Are you ready for a smartphone social media marketing future?
PC sales are in decline, replaced by a dramatic uptake in mobiles and tablets
PC sales are in decline, replaced by a dramatic uptake in mobiles and tablets – but are your social media marketing campaigns fit for consumption on mobile devices?
Your Customers have Gone Mobile Mad
The mobile revolution has already begun. As far back as 2011, smartphones have been outselling PCs while PC vendor Lenovo reports that it sold more of its tablets and phones than its PCs in 2013. And just to make sure we’re driving the point home here:
There are 1.75 billion
smartphone users worldwide in 2014.
With mobile tech now winning the arms race against its ‘big brother’ the PC, it’s clear that marketers must adapt their social media marketing to suit their customers’ preference for mobile – and remove all the roadblocks to the customer’s journey thrown up by the platform.
Target
“The Three R’s for engaging your audience – the Right time, the Right place, the Right person”
While the basic rules remain the same for mobile-powered social media marketing campaigns, there is one key difference – mobile users are invariably on the move, merely glancing at their phones to quickly dip into their preferred social channels. You should ensure your content is ‘bite-sized.’
Also consider what times B2C prospects will be looking at their smartphones – it’s unlikely they’ll be checking in on their smartphone or tablet extensively during office hours. Whatever the hour though, B2CC marketing is moving rapidly moving into the mobile space:
46% of B2C marketers are now deploying mobile content.
But if focusing on B2B, remember that more employees are now checking their work email on their personal mobile devices.
B2B mobile web usage is set to overtake PC usage by 2015.
Optimize
Optimize your content for the mobile experience:
It is imperative that marketers optimize their content for mobile by deploying responsive websites that adapt automatically to the screen size they are being viewed on. From landing pages through to form fields, the experience must be as smooth and effortless on a 4.7-inch screen as it is on a 17-inch PC monitor.
61%
of mobile phone users will move to another site if yours is too hard to navigate, according to Google research.
Maximize
Ensure ease-of-sharing on mobile devices:
Mobile users are twice as likely to share social content – so ensure that sharing options are included and easy to use. While the ‘Big Four’ continue to dominate, don’t forget that visual-driven social media platforms are on the rise too – so include sharing options for them if you feel it is appropriate to your specific customers’ journey and personas.
Plan
All related links/user flows must be mobile friendly:
You may have ensured that your campaign is optimized for mobile – but what about related links and user flows? If you launch a prospect off to a badly-optimized site from your own, then it’s going to reflect badly on your brand. Check that all elements of your campaign are mobile-optimized or run the risk of ruining your messaging efforts.
Target
And repeat for each stage of your content plan:
For each and every social media marketing campaign, follow the same process – mobile users will be more responsive and appreciative of your optimization efforts. One final thought for you to mull over:
“If you’ve ignored previous warnings and your business isn’t taking advantage of responsive web design right now or planning on it in the very near future, you are in danger of going out of business in 2014.”
Joshua Steimle, Forbes Magazine.
Have you got more questions about publishing content on social media that is optimized for mobile devices? Then join in the LIVE GOOGLE HANGOUT DEBATE taking place on Wednesday 24th September 2014 at 14:00 GMT - click here to get involved and get your questions answered!