Mobile Marketing - Not Just For the Sake Thereof

By Will McIntosh on December 10, 2007 7:54 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
 

A hot button for many marketers and agencies today is the question of how best to leverage the mobile web, and mobile phones in general, to reach potential consumers.  In regards to developing websites and applications for mobile handsets, I would definitely recommend reading Mobile Web Design by Cameron Moll. 

The list of reasons why you should have a mobile strategy is long, but these statistics should provide you with the impetus to dig deeper:

-Worldwide there are more digital mobile phones than TV's and PC's combined

-More than half of these devices are less than a year old, and most of them have full Internet capabilities

-Smartphone sales (Blackberry, Treo, iPhone, etc.) have grown 165% this year, which means that the mobile platform and the typical wireless consumer is becoming more sophisticated, has access to better technology, and a higher quality signal to browse the mobile web from their device

-The number of text (SMS) messages sent within the U.S on a monthly basis has grown by over 200% each year for the past 3 years, and the median age of a text message "user" is 38, so it is a preferred method of communication for the masses, not just young teenagers

Many companies have rushed to create mobile-friendly versions of their standard websites, which strategically is only slightly better than employing no strategy at all.  Taking a site that was designed to be viewed on a PC or Notebook at a resolution of 1024 x 768 and forcing it to render appropriately on a mobile device is the digital equivalent of forcing a square peg into a round hole, and more often than not, the end-user suffers most.  If nothing else, the superior browsing experience provided by a device like the iPhone has taught us that just because a typical website can be viewed on such a device, doesn't mean it should be. 

When thinking about how best to reach your target audience via the mobile handset, make sure to give careful consideration to the user experience.  You are typically dealing with a much smaller screen, a non-traditional keyboard or interface mechanism, and a user that is otherwise engaged by another activity (driving, walking, commuting, etc.).  Human nature dictates that we typically choose the path of least resistance.  The user experience your mobile website or application provides will be much more fulfilling if you can effectively eliminate as many obstacles as possible, which in this case is primarily needless typing and a convulted click-path to the desired information.  Also, as technology improves, give additional thought to how you can leverage the inherent differences of the mobile experience (voice recognition, click-to-call, 9 digit keypad) to support your business.

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