If you ask any SEO about the future of mobile marketing, surely you will get a response that revolves around its undeniable importance. Business owners should take a lesson from SEOs, and aim to learn from the following mobile marketing trends for 2015.
Consumers Expect Communication from Brands via Mobile
Two-thirds of mobile users have received a mobile message from a business in the last six months. This means that people have come to expect mobile communications from their favorite brands.
Here’s the part that needs some work, though: The majority of consumers aren’t reciprocating the communication by making a purchase, liking or following that brand on social media. It’s the same fate of traditional advertising but it shouldn’t be. Billboards reach about 93% of all Americans but there is no way to track how many viewers become shoppers.
According to the statistics, only 12 percent of consumers reacted to the communication by following the brand on Twitter, but 47 percent went on to like the brand on Facebook. This implies that there’s room for improvement in 2015.
We’re Missing Opportunities to Engage
The simple takeaway is that brands are missing the opportunity to engage consumers with relevant information via mobile communication. Often, consumers feel these communications are intrusive or spammy. To avoid derailing your consumers, consider the following tips for appropriately engaging them via mobile:
- Mind the data. Use data to determine how your customers respond to mobile marketing messages. From there, expand your campaign accordingly.
- Target the right people. Consumers respond differently to your marketing efforts. If you find that certain consumers respond more than others, engage them more frequently. Those who don’t respond to your efforts shouldn’t be bombarded with more than a few messages every month.
- Be relevant. Engage consumers with relevant information, and do so at the appropriate time. Be aware of time zones and aim to offer deals and information that they will find useful.
- Ensure privacy. People appreciate and learn to trust you when you let them know what you plan to do with their personal information. Be sure your privacy policy is clear and make it easy for them to opt out of receiving your mobile communications.
Mobile Will Be a Factor in Search Ranking
While the exact penalties still aren’t clear, we know that mobile will continue to play an increasingly important role in search ranking. Consider the following facts:
- Google penalizes mobile sites that generate user errors.
- Google began using “mobile friendly” and “not mobile friendly” labels for websites.
- There’s a feature in Google’s Webmaster Tools called mobile usability, which allows users to track their site’s performance.
What Should You Do About Common Mobile Errors?
We’re glad you asked. Here are a few tips for avoiding common errors:
- Employ a responsive mobile design. Different devices and screen sizes call for a responsive design. If you’re trying to reach the masses but you’re not using a responsive site, you’re missing out. Also, the “fixed width viewport” and “content not sized to viewport” errors will be fixed by making the switch to a responsive site.
- Avoid placing buttons too close together. Google recommends a minimum tap target size of 7mm. Don’t forget to also leave enough space between buttons.
- Avoid flash. Mobile sites don’t work well with flash. Make it your New Year’s resolution to replace flash on your websites.
- Use a mobile-friendly font size. Text is smaller on smartphones and tablets. A good rule to follow is setting your base font to 16 CSS pixels, then structuring other font sizes accordingly.
As the New Year quickly approaches, it’s time to reconsider your plans for mobile marketing. Every fact and trend points to mobile being of greater importance. Don’t let your ranking suffer – optimize your site for mobile and work out any kinks to ensure greater exposure and increased sales in 2015.
