On the 8th of March 2011 Google launched the new Instant Previews feature on mobile devices (for Android and iOS for now), making it even easier and faster to find what you’re looking for. And that was just a few days after announcing their new Maps Navigation App and their improved Google Docs for Mobile.
By enhancing the users experience on mobile devices, there’s no doubt Google is getting it right!
And here are a couple of reasons YOU should care about mobile users, too:
Internet Mobile Usage Continues to Grow
In December 2010, 47% of US mobile subscribers are now considered mobile media users – they browsed the mobile web, accessed applications, downloaded content or accessed the mobile Internet via SMS. That is a growth of 19% in just one year. In Europe, the growth rate is 23% for the same segment of mobile media users.
This booming growth in the consumption of mobile media has been made possible thanks to the continuous growth in smart phone adoption, 3G/4G device ownership, as well as unlimited data plans offers.
We can safely conclude that online mobile is no longer reserved for privileged people alone!
And even if the 18-24 year old segment gets the highest propensity of mobile usage, in a very early-adopter country like Japan, this repartition amongst this age group is much more balanced and serves as a likely prediction of what will happen in other countries in few years.
Online Mobile Activities are Varied and Focused on Local Content/Services
What does that mean? Well, quite simply more people use their mobile to access Internet content and especially local-oriented services (weather, maps, location-based social networks, etc.). Mobile browsers are now indeed the first access method to access local information in the US with 20.7 million users per month.
As shown in the chart on the opposite, people do pretty much everything on their mobile and every category commands double digit growth.
Mobile devices have become a real means of online searching and surfing. There are no further barriers, except maybe for some websites that aren’t adapted for mobiles yet… – oh, and of course the NZ mobile plans that are still not as cheap as they could be.
Another interest stat: 80% of searchers research online before purchasing in a 10-20 miles radius. Even more intersting: 42% of people use their phone to search…at home!
So you better make sure you are found on Google, anytime, anywhere! (SEO for mobiles is still SEO).
Online Mobiles Enable Real Life Experiences
As social networks become more local-focused, there are now many choices for mobile users to see what happens on the street corner or find out who is nearby. Twitter, Facebook, Foursquare,…the list is long and it would be a great shame not to benefit from these services to build a strong online-offline relationship between you and your prospects.
Indeed mobile devices allow the creation of an easy link between online life and real life. There is no need to explain why it’s important for physical businesses (restaurants, shops, etc.) but it should be also considered by businesses that have an e-commerce website as well as a physical store network. Both channels shouldn’t be viewed as rivals – but rather as complementary.
The Perfect 1 to 1 Marketing Channel
Mobiles are without a doubt the most personal device. As proof, a study from the University of Manchester has shown that mobile devices contained 500 times more bacteria than a toilet bowl!
So it’s important to use the mobile device for all its worth! Mobiles enrich the relationships between the brand and its customers. With a sound CRM, brands can now efficiently communicate at the right time and the right moment and when it’s done best will be able to anticipate their customer’s needs. What more can we ask for..?
Optimize Marketing Channels as a Whole
Because online life is not separated from real life, and also because the Internet can be accessed by different means, every marketer should analyze their marketing campaign’s performances as a whole.
This is no small feat, especially analysing the relationship between these two worlds. But fortunately, one of the main advantage of digital marketing is knowing what your visitors are doing online (assuming that you are efficiently tracking them in Google Analytics – and that they don’t delete their cookies…).
With tracking sorted you should be able to analyse the contribution of each traffic source on the final conversion and make the right decisions in terms of budgets, targeting, time planning, etc.
Mobile Marketing – In Summary
Online mobile usage is one of the fastest growing means of accessing the Internet. The particularities of this device (ultra-personal and mobile) need a specific marketing approach: Mobile Marketing.
At FIRST, we have the tools and a great team of experts to help you make the best choices, as well as increasing your online visibility, whatever the devices or digital marketing channels used.
Contact us to find out more.
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