Did you know: 94 percent of people with smartphones search for local information on their phones. That statistic becomes more interesting when coupled with this one: 77 percent of mobile searches occur at home or at work–where a desktop computer is likely present (Google). Mobile phone use has become more convenient than computer use. Making the cell phone or tablet a powerful medium for reaching your current and future consumers.
In response to our evolving mobile culture, Google announced the following:
“Starting April 21, we will be expanding our use of mobile-friendliness as a ranking signal. This change will affect mobile searches in all languages worldwide and will have a significant impact in our search results. Consequently, users will find it easier to get relevant, high quality search results that are optimized for their devices.”
In layman’s terms, if your website is unresponsive, go to the back of the line…”No Soup For YOU!” (Ten bonus points if you know the reference.)
Websites MUST be responsive for easy viewing on desktops, tablets and smartphones in seamless beauty. Not only will Google penalize an unresponsive site, consumers have very little tolerance for them.
So What To Do?
STEP 1: You need to know if your site is responsive or not. Google has provided a Mobile-Friendly Test where you can check your pages. Google has also provided suggested options for creating a responsive site.
STEP 2: If your sites need to become mobile-friendly, you can do it yourself, or you can work with a great communications firm (Penna Powers) who can easily help. The key is to do it sooner than later.
COST: The cost varies depending on how your site is currently built. Sometimes it’s better to start from scratch and other times it only takes switching to a responsive template/theme.
Great Responsive Site Examples:
Penna Powers enjoys working with UDOT, and together we created responsive sites shown below:
The Statistics
Mobile marketing is a MUST for success. This month the New York Times published: “Big Advertisers are Sending Their Dollars to Digital.” And honestly, the title says it all. Digital communication is essential to reach your consumers and if 77 percent of mobile searches occur on phones at home or work-mobile marketing should be top of the list.
If you need further convincing, review the latest stats gathered by Digital Insights.
- 50.3 percent of ecommerce website traffic comes through a mobile device
- 60 percent of global mobile consumers use their mobile device as their primary or exclusive internet source
- The average media consumption for one person is 7 hours, and nearly 2 hours is spent on a mobile
- 76 percent report they are more likely to respond to a text message than an email
- 70 percent feel using an text message is a good way for an organization to get their attention
- 64 percent of consumers who have subscribed to mobile messages said these messages induced purchases. And 64 percent of consumers think businesses should converse with customers more often using SMS
The global cloud computing company Salesforce tracked 470 voluntary consumers for a month on their smartphones and tablets and found the following:
- 85 percent of survey respondents said mobile devices are a central part of everyday life
- 91 percent of consumers felt access to content, however they wanted, is somewhat or very important
- 46 percent of consumers who signed up for emails from a brand made a purchase through a mobile device
- 41 percent of tablet owners say they use their smartphone and tablet simultaneously at least once a day
- Males are 56 percent more likely than females to scan a coupon or QR code to get quick access to information
- Females are significantly more likely to follow a brand on social media to receive coupons or deals
I’ll save other mobile marketing tips for a later blog, but please give us a call if you’d like some Penna Powers support.
The post Do it Now: Why Mobile Marketing is a MUST appeared first on Penna Powers.