Let’s face it we are nothing without our mobile devices. We have progressed exponentially from the days of dial-up internet and snake being the game of choice on your cellphone. We have now entered the Mobile age and there are many opportunities that come along with that.
“Going mobile” has become the primary buzzword in the marketing industry. Remember mobile doesn’t only refer to smartphones, but also tablets. We all know mobile devices come in different shape, sizes, and operating systems. The vast amount of mobile devices worldwide has skyrocketed and is expected to rise even more.
Recently there has been a significant push by marketers to hone in on mobile marketing. Keep in mind that mobile should be a small part of the picture not the whole picture. In a world where we constantly use multiple devices, the goal for every marketer should be to be present throughout all outlets. This new phenomenon is called, cross-screen marketing, where a user can start on their phone, then goes on their computer, ending on their TV.
It is important to take advantage of the mobile opportunity because if you have a website, most likely people have visited it via their mobile devices. If you website is not compatible with mobile devices, it not only leads to a ruined customer experience but a potential lost conversion. The most popular forms of mobile compatibility are mobile apps, mobile friendly website, and mobile site. The mobile friendly site is your website redesigned so that it is easier to view on a mobile device. A mobile site is a customized site that offers the user a better mobile experience, a more simplified website.
Marketers always have traffic on their minds and the same hold true for the mobile industry. There are many different types of mobile traffic including traditional search, display ads, and email. People forget that email is the most used app on a smartphone. Initially you could think that the email marketing campaign will only be accessed through a desktop, but chances are the email will be viewed through a mobile device. The same goes for search traffic, where all your attention is placed on SEO campaigns but not taking into effect the geo-targeting that mobile search has integrated. Also consider landing pages, are users going to get valuable content and a good user experience on their mobile devices?
Now you see that “going mobile” isn’t just solely focused on creating an app. A lot of things go into a successful marketing campaign and mobile is just a component. Remember that users spend a large amount of time and money on their mobile devices, take advantage of this. Realize that cross-screen marketing is the future and understanding how you can be on every screen at once will determine how successful you will be.