Your Mobile Site: Follow Success, Get Rid of The Rest

Posted March 31, 2009 by Scott Teger

The plan is set.  You have your content, your marketing strategy, a marketing budget (sometimes) and with the help of either the Fresh Mobile Platform, an in-house effort, or one of our 'competitors' you launch.  Depending on your go-to-market mobile product, it may have been a lot to get you here, but you've only just begun.

Over roughly the past 3 years we can make 2 general categorizations of "mobile" clients.  Those who have adapted (and continue to adapt) to a relatively new medium, and those who approached mobile with the stubborn  attitude of "we built it, they will come."  Business fundamentals apply and we are proud to stand behind and work with our clients.  However sadly those who choose tunnel vision fail on mobile quicker than they would on the web. Those who are progressive and adapt, are still forging ahead and seeing success on mobile.

Here a few observations which may prove helpful to your existing or upcoming mobile strategy:

1. Be Sticky: Chances are a new visitor to your mobile site cost you a lot to get them there, and while they're there for that visit, you are hoping to monetize that visit as best as possible. If you're not after a higher cost subscription where its a numbers game for visitors/signups, make sure there is a reason to come back.

Is your content current and refreshed often, and offers a truly mobile optimized experience?

Do you have an opt-in SMS, send to Friend or even Email list? (and a reason to join)

Does the mobile site offer something different and unique from your other marketing channels?

Can a user maintain an "Account" with their content, or favorites?

2. A.B.C. ("Always Be Closing"): We are still surprised how many mobile websites which represent brick-and-mortar or even web based products do not have "click-to-call" or a simple form on their mobile website.  In the current state, most mobile websites are but a few pages of copy.  Make sure an interested user has the ability to find out more without having to remember to go home and go to the website.

For some of our clients who offer services beyond a simple click to purchase, "click-to-call" has proven invaluable (make sure you obtain a unique number to track conversions, easy with a voip service like skype or ringcentral... some of our clients are seeing 30% call rates!)

3. A Narrow View: Unlike your website with a great amount of real estate, even on a smart device, you are hard pressed for real-estate, so design accordingly.  Get the user what they want, fast.  Seems obvious, but again some traditional web approaches are making appearances on the mobile web. If the user has to scroll down every page to get past your logo which takes up half the screen, followed by an advertisement which nets you very little revenue, minimize or lose it.  Additionally make sure to keep the user navigation in mind - on many devices without "pointers", a user to has to "tab" through links, so if the 1st thing on your page is a breadcrumb and they are 5 links deep in the mobile site, the user will have to click down on their mobile device 5 times just to be able to scroll down. 

4. Evolve: However you choose to operate your mobile channel, you have to be able to know who the user is, and what they are doing to provide an experience and information they cant obtain anywhere else.  Make sure you have the ability to understand how people are getting to your mobile site, and what they are doing when they get there.  Also, make sure you understand the devices and carriers that are visiting your mobile site. There are plenty of analytics tools for mobile or your platform provider should have some integrated analytics.

If your mobile site is optimized for smaller screen "dumb" mobile devices, but 60% of your traffic is on some type smart phone - make sure your technology has the ability to adapt your mobile site to both standard and smart devices.  If you are seeing traffic come in from international destinations you cannot sell to - look to expand your billing options (even if carrier billing isnt an option, credit card billing is effective as well).

5. 80/20: It's a cliche rule of thumb, but it works just as well here.  Until you try, you don't know, and while you may be resting on your existing mobile solution, a new competitor is about to capture market share that could have easily been yours.  The way people use mobile is interesting.  Whether it be a mobile oriented product, like ringtones - which has its obvious place on the mobile web, or the less obvious service like a masonry, people are getting on their mobile devices and searching for everything and anything they would on their website.  Dedicate 20% of your time/budget to exploring which will help you decide which direction you will evolve.

In all - our longest, most successful clients have adapted each and everyone of these principles and in our opinion remain the core reasons why they are still around and forging ahead.  While the concepts may seem simple, hopefully a few of them sparked some ideas and can be applied.

Any questions feel free to let us know!