For Brand Success, Improving Your Customers’ Mobile Experience Should Be Top Priority
Well, that was quick. In just the past few years, now with the world virtually in our pockets, smartphones have already surpassed desktops as the preferred digital device of consumers for a variety of tasks. In fact, odds are, you’re probably reading this on your phone right now.
In the fourth quarter of 2022, mobile devices (excluding tablets) generated roughly 59.16% of global website traffic. In the fourth quarter of 2021, mobile devices accounted for 63% of U.S. organic search engine visits, compared to 48% in 2016.
Furthermore, over half of one 2022 survey’s participants prefer using a mobile device over desktops and tablets for their online shopping. Of the newest generation of shoppers (18-24 year olds), a whopping 74% choose mobile first for shopping.
Smartphones are not merely a luxury anymore but a “necessity” in the vast majority of people’s lives. As phones and online options become more advanced and convenient, mobile devices look to stay on top well into the future as our go-to source for near-instant information, entertainment, communication and more. Take e-commerce for example: In 2021, 41% of surveyed respondents said they purchased via mobile every day or week!
Today, for businesses and brands, the future isn’t in the palm of their hands as much as it’s in the palms of their customers’ hands, literally. To compete and thrive in the marketplace, it is more important than ever for brands to place a high priority on mobile optimization and their customers’ mobile experience.
Likewise, an inadequate or unsatisfying digital presence can drive potential customers away in droves and cause a brand to miss out on one of their best opportunities to improve their awareness, engagement and revenue. For optimal success, here are some important things to consider when focusing on mobile optimization.
Mobile optimization is essential to an omni-channel strategy
If the key to the optimal customer experience is an omni-channel strategy, then the key to omni-channel strategy is mobile optimization, for the digital world is where all other channels flow in and out nowadays, and that digital world is accessible through the phones in our pockets.
Whether you have a brick-and-mortar store, a home business or a strictly e-commerce endeavor, all of your traditional and digital touchpoints with customers should be working in unison together, complementing and strengthening each other. If out of balance, where some channels are weak or ignored, you risk losing your customer somewhere along their journey.
Need M:7’s expert help optimizing your customers’ mobile experience? Start a conversation with us today.
Your site must fit on your phone
Often the first impression of your brand customers get, your website must be as user-friendly and inviting as possible, or it will likely be the last impression. Thus, mobile responsiveness, making sure your site reformats itself based on the device being used, is more important than ever.
Websites appear differently on a phone than on a desktop, but they don’t just magically adapt to screen size. The site must be designed to do so. The images, buttons, words, and other features have to be sized and laid out just right so that viewing it on a phone is a pleasant, efficient experience.
Whether slow to load, hard to read, or confusing to navigate, a site that hasn’t been mobile-optimized lacks professionalism and will cause visitors to form a lesser opinion of a business. Meanwhile, in 2020, Google switched to mobile-first indexing, meaning its web crawlers would prioritize mobile-first pages when indexing the internet. Now, websites that aren’t built mobile-first will rank lower in search results than they could.
Everything should be shrinkable
When building an omnichannel customer journey, keep in mind that your website isn’t the only thing that needs to adapt to the small screen. Consider how ads, emails and social media posts are also much smaller on a phone, and adjust image quality, graphics, content and creative choices accordingly. Adopt copy best practices limiting lengths of email subject lines and social media captions so your messaging won’t be incomplete or hidden.
Local should be focal
Mobile search results are also different from desktop ones because they are heavily impacted by the user’s location. People like convenience, which is why so many queries include “…near me” and “local…”. This means that you need to gain greater control over your brand’s mobile search rankings, especially if you’re a local brick-and-mortar. Search marketing helps you monitor and optimize results to move you higher on the all-important search engine results page (SERP).
Mobile users want it short and sweet
People sitting at a desk are willing to put more time into visiting a site or reading content than someone on the go. So, when creating content or marketing campaigns for mobile, keep in mind that you have less time to grab and keep viewers’ attention. From videos to page loading, your elements need to run smoothly and reliably. One glitch and that potential customer may click away from your brand forever. Meanwhile, ad, social media, and website copy should be digestible and skimmable while including relevant strategically used keywords.
Phones offer unique tactics desktops don’t
There are a number of cool things your brand can utilize through the phone that aren’t available or as practical on a desktop, including QR codes, geofencing, text messages, and push notifications.
Similar to standard bar codes but able to contain much more information, QR codes integrate print and digital worlds allowing advertisements, brochures, posters and more to direct users to mobile landing pages and further through the sales funnel. Geofencing marketing lets brands market ads and messaging to smartphone users in a specific location, such as a department store, tradeshow or even a competitors’ store.
If you didn’t know before, let this be your wake up call: Smartphones are taking over everything from conversations to shopping, so if your brand is going to keep up with the competition, it would behoove you to make mobile optimization a top priority. Mobile optimization is no longer something brands can ignore or neglect.
At M:7 Agency, we understand the importance of an omni-channel strategy to marketing and communications success, and that mobile optimization is often the cornerstone of that strategy. From website development to digital analytics and research to mobile-specific marketing like QR codes, we make sure your brand story is told effectively and consistently across all platforms, channels and devices.
Been neglecting your brand’s mobile optimization or ready to take yours to new heights with M:7 Agency? Start a conversation with us today.