Mobile Marketing and Search
Business Relevance
Now that almost 40% of internet time is spent on a mobile device, businesses should be taking notice with their web presence. In just the past two years, search on mobile browsers has increased significantly. According to Comscore, nearly 86 million Americans are using mobile phones to search for local businesses.
If you run a local business and you haven’t done anything for your web presence, you will probably still show up in search; however, the questions are, “how often?” and “what will the information look like?” Those who have never made an attempt to put out relevant and accurate data may be displaying something outdated, while those who have may rank higher.
Mobile Marketing and Advertising
Website owners and advertisers need to think more about reaching consumers in these channels. They can’t use the same methods, though. People are in a different mindset when using a mobile device. They often consume information differently and have less space and time to do it in. The number of smartphone users is also growing. It is estimated that right now, there are about a billion active smart phones on the planet. That number is projected to double by 2015, which is ten times the rate of growth it took to get to 1 billion in the first place.
Mobile Marketing Strategy
There are not a huge amount of companies that have a mobile marketing strategy. As the number of smart phone users grows and the hunger of advertisers to reach those users also grows, the need for a plan will emerge. In 2011, it was important to at least be thinking about a mobile strategy, if not developing one. The pressure to do so is magnified today and will only continue to get stronger. Device manufacturers are showing no signs of slowing, and the public’s lust for the latest mobile gadget seems boundless.
Just when many small businesses (and even large companies) are starting to find their way in online marketing, they will have to revisit their strategies to make sure they are thinking about mobile, as well. Because mobile is a different animal, many of the same tactics that worked for desktop marketing cannot be repurposed.
Mobile Encourages Conversation
If more and more people are searching for things using a smartphone, that means that a lot of the traditional tactics for ranking web pages may not be as effective any more. While there isn’t a clear answer as to how this will affect everything, it’s probably safe to say that eventually it will become more important to focus on creating things that people will click on and share a lot rather than something a machine will find relevant based on its structure, keywords and how many documents are linked to it.
How are you handing the increasing impact of mobile technology? Do you have any additional insight into this important subject? Be sure to let us know what you think by dropping us a line or leaving a comment below.