When it comes to digital marketing strategies for 2015, the web is full of "What to expect" "Predictions" and "What Next?" It is interesting to read so many different perspectives. One common prediction I have seen across all articles is "Mobile Marketing."
In a recent digital marketing study statista.com reported - "In 2013, 73.4 percent of the global online population accessed the internet from their mobile phone. This figure is expected to grow to 90.1 percent in 2017."
In addition, 'We are Social' reported - the global average mobile penetration rate as 93%. According to Shopify, more than 50% of all e-commerce traffic now comes from mobile devices. This shows that people are increasingly relying on mobile devices for information and shopping needs.
The above statistics clearly hint towards Mobile dominance this year.
While I was putting together a mobile marketing plan for my clients, I thought of sharing few tips on mobile marketing for beginners through this post.
1) Responsive website
Having a responsive website or a mobile version of the website is a must and surprisingly not many webistes meet thi criteria. Responsive or a mobile friendly website is one of the key ingredients of a successful mobile marketing plan, be in any industry. According to MarginMedia- 48% of users say that if they arrive on a business site that isn't working well on mobile, they take it as an indication of the business simply not caring. Most importantly having a responsive site makes it more efficient for Google bot to crawl the site and then index and organize all its content.
2) Loading Speed
Econsultancy reported that 40% of people will abandon a web page if it takes more than three seconds to load. Page loading speed can significantly impact mobile user-experience and conversions. Google wants mobile pages to load in one second or less to deliver a positive experience, and keep the user engaged. Although this is an old SEO suggestion by google, it still stands equally important.
3) Mobile App
Building your own mobile app is a good idea if you are a B2C company or a company that provides real time information to its consumers or if you have identified a good value preposition for your audience which your app will serve. Data from Nielsen shows that 89% of the time spent by consumers on mobile media is through mobile apps.
The app should act as an extension of your website but more importantly it needs to add value and engage your audience. It should not just be a mini-website serving the same purpose as your desktop site. A well designed mobile app can help increase your customer base.
4) In-App Advertising
In App advertising is a great way to get your message out. Considering a user spends significant time on mobile apps, in-app advertising should form a part of your advertising plan for 2015. Advertising has spread rapidly from traditional to online to social and now on mobile platforms.