It takes 90 minutes for an average person to respond to an email while it takes 90 seconds for an average person to respond to a text and 70% of all mobile searches result in action within 1 hour (Source: blog.hubspot.com). This makes me wonder if businesses can really afford to ignore this powerful medium as part of their marketing strategy. And yes there are businesses that are STILL NOT mobile friendly. In March 2015 polling by Endurance International Group, 78% of US small-business respondents said their businesses did not have a mobile solution or app.
So what are the steps that you can take to ensure you are mobile ready? The top few that could make a difference:
1. First things first: Get your website and blogs mobile enabled
This is a fundamental requirement while designing your websites and blogs and should be on the top of your priority list. You do not want all that relevant audience that you have managed to get to your website on a mobile to get so frustrated that they get tired of zooming in and out that they simply leave.
Also, 60 percent of mobile users expect a site to load in 3 seconds or less. 74 percent are willing to wait only 5 seconds for a site to load before leaving. (Source: Compuware.com) Hence it is important to make sure all the content whether text, pictures or videos on your website is responsive to multiple screens.
2. Get an app which is preferably free to download
An app is an excellent tool to get your audience to organize themselves and drive them towards doing what you want them to do. For example, if you are an e-commerce website, it helps your audience to categorize their searches, their wish lists, their recent orders, any offers that they could avail etc. A simple yet well designed app allows the audience to log in frequently and retains them longer on the website. This also allows them to identify their aim of being on the website- are they browsing for more information, buying, looking for offers/sales etc.
It is equally important to ensure that the app is bug free as far as possible and completely tested before launching. It often helps to get user reviews in turn for free updates to the app to help improve user experience.
3. Call to actions
Make sure you include all the call to actions that you have on your website on the mobile app, or the mobile website. Check outs, save searches, subscribe to emails/newsletters, follow social media channels, access news and updates, view videos, leave feedback and hotline numbers or ‘chat for help’ options. It is equally important that these call to action buttons are bold and easy to spot on the mobile screen and do not get lost while the user is scrolling quickly on the mobile website or app.
4. Branding
Ensure you maintain the same branding across all your channels, on your mobile website or the app. This increases the re-call value of your brands, helps them get familiar to the brand and of course impacts your brand positioning positively. Having similar icons, font, buttons, backgrounds go a long way in contributing to a good brand experience.
5. Videos and mobile content
Ensure you have an area where you can upload video content that is mobile optimized and can be opened from within the app. Uploading pictures as part of the ‘live’ updates on Twitter/Facebook/Instagram/LinkedIn at events or conferences or a short vine video messages that can all be viewed from the app or the mobile website will encourage the audience to keep coming back to you on their mobiles.
6. Bringing it all together: Integrated marketing mobile and otherwise
While you focus on a mobile strategy it is critical that there is an integrated content marketing strategy across all channels for your business. Whether it is on the mobile website or the app. There is need to have consistent up-to-date information throughout. The worst you can do is have a section on the app or the website and not update it for months.
Good luck!
