3 tips to get beyond your competitors in the new mobile-dominant world

By Youchin Lin

The smart phone penetration increased from 38% in 2011 to 50.4% in 2012, which makes mobile marketing become more attractive and also unavoidable. But, this is not the only thing that has changed. The scope mobile phone affects may be broader than you thought.  

78 million adults in the U.S. visited Facebook’s app or website through smartphones in March, according to ComScore’s first mobile media rankings. Facebook itself also reported that is has 488 million active users of its mobile products worldwide.  Those facts reveal that your current digital marketing strategy may need an overall review. Digital marketers, be ready to compete on a mobile-dominant world or you are in trouble.  If you still don’t have ideas about how to start, here are some easy tips for you to take advantage of mobile marketing.  

1. Be mobile friendly

Since an average of 12.6% site traffic are now from mobile device, you should really think about building a mobile website if you don’t have one (can you believe there is still 60% of companies do not have a mobile website?). And when you are developing your mobile website, put consumers in the center. Don’t just think about what you want to promote, but think about what your customers will need on the go. Company information, destination and social media are the most searched information on the mobile.

2. Renew your cross-platform content strategy

Plan your social media content with mobile usage in mind. U.S. mobile users spend an average of more than 7 hours a month on Facebook through mobile devices, which equivalent to 12% of all time spent on their phones. This percentage shows that users spend more mobile time on Facebook than on any other property, and that more and more people will browse your social media community on their phones rather than on computers. Remember that the smaller the screen the more hurried the consumer is. So give them concise and simple information and graphs on your social media community.   

3. Consider all mobile options and provide real time experience

Real time experience is what would let you surpass your competitors and monetize your mobile marketing effort. Consider all mobile options that may enable you to create relevant real-time experience for your customers such as website, location-based marketing (Proximity marketing), apps, and basic property such as email SMS and MMS. Be sure to integrate it with other media to maximize the impact. Just like many other media, Mobile can’t stand alone by itself.

Marketers who haven’t stepped into mobile marketing, don’t hesitate, do it at once! And if you are pioneer who already went through all the three steps, my suggestion is doing some tests on your mobile strategies to achieve a better ROI!

Youchin Lin is a graduate student in the Northwestern Medill IMC marketing program and is specializing in digital marketing and retailer marketing. Youchin will be graduating in December 2012. Youchin can be reached on http://www.linkedin.com/in/youchinlin or on twitter using the handle @YouchinLin

*Findings are from a survey of 150 mobile phone users in July 2011, conducted jointly by Modapt Inc. and Morrissey & Company.