The number of users with Internet-enabled phones is growing fast. Parallel to that statistic is the growing amount of second-screen interaction. In fact, I am writing this blog while watching Anthony Bourdain devour goose liver on his show, No Reservations. According to metrics released yesterday by Nielsen, 85 percent of mobile device owners use their tablet or smart phone while watching TV at least once per month — 40 percent do so daily.
Have you thought about how users will interact with your brand on mobile? If not, it’s time you do so. Many factors have led to the growth of smart phone and tablet users, and a few are worth noting when you consider who will be interacting with your brand via mobile devices.
Factor 1: Cost Barriers Have Lifted
In the beginning, smart phones and tablets — like most new products when they first hit the market — were expensive. Only the early adopters, wealthy, or nerdy splurged on these new items. When the first smartphone, the IBM Simon, was developed in 1992, it retailed for $899. Twenty years later, the phones have become increasingly more advanced, but have dropped immensely in price. Nowadays, with smart phones starting at prices as low as $50, most consumers can interact with the web while on-the-go as long as they can afford the monthly fee.
Factor 2: Ease of Use Has Increased
Gone are the days where you had to be “tech-savvy” in order to use a smartphone. Everyone and their moms, or grandmas can find a smartphone to fit their needs to make calls, send text messages, browse the web, and more. Some apps even focus on enhanced ease of use when it comes to reading and applications on smart phones and tablets.
How to Prepare Your Brand for Second-Screen Mobile Users
With the increase in smartphone and tablet users comes an increase in mobile searches. You may lose a prime opportunity to interact with your customers if people are coming to your full-sized website while browsing on a small screen, or to a flash-filled website that doesn’t work. Finding information on such a small screen is not only difficult and frustrating, it can cost you business.
Here are a few things to ask yourself as you develop a strategy for your brand’s mobile users:
- Where is your TV, radio, or print advertising taking users? If you’re sending users to a website, make sure it works on a variety of mobile devices. Remember, first impressions matter and can be a deal breaker for users if they aren’t well planned. If you’re sending users to a social media site, what will their first impression be there? Keep copy and images consistent with advertisements to clarify to users that they’ve found the right account. On the same note, keep URLs short to make it easy for users to recall on the go.
- Is your most-searched content easy to find on your landing page? Make your call to action clear for mobile users. If you’re sending them to content or a blog, consider having a unique URL for that content to easily avoid bounces from a poorly laid out landing page. If you do have a mobile site, organize your menu to highlight the content you want users to interact with the most.
- Do your social accounts include important information? If a user comes to your social platforms before your website, make sure the information they are looking for can also be found. Among the most critical are phone numbers, addresses, and information that are necessary while out and about. Though this may seem like common sense, you’d be surprised how many sites still make a user hunt and peck for basic information.
- What time are you sending emails? The Nielsen report also noted that 50 percent of second screeners were using their devices to check email. If that’s the case, are your emails targeted during high TV viewing hours? If not, consider testing your sending time with a mobile-friendly email driving traffic to a clear — and mobile-friendly — call to action.
Don’t believe Nielsen just yet? Take a moment to look at your website analytics. If the number of mobile viewers are customers you want to keep, consider the tips above.
How are you meeting the mobile needs of your customers and community?
