When it comes to mobile marketing content and distribution, you want to provide a coherent and consistent experience. No matter what the delivery format – be it texts, emails, apps or a mobile website, you want to make sure that you take advantage of the various capabilities that can be found on mobile devices.
However, this is not the time to make an all-you-can-eat buffet mobile marketing plan that shoots out in all directions. While the internet and internet marketing may cater a bit more to the “bigger is better” and “knowledge is power” mantras at times, the reality of mobile is that it’s a different beast. Users think differently. They act differently. And your content and the delivery of that content must reflect that if your mobile marketing plan is to be a success.
Take a minimalist approach. With your mobile website, you should carefully pick and choose what kind of information you provide. Remember, your mobile users are typically looking for specific information, not just grazing and roaming from site to site. This doesn’t mean you have the green light to skimp on actual content. You want to give them what they are looking for. So the correct information is key, and not oodles of extraneous bits that you may naturally add on your regular website.
Keep that minimalist approach in mind as you design your website. Navigation should be kept simple. Information should never be more than 3 clicks away. Buttons should be obvious. Scrolling should be vertical, not horizontal. Avoid using frames. And keep image use to a minimum, as it can bog down the load time and suck up bandwidth.
Remember that with mobile devices you can use location to your advantage. So your content should reflect that when possible. And delivery should also be coordinated with location when possible. Everyone loves a deal, right? So how about offering special pricing that can be made available when a user checks in to your location?
As you develop your mobile marketing messages, you want to focus on “shareability.” Meaning, you want it to be something that is worthy of sharing. You want your mobile users to think, “Hey, this is cool. I need to pass this along.” And then, make it as effortless as possible to either forward it via email, post on Facebook, tweet via Twitter or otherwise share it. Don’t be afraid to include links that encourage sharing…a lot of times, if you don’t ask, they won’t do it. So plant that seed of sharing and make it an easy task.
And never, ever forget the importance of mobile marketing metrics. You should be tracking your efforts and paying attention to what works and what doesn’t. Mobile isn’t the internet on a smaller screen. It involves different levels of responsiveness and buying patterns. Test and test some more. Tweak and tweak some more. You will find mobile success as you develop content that is tailored to the mobile audience in both the message and the actual delivery.
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