Tag Archives: mobile

Tip of the Month: So-Lo-Mo, What It Means for You

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If you haven’t yet heard the term “SoLoMo”, don’t worry – it’s a new term that’s gaining popularity in our ever-changing tech-enabled world.  SoLoMo is short for Social-Local-Mobile, and it refers to how today’s consumers are using social networking, local search, and mobile technology together in their every day lives.

For instance, Nieman Marcus now offers shoppers an app that can recognize a customer’s smart phone when he or she walks into the store.  It can then notify them of special store events, new products in the store, emerging fashion trends, or a number of other features personalized specifically for the user. 

For small businesses, a great example of SoLoMo is the Foursquare app, where customers go into a local business and “check in.” Then, the business can send special offers, coupons, or discounts right to customers’ smart phones that can be used while they are still at the location.  This is a great way for local businesses to reach customers using social apps on their mobile devices. SoLoMo.

SoLoMo is still a fairly recent development, and most small businesses aren’t yet implementing it into their marketing strategies.  But with the huge growth of the mobile web and smart phones, watch for SoLoMo to be included in lots of small business marketing strategies very soon.

Mobile Sites: What’s the Difference?

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Recently, I heard a small business owner say that his business has a “mobile-friendly” website – a regular desktop website that can also be displayed on a mobile phone or tablet device.  But is a regular desktop website really very “friendly” when viewed on a mobile device? 

Consider these points:

  • When displayed on a tiny mobile screen, can users read the text or click on menu items with their thumbs?  Mobile devices use touch screen technology, there is no mouse (and no full keyboard) to help users navigate the site.

  • A mobile internet connection can be slower than a desktop or laptop computer connection. Does your website load quickly on a mobile device?

  • Users on mobile devices are often on the go, don’t have much time, and are subject to all sorts of distractions. Does your site deliver specific information with mobile-enabled calls to action?  Click-to-text and click-to-call features are unique features of mobile that users appreciate.

  • How many clicks are needed to take action?  Mobile users are not likely to drill-down through more than two or three clicks to find your phone number, contact you, or take some other type of conversion action.

  • About 93% of small businesses do NOT yet have a mobile website, so if you’re one of them, this is a great opportunity to reach more customers now while getting a jump on your competitors!

The Big Difference

Let’s look at a screen shot of the Wrigley Company’s desktop home page (as displayed in Internet Explorer’s web browser):

This is the Wrigley Company’s home page when viewed on a mobile phone:

As you can see, the mobile website is very different from the desktop site. The mobile site has been designed to be read comfortably on a mobile device without zooming or scrolling, contains very little text, has only one product graphic, and has easy-to-read menu buttons that can be clicked without a mouse.  Mobile sites are designed specifically for smaller screen sizes, on-the-go use, and touch screen technology to give users a great experience when using a mobile device. 

Multi-Media, Search, and Social

Mobile devices can deliver many types of content, so consider offering multiple types of media (like video, audio, webinars, slideshows, etc.) on your mobile site.  Sharing content is very easy on mobile, just remember to keep your materials relatively short so they can be downloaded easily.  Not only will this increase your marketing reach as users post and share your content, but studies show that multi-media can deliver better rankings in the search engines as well.

Also, don’t forget to add your social links to your mobile site – Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, etc. all have mobile apps that allow users to easily consume and share mobile content.  Be sure to add links back to your full desktop site as well for users who want to access more details or additional information.

It’s Already Happening

Research suggests that during this year (2012), mobile devices will become the “first screen of choice” for web users.  That means that this year, there may be more people accessing your website from their mobile devices than from desktop or laptop computers.

How will your website look to a mobile user?

Make the Move to Mobile: Tips for Getting Started

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Are you using mobile as part of your marketing strategy?  If you’re like many small businesses, you haven’t yet made the move to mobile.  But today, mobile devices are changing the way we do business, which means at some point you will need to change the way you market your business.  Nine out of 10 people in the U.S. today have a mobile phone – including your customers – which provides you with an opportunity to connect with consumers in new and useful ways.

While there are many innovative mobile marketing strategies available today (like mobile banners, SMS (Short Message Service), mobile coupons, mobile apps, video and rich media, QR codes, etc.), you may not know where to start when making your own move to mobile.  Here are a few tips to help get you started:

  • Get a Mobile Website. 
    Yes, you need an actual mobile website – one that is optimized for the mobile experience and is built specifically to accommodate mobile devices.  Even if your regular website is mobile “friendly”, it is still difficult for most mobile users to click (or touch) menu items, the text is often too small to read, and users don’t like clicking through multiple pages of your website in search of a phone number or your business hours.  Get a mobile site with information and navigation designed specifically for mobile use that also takes advantage of mobile’s unique features (e.g., click-to-call, click-to-text, below).

  • Use Click-to-Call, Click-to-Text Buttons.
    Mobile technology provides marketers with some unique and useful features that other marketing channels do not – like click-to-call and click-to-text buttons.  Add a click-to-call (and/or click-to-text button) to every page of your mobile website, and also in other marketing initiatives.  For example, you could include a click-to-call button in your email campaigns, giving users who read email on their mobile phones the option of instantly contacting you.

  • Integrate Your Marketing.
    Mobile marketing is easy when it is integrated with your other marketing channels.  For instance, Facebook updates, Twitter tweets, and Blog posts can all be sent automatically to mobile devices as part of an integrated marketing system.  If integrated properly, there is no need to update each channel separately, and updates will go out over all channels automatically.

  • Get a Schedule.
    It is known by many names, such as “editorial calendar” or “marketing calendar” (at Five Sparrows we call it a Content Pipeline), but it all comes down to the same basic idea – you need to make a plan for each marketing activity (monthly newsletters, weekly Blog posts, e-campaigns, social posts, etc.) and commit to doing these activities on a regular basis.  Having a set schedule of marketing activities already in place makes it easy to integrate mobile into your existing mix of channels.

  • Consider Mobile Commerce
    If your business sells products, consider adding new mobile commerce (m-commerce) technology to your mobile site or app.  Studies show that users now spend more time browsing the web on mobile devices than on laptops or desktops, so make sure visitors to your mobile site can shop and make purchases from their mobile devices as well.

  • Try new things!
    Mobile technology is evolving and changing all the time, so watch for new mobile marketing opportunities and don’t be afraid to try something new!

What Happened to Your Website?

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Is Your Website a Dinosaur?If your small business website was built a few years ago, you may be surprised to hear that it may soon be obsolete (if it’s not already).  Big changes in digital marketing have affected how users access and use the web today, and new technologies have made many old-school websites inaccessible, unreadable, or completely unusable on current web browsers and mobile devices. 

How can you tell if your once-slick, up-to-date website has turned into a dinosaur?  Here are four developments – some not available even two years ago – that a business website must now consider:

1.  Mobile Integration.  Having a website that is mobile “enabled” or that can be viewed on a smart phone is simply not enough; you need to have a purpose-built mobile site created specifically for small-screen devices.  Most users find that website text on an iPhone or Droid is far too small to read, and regular web navigation is difficult or impossible on tiny little touch screens.  Mobile sites are not the same as a regular websites – they must be built to accommodate smaller displays, touch screen navigation, and contain pared-down content with a clear call to action.

2. Content Sharing.  By now, most small businesses are well aware that their customers are using social networks everyday to share information, read reviews, and gather information or opinions from their social connections.  Website visitors today want – no, they expect – the ability to seamlessly share content from your website with whatever social networking sites they use.  Making it easy and convenient to share content on a variety of social sharing sites is now a must-have for business websites.

3. Simpler, less noisy design.  Using tons of images, animation, or column after column of content is now a very dated notion.  If your website is guilty of this, it’s going to show in the first few seconds a visitor arrives.  Today’s websites focus on clean, easy-to-scan layouts that include CSS-based navigation and well-designed sections so users can quickly absorb your message and easily find information.  Over time, if your site has become cluttered with added-on information, it’s probably time to rethink your site’s design and start over with a fresher, more user-friendly (and modern) approach.

4. New rules for SEO.  With the addition of social networks, mobile technology, and improved web standards, SEO has definitely changed.  Gone are the days of top rankings based on inbound links – today, it’s all about quality website content, the “freshness” of that content, how others consume and share your content on social networks, and new structured data markup that search engines can easily read and understand. 

So if your current website was designed and coded more than two years ago, you need to evaluate how useful (or useless?) it is in today’s environment.  If customers and prospective customers cannot use or even access your site with their current web browsers and mobile devices, you have virtually no chance of increasing conversions, gaining new traffic, or meeting your customers’ evolving needs.  Today, dinosaurs may be found in museums, but your small business website needs to be found at anytime, from any place, and from any device.   

5 Tips to Boost Web Conversion Rates

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Increase your web conversion ratesIf you’re like many small businesses, you want to squeeze every last drop of value out of your website and online marketing activities.  But do you know which initiatives are worth your time and money?  Do you know the mistakes to avoid? Here are five tips to help you focus on where to put your efforts if you want to improve web conversion rates in the New Year:

  1. Use Landing Pages
    Landing pages steer web visitors toward taking the action you want them to take, such as signing up for a newsletter, joining a mailing list, or making a purchase.  To improve conversions, make sure you use landing pages with a single purpose or offer, include a very clear call to action, and use a simplified design with the most important information above the fold.  Simply linking to your web site’s home page (or products page) is too overwhelming for users – don’t make them guess what to do or where to click.

     

  2. Simplify or Update Your Web Design
    Let’s face it – old, outdated websites that don’t meet the needs or expectations of today’s users are a waste of everyone’s time.  If you haven’t updated the design, content, and/or functionality of your website in a while, you’re taking a risk with your business. The longer you let an old site represent your business online, the faster potential customers will form an opinion and move on.  Don’t drive visitors into the arms (or websites) of your competitors – re-design your website if it’s time.

     

  3. Integrate Marketing Channels
    Many small businesses do not have the staff or resources to devote to website updates, social media posts, email marketing campaigns, mobile advertising, or the other online marketing efforts necessary to reach their target markets.  The good news is that by integrating marketing channels, you can cut the time and work needed to maintain an effective strategy and make it manageable.  Automate your channels so that Facebook posts are published on your website, blog posts are tweeted on Twitter, and everything is mobile enabled so users can find, follow, or figure out how to get what they need using whatever method they choose.  If you don’t have the time or knowledge to do this, hire someone to help.

     

  4. Gotta Go Mobile
    Estimates say that today in the U.S., more than 50% of adults have smart phones, but 74% of small businesses don’t have a mobile website. This provides you with an enormous opportunity to get a jump on the competition and differentiate yourself to customers and potential customers.  The mobile trend is not going away – it is growing rapidly and your business will need to get on board at some point.

     

  5. Create and Post High-Quality Content
    If your website and social channels contain only basic, descriptive information about your business, you’re not providing much value to visitors or giving them reasons to work with you.  Consider adding content such as free downloads (articles, presentations, etc.), how-to videos, and other value-add content that demonstrates your expertise and commitment to customers.  Then, make sure you update and post information to all your marketing channels on a regular basis.  Being consistent with updates will not only help engage visitors and improve conversion rates, but will also help with your search engine rankings and social visibility.

    With limited time and resources, it’s important that small businesses focus on initiatives that can really make a difference to their bottom line.  By implementing these tips (or even one or two), you can get substantially better results from your online marketing efforts, better engage web visitors, and ultimately convert more online browsers into happy buyers.