Consumer Internet use is no longer confined to desktop and laptop computers. As smartphone usage has grown, so has the way people interact with information, whether they’re looking up a great restaurant or searching for reviews before making a purchase. In addition to creating mobile-optimized websites, brands must also carefully consider whether or not their social media efforts and email campaigns need to be tweaked to match the new environment.
Whether your business was around before the mobile era or you’re new to marketing, it’s important to create content that is optimized for smaller screens. Here are a few things you should do to make your marketing more responsive.
Websites
Many businesses have already invested in responsive website design, but good mobile marketing goes beyond choosing an optimized template. Brands should consider how customers interact with their sites on mobile. If your video is set to auto-play, you may not appeal to mobile customers who either can’t view that type of content on a smartphone or are visiting your site while they’re in a place where they can’t listen. Consider that when choosing content for your site.
It’s especially important for ecommerce sites to rethink their mobile design. You should strive to understand the breakdown points in the customer checkout experience and take measures to prevent them. If customers must register and enter in-depth information every time they check out, they’ll be less likely to continue to interact with your site on mobile devices, since entering that information on mobile screens can be more difficult. Make your site easy to shop and you’ll likely find that sales increase.
In addition to your website, you also need to reconsider your email marketing strategy. Customers no longer receive their email while seated at a desk in front of a computer monitor. Instead, they’re checking email while on the go, scrolling through numerous messages to find one worth reading. If your goal is to capture sales through your emails, it’s important to understand how customer buying decisions factor in when they’re reading your message while on the go.
More than 80 percent of smartphone-based ecommerce purchases are initiated spontaneously, which is a plus for email marketers. Create messages that entice customers to click over and make a purchase and make sure links are easy to follow. Use images and colors that are more likely to capture attention and ensure your fonts are easy to read, with each image linked to the corresponding section of your site.
Social
The vast majority of social media time now takes place on mobile devices, which is another area driving changes in marketing campaigns. Customer check-ins are a great way for local businesses to get the word out, but often those are driven by customer satisfaction. In addition to providing extraordinary customer service and great products or services, you should also prominently display signage that invites customers to check in.
Businesses should also consider the importance of a strong social media presence for customers trying to learn more about them. Consumers who spend a large amount of time on their social media apps may search for your business there before even thinking about entering keywords into a search engine.
Text Messaging
The ideal way to reach your most loyal customers is through the use of text messaging. As the most popular smartphone app, with an estimated 97 percent of U.S. smartphone owners using it at least once a day, it’s the best way to ensure your marketing messages are read. However, it can be difficult to convince customers to agree to text message-based marketing and even if you can, it’s important to use it sparingly to avoid being annoying.
There are several different approaches brands can take, but the most effective text campaigns provide valuable information to customers. If they know they’ll receive special discounts or useful notifications, they’ll be more likely to sign up than if you’re merely offering the opportunity to receive advertisements.
Mobile devices have changed the way consumers gather information and conduct daily activities. By considering that in your marketing campaigns, your business can create more successful strategies that bring real results. Over time, you can refine your mobile marketing efforts to continually address the way consumers research and buy products.
