Just an arm’s reach away, mobile is where your business should be.
‘Mobile-first’ is a war cry hailed by marketers and advertisers alike. But what does it really mean to be mobile-first? And more importantly, is that an optimal strategy for your business? Whether or not your business should be placing the highest emphasis on mobile is not up to us to dictate. Instead, let’s break down why mobile is gaining momentum:
Mobile-first what?
The term ‘mobile-first’ surfaced around 2011, when smartphones were starting to take precedence. Fast-forward to 2017, and marketers are getting onboard to ensure that they are prioritizing mobile platforms in terms of designing an online experience for mobile before designing it for desktop. Mobile-first entails a new approach to planning, UX design and development that puts mobile at the forefront. Businesses are finally realizing that consumers have their heads buried in their phone accessing content, more often than anywhere else.
Joined at the hip with their mobile phones
The extent of smartphone usage is undeniable, with 2.32 billion users worldwide using mobile devices in 2017. Bringing this to the sunny shores of Singapore, we are ranked highest globally for smartphone penetration, with 4.27 million Singaporeans holding a smartphone in their pocket. Of this staggering statistic, Singaporeans spend 3 hours and 12 minutes daily on their mobile phones, with 38% using their phone to make online purchases. If you don’t speak numbers, this translates to the extent to which mobile is becoming a big player in delivering content and marketers need to ensure that their strategies and implementation tactics are mobile-optimized.
Smaller screen, same content
The most obvious difference of mobile in comparison to web is screen size. And while this might pose a problem for businesses to squeeze all that content into a tiny little screen, the challenge also lies in capturing consumers’ attention with the flurry of information. By being mobile-optimized in the areas of web pages, apps and social content, brands can harness the power of mobile to their benefit.
(Source: Pinterest)
First and foremost, the user experience should be optimized for the platform. A Walker study predicts that customer experience will surpass price and product in importance by 2020, meaning that brands that do not prioritise a good UX design could potentially see their sales falling. This is because consumers who have a bad mobile user experience are 60% less likely to purchase from that brand in future (Google, 2017). For mobile sites to have quality UX design, the page has to cater to the platform used. For example, web pages look and behave differently on different OS systems.
Ensuring that the application or web page is compatible with the OS used will help create a better experience for customers. As for mobile applications, one way to create a great customer experience is to make the onboarding process as seamless as possible — include a quick interface tour (that’s skippable, of course) and exclude unnecessary information or design elements that clutter the screen. Finally, marketers who utilize social media as a strategy should keep in mind the optimal specifications for visuals and text when designing collaterals, as various social media platforms themselves are optimized for use on mobile.
(Source: Tubik)
In addition to having a good UX design, brands need have a proper understanding their audience. Who is using these mobile platforms? Why do they need to utilize mobile as opposed to desktop? Are they experienced users or first-time users of mobile? And what information do they need to meet their goals? By comprehending the nuances of the customer profiles and interactions contexts, brands can design creative strategies that work to effectively reach their target audience and in effect, directly drive conversions for their business.
Tiny is mighty
The pervasiveness of mobile marketing is testament to its effectiveness in driving conversions for businesses. Mobile marketing is more targeted than traditional marketing, in how it offers opportunities for brands to personalize messages for their audience — unlike traditional advertising where one message is continuously fed to the whole target audience group for weeks at a time. Another way in which mobile marketing trumps traditional marketing is that it allows for location-based targeting.
People bring their phones to even the toilet, so you would expect that they bring it everywhere else. Geo-location technology can aid the consumer’s shopping journey whether it means dishing out a promotional ad at the correct place or suggesting where they can buy those pair of shoes nearby. Why this works is that geo-enabled activities are closely tied to consumer behaviour. MDG Advertising has found that 72% of consumers respond to a call-to-action messages if the retailer is in sight. Potbelly, the sandwich shop chain in the United States, capitalised on geo-targeting to deploy in-app mobile banner ads to promote their new sandwich called “Flats”. These ads would be served if the consumer was within a “geofence” (close enough proximity to the physical store).
(Source: Bobby Sims)
Mobile marketing has proved to be a varied tool, in terms of strategy and implementation, that helps businesses market their products and services to consumers. If your brand has not already jumped on the mobile ship, you might want to consider doing so. It’s a very fast-moving and effective ship for you to reach your audience.
Need help on your brand’s marketing? Reach out to us at hello@alto.sg for a free consultation. We’ll be glad to help you out!