanding who your users might be, you need to understand where they are and what they’re likely to be doing while they’re engaging with your content, brand, products, or website.
KNOW THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN
APPS AND MOBILE WEBSITES
(If you want to read more about app marketing, check out this blog post, which will teach you how to piece together a comprehensive, well-rounded app marketing strategy.)
Mobile marketing is challenging because you’re dealing with variation between devices, screen sizes, and technology. The following tips can help get your strategy off the ground:
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EXPLORE YOUR EXISTING DATA
How much of your current web traffic is mobile? You can answer this question very easily using Google Analytics via the Mobile report.
These are two entirely different initiatives that satisfy different user intents. For the purpose of this guide, we’re talking about mobile websites only.
CREATE A RESPONSIVE DESIGN FOR YOUR SITE
Mobile presents the challenge of presenting enough information in limited space. You don’t want to sacrifice content, quality, and depth, but you don’t want a layout that shrinks down core user experience details.
You could always organize information into more pages, but that technique is problematic. When information spans multiple pages, it’s tough to access. People won’t find what they need. Conversions will fall flat.
BE AWARE OF CONVERSION NEEDS
When people are on their phones, they don’t have time to fumble through a long form. They also don’t want to click on a tiny link. They’re also on their phones and may want to give you a quick call. Here’s what you need to do:
- Make your CTAs bold, easy to click, and obvious
- Avoid the use of forms. If you absolutely need them, make sure they’re as short as possible
- Make it really, really easy to find and click your phone number
- If you’re operating a brick and mortar storefront, make it really easy for people to find your business on Yelp and look up driving directions
MAP CONVERSION FUNNELS
We talked about conversion funnels at the very beginning of this guide.
Your mobile traffic will follow a different path to conversion than your desktop traffic, so make sure to segment your users (and plan your funnels) accordingly.
Know what your mobile users are after. Make the path from visitor to customer as direct as possible.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- A mobile strategy is critical to your online marketing. If your website is designed for desktop-only customers, you’ll potentially miss out on sales.
- In addition to knowing what your prospects want, focus on where they are and what they might be doing while engaging with your brand.
- Use visuals, not chunky blocks of text, to communicate with users on mobile screens.
- Apps and mobile websites are two different things.
- When building a marketing strategy from the ground up, make sure to prioritize your approach to mobile.
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