Don't Make These 8 Mobile Marketing Mistakes

From Susan Kuchinskas:

Have you caught mobile madness yet? Mobile marketing and m-commerce are on the rise, with Google advising merchants that it expects 15 percent of Black Friday searches to be completed via mobile devices. Yankee Group, a mobile research and analysis firm, predicts that global mobile transactions will amount to $241 billion in 2011.

So if mobile is a new part of your strategy, don't make these rookie mistakes.

Requiring too much typing input

Truly mobile consumers don't want to take the time to laboriously enter a lot of text. "With the proliferation of touchscreen phones, people are typing less on their devices," says Tim Hayden, CMO of 44Doors, a provider of mobile marketing platforms. A better option is using QR codes that can be scanned to take someone directly to your mobile site.

Not controlling mobile content

Streamline your content for mobile devices and provide snippets of information that are most likely to be useful when someone is out and about.

"We see bounce rates on mobile devices that are two to three times that of the desktop, Hayden says. "Mobile users are in and out very quickly, so respect someone's time when she's on mobile."

Not collecting e-mail addresses

Make sure you can reach out again to your most interested prospects by capturing their e-mail addresses. Simple surveys are a good way to get even more information, according to Arthur Chaparyan, CEO of CornerBlue, a mobile marketing company. Ask multiple-choice questions like, "What are you interested in accomplishing on our mobile site?" or "Do you want to hear about upcoming events?" Offer a coupon or another incentive for completing the survey.

Says Chaparyan, "Surveys work well because consumers don't have different tabs open on a mobile device, so you have their full attention."

Not making your privacy policy clear

Consumers want to be sure that you'll use their e-mail addresses responsibly, Hayden says. When you ask for the information, provide explicit reassurance. He advises stating that you'll e-mail one coupon and that's all. (But be sure to give them the opportunity to opt in to future communications.)

Only tracking clicks

Clicks are certainly important, but there's plenty of more valuable information to be found in consumers' behavior after they've clicked, Chaparyan points out. The mobile user's location, device and carrier, for example, can let you know if your ads work better on certain devices or are more appealing to people in a city or neighborhood. This will allow you to focus resources where you're getting the best response or to tweak your campaign to get a better response.

Overkill

There are plenty of what are known as enterprise-grade mobile marketing platforms out there, big guns used by big advertising agencies and national companies. They reach millions of consumers and charge you per ad delivered. If you're an SMB looking to generate more traffic and/or sales, this isn't what you need.

"Most mobile advertising is geared for larger companies interested in branding. They may generate more volume but it doesn't help you to actually make sales," says Chaparyan.

Irrelevant landing pages for QR codes

Hayden advises creating special landing pages for every QR code. Don't waste people's time by sending them to the front page of your site if they've clicked on something for specific information. For example, real estate agents should create a separate landing page for every listing, so that when a home shopper scans the code on a sign at a particular property he's taken directly to info about that house, instead of to a page with all the agency's listings.

Skimping on your mobile site

For the best performance, do more than simply mirror your website on the small screen. "New technology provides a lot of creative ways to reach out to people on mobile devices, Chaparyan says. "People using their phones to find information are usually out and about and ready to make a purchase. If you can convince them your product is good enough, you will have a customer."

Image Credit: Cindi Matthews

Source: http://www.openforum.com/articles/dont-make-these-8-mobile-marketing-mistakes

search engine marketing sem experts search engine optimization internet marketing online marketing