Summer is the season of mobile search
It’s summer and that means people will start coming out of hibernation and having more fun (at least in the Midwest anyway). From the backyard to the picnic, more people will turn to their phone and perform mobile searches to find things to do.
To capitalize, it will need to be easy to find. That means it might be time to take a closer look at your mobile marketing strategy. Mobile marketing is more than just having a mobile website. It also means being easy to communicate via mobile device.
For example, when I get to your mobile website, all I probably want to know is whether or not it’s open and how to contact you. So your phone and hours should be front and center.
With over 8.4% of all global website visits coming from a mobile device, you can’t risk missing me when I stop. Make it easy for me, please.
In the past twelve months, customers around the world have ordered more than $1 billion worth of Amazon products using a mobile device,” Jeff Bezos, Founder and CEO of Amazon.com (July 2010).
I know, I know, that’s it Amazon. But you know what, those people who do business with Amazon also do business with you. They have been spoiled by brands like Amazon and now they expect something similar from everyone. That is a trend that will continue.
As smart brands continue to raise the bar, stupid brands will look even stupider.
You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to get going, either. Here are some quick tips on how to make your small business more mobile-friendly:
- Keep the information most relevant to customers on the home page and easy to find. Things like hours and a phone number are a must.
- Consider creating a mobile version of your website that can detect a mobile device when loaded and offer a special “mobile-friendly” website. If it’s not a website, consider at least creating a dedicated mobile landing page.
- Think about the third-party sites that appear most frequently in search. Yelp, SuperPages, Facebook all come to mind. Make sure you have updated these platforms as well. They’re going to show up, so you might as well cater to them.
That is a good start.
Later in the game you start dabbling in SMS campaigns and QR codes and jazz the like. For now, just master these basics and you’ll be more mobile in no time.
For more mobile usage statistics, check out this post.