Does your company have a mobile strategy for your website and online presence? Get ready, because eventually it’s going to become inevitable. It’s time to think ahead and start pushing toward a mobile friendly online presence for your product and services.
Mobile Marketing Statistics
- There was estimated to be 5.3 billion mobile subscriptions by the end of 2010 – That is 75% percent of the total global population.
- Shopping on the mobile Web, i.e. m-commerce will reach US$119 billion in 2015 predicts – That’s about 8 percent of the total e-commerce market.
- Most popular activities on the mobile Web are mobile search, reading news and sports information, downloading music and videos, and email and instant messages. In the future, money transfer; location-based services; m-health and m-payment will be key drivers.
- Many mobile Web users are mobile-only, i.e. they do not, or very rarely also use a desktop, laptop, or tablet to access the Web
Source of information: Mobile marketing experts mobiThinking – Global mobile statistics 2011
Mobile Marketing Strategy
After reading some of the above compelling statistics, it becomes clear that mobile users are large in number and are researching, shopping, and buying from their mobile devices.
Now many companies that are privy to having large budgets and teams of developers at their disposal are leading the charge in way of pushing the envelope with apps, mobile websites, and technology. Amazon has built a superb mobile platform which I have used frequently myself to make purchases. I too am one of those consumers that value convenience, and sometimes quicker experience buying something directly from my mobile device.
Businesses that have a lower budget or may be struggling to grapple with this newfangled thing called mobile strategy may be asking themselves, how can I get my website working for my website visitors.
Mobile Website Technology
There are many options for those that have websites, to make them mobile friendly. Most content management systems are now coming with either built in functionality, or have add ons that can give your website a mobile interface.
The important thing is, to start thinking not only about the technology that could power your website on a mobile device, but also the overall big picture and strategy, as to why you want the mobile users to view your website.
Mobile Strategy Planning and Purpose
Start with the original purpose of your “traditional” or “standard” website designed to be viewed on a desktop, laptop, or tablet computer. What is your business objective for your website, blog, and material on your website in the first place? Is it to provide educational resources, drive sales for a particular product or service, get volunteers, subscribers?
After you can identify the purpose, you can start planning your mobile strategy.
Implementing A Mobile Website or Application
Check to see if your website is enabled already with mobile access by viewing it on your mobile phone. How does it look? See if you can recruit a few friends and family members to take a gander at your website on their mobile device. Ask your iPhone, Android, BlackBerry, and Palm friends so you get a variety of feedback.
Now that you’ve gotten some feedback, and can see the good and the bad, start looking at the available mobile website technology options you have. As stated previously in this article, your content management system may already have the capability built right in! Or you can explore a content management system that can help you manage your website and then add the mobile interface at the same time.
It could be that you may also want to explore the option of getting a mobile application created for a specific purpose. As the common joke about the prolific amount of mobile apps available, “there’s an app for that”.
Marketing Takeaway
Your website in all of its glory wasn’t designed to hide it under a bushel, so make planning and preparations a priority, now or into the future, when the time is right for your business to develop a mobile marketing strategy.
You can get as complex or as simple as you’d like, but front and center, focus on your website visitors and the sales strategy and process your business has involving lead generation and lead nurturing.