Mobile strategies for demand generation

Editor's Notes

• #5: We work with marketing to understand their needs—translate that into technology
• #8: Just as the web changed the way we interact and market to our customers, mobile is forcing us to re-look at what we are doing in a whole new way.
• #9: Consumers can now use smart-phones and tablets to interact with businesses 24/7, from anywhere - at home, at work, on a bus. And companies that embrace this always-on behavior - the taxi service Uber with mobile pickups, GrubHub and Seamless for food delivery, and Hotel Tonight’s app for last-minute bookings - can disrupt entire industries. For this session we will be focusing on extending your demand generation efforts and exploring new frontiers
• #11: Females: Of female mobile subscribers, 50.9% owned smartphones compared to 50.1% of male mobile subscribers.Asians: 67.3% of mobile subscribers of this ethnicity own smartphones, followed by Hispanics (57.3%), African Americans (54.4%), and Caucasians (44.7%).25 to 34 year olds: 66% of mobile subscribers in this age group own smartphones.
• #12: Those with the highest incomes are more likely to own smartphones
• #18: Ad company Kontera tracked data from 15,000 publishers to find out when people are using their PC versus iPhones, Android phones, and tablets, which are lumped as "mobile" in the chart below.This chart shows for each hour of the day what percentage of total mobile and PC content is consumed. As you can see, mobile usage is strongest from 6 PM to midnight. PC usage is strongest from 11 AM to 5 PM.Mobile phones play a role both inside and outside the home. Within the home, users recorded the most activities on their phones when in their living room (78 percent). Sixty-five percent used them outside the home or while in transit, and 66 per cent used them at work. This aligns with Gartner's scenario for screen usage in the living rooms of today and tomorrow: even though the TV remains the largest screen in the living room, it shares users' attention with other devices with smaller screens, often used simultaneously, as people access complementary or distinctively different services. Across all activities conducted on the Internet, checking email (74 percent) and social networking (57 percent) are the most common activities on mobile phones. Gaming is in fourth place (42 percent), and appears more popular than checking the news (40 percent) and listening to music (40 percent). Watching live TV remains a very limited activity for mobile phone users (5 percent), but on-demand content has a slightly broader reach (15 percent). The survey also found that both male and female adopters show similar attitudes toward the use of mobile devices. Both groups use the Internet more at home than elsewhere, and they use it for research, shopping, learning and socialising. However, the women in the study connect significantly less than the men when outside the home, and the difference in location might be partly linked to gender-specific usage patterns. While men seem to prefer to gather information, women use their devices more for personalised entertainment activities like gaming and socialising via Facebook or Twitter.
• #19: Mobile owners are using their smartphones to use downloaded apps more than to browse the web, according to a new study by comScore. The study found that out of the 234 million mobile subscribers in the US in May 2012,  51.1% used downloaded apps compared to the 49.8% who used their phones to browse the web.The most popular activity amongst mobile subscribers in the U.S. is sending text messages (74.8%) ( 90% of them are read within 3 minutes) followed by using downloaded apps (51.1%). The third most popular activity is browsing the web (49.8%). Accessing social networks/blogs and playing games round out the top 5 activities for mobile users with 36.7% and 33.5% respectively.In February 2012, there was little difference between app usage and web browsing – 49.5% and 49.2%, respectively; however, in three months, while web browsing only grew 0.06%, app usage grew 1.6%. This increase can be attributed to the growing popularity of apps, as well as the growing number of smartphone owners. In three months, the number of smartphone owners grew 5% to 110 million people in the U.S. with Google Android the most popular smartphone platform with 50.1% market share.
• #30: EmailSMSLink to WebForward EmailClick to Call/DownloadRegisterRespond to a Poll or SurveySocial ShareThe most popular activity amongst mobile subscribers in the U.S. is sending text messages (74.8%) followed by using downloaded apps (51.1%). The third most popular activity is browsing the web (49.8%). Accessing social networks/blogs and playing games round out the top 5 activities for mobile users with 36.7% and 33.5% respectively.
• #31: Android: 48.5%iOS: 32.0%BlackberryWin8Others 11.6%While Android leads as the most popular smartphone OS, the most popular smartphone manufacturer is Apple.Universal Design ChallengesMobile Device ConsiderationsDevice UsabilityDiscoverability of applicationAnnoyances imposed on othersPart of a larger system
• #34: • Making your emails and website scannable: You want the reader to get the gist in the first screen without having to scroll down two or three screens to find your call to action or key content.• Designing for the tap instead of the click: The fingertip is the new mouse — more portable but less accurate. So, you have to give it more room. Larger font size and bigger CTA buttons facilitate this, but you also have to avoid other potential hazards, such as scrunched-up lists of tappable links.• Making call-to-action buttons more prominent: Along with larger type, this makes your CTA stand out and also increases tapping accuracy. Using a “bulletproof” button that renders even if images don’t will increase your tap potential.• Streamlining your conversion activity: Has your previous strategy involved packing as many conversion opportunities as possible into an email or Web page? If so, consider focusing on a single
• #35: Your key content is “above the fold” so recipients can see it without having to scroll.There is ample space between links and/or CTAs so readers can use their fingertips as a mouse.Your call-to-action buttons are prominent to increase tapping accuracy. Your message focuses on a single conversion (or minimum conversion opportunities).The “From” name is readily identifiable, and the most important content is placed at the beginning of the subject line.
• #36: An email layout that is elastic - when reduced to half its width and height is still readable.Scalable designs utilize:A single layout for both large and small screensA grid system for alignment and proportionA single-column stacked layout, typicallyIf the container table is 640px wide, you will get a 2-column layout. But any skinnier than this and the right column will wrap under the left column. Make it the same width as the column tables (320px) and you've got a flush, 1-column layout that fits an iPhone display exactly, with no zooming required. One of the golden rules of email design is 'where possible, use HTML attributes instead of CSS'. Whereas CSS support can be fairly flaky across the gamut of email clients, attributes tend to be rock solid. For example, attributes like align="left" andcellpadding="10" are far more reliable than their approximate CSS equivalents,float: left; and padding: 10px;. It's exactly these attributes we'll be using when building our 2-to-1 column layout.<style type="text/css"> @media only screen and (max-device-width: 480px) { table[class=contenttable] { width:320px !important; } } </style> <table width="640" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="contenttable">
• #37: An email that uses CSS3 @media techniques torender two different layouts depending on where theemail is opened (PC or mobile device).Responsive designs typically:Work mainly on iPhone and some Android inboxes (not the Gmail app)Require two designs and extensive codingDo not work in all mobile environmentsMight impact inbox deliverability
• #40: 57% of users say they won’t recommend a business with a poorly-designed mobile site, and 40% have turned to a competitor’s site after a bad mobile experience.Your mobile site will differ from your desktop site not just because of the size of the device, but because the mobile context reveals a different mindset for your consumers. Visitors to your mobile site may be at a different point of the purchase funnel. How does your site appear to mobile users? Are you making it easy for them to connect with you or putting obstacles between them and what they seek?
• #43: Adaptive design is server-side, meaning before the page is even delivered, the server (where the site is hosted) detects the attributes of the device, and loads a version of the site that is optimized for its dimensions and native features.
• #44: Responsive design is client-side, meaning the whole page is delivered to the device browser (the client), and the browser then changes how the page appears in relation to the dimensions of the browser window.
• #46: For the first lot, Cremin suggests responsive design, and for those looking to harness the extra capabilities mobile devices offer (geolocation, touch gestures, compass, accelerometer, etc) to build a mobile-first experience, he suggests adaptive design.If a company chooses to use responsive design, they should have a strategy of designing for mobile constraints, ie. not assuming a site will by default be accessed from a desktop computer, and progressively enhance up to the optimal experience."load small/mobile images first then replace with larger images designed for broadband/desktop experience." It's like coding for the lowest common denominator: a small screen and a slow internet connection.If a publisher chooses adaptive design, it can allow them to go further with optimizing the mobile and tablet experience by taking advantage of the extra features these devices have to offer like accessing location and using touch gestures. Plus, serving the best version of a site to a user can cut down on loading times, further improving their experience. That would explain why, of the Alexa top 100 global sites, 82 percent use some form of server-side device detection to serve content on their main website entry point.As Beizer put it in an email:The larger point here is that, sure, there are technical differences between adaptive design, adaptive layout and responsive design. For publishers, the technical differences aren't really the point. The goal is ensuring content is optimized for our audiences no matter what device they're on. And that's why we're so excited about the possibilities with these approaches.
• #48: MOBILE SEARCH QUERIES GROW 5X IN THE PAST TWO YEARSFirst, use mobile-specific formats so you can optimize your performance with mobile campaigns.It’s now possible to layer your search ads with location extensions. These are additional links that appear in the ad that show your business’s location and phone number. What’s more, if consumers are close enough to your business, a distance marker will show up in the ad indicating how close your business is.Text Ads What is it? Text ads on mobile devices, just like those on your desktop computer, contain three lines of text and a URL that links to your website. Why you'd use it You can customize your text ads to be mobile-specific to drive a better response from mobile users. Use them with separate mobile campaigns. Research shows that mobile-only campaigns help drive an 11.5% average increase in mobile clickthrough rates compared to campaigns that combine mobile and desktop ads. Reach users across all platforms, smartphones and tablets. Details Make sure your AdWords campaigns target mobile devices with full Internet browsers. Text ads appear on Google.com and the Google Display Network. Click-to-download What is it? Click-to-download ads let you promote your mobile apps in Google search results and on sites which are part of the Google Display Network. Why you'd use it These ads link directly to your Google Play Store or iTunes App Store page, so users can download apps straightaway. The icon for your app will appear automatically in the ad. Details Click-to-download ads appear on Google.com and the Google Display Network. Click-to-call What is it? With Click-to-call you can include a click-to-call phone number in your mobile ad so users can call your business direct. Your phone number appears as an extra line in the ad. Why you'd use it Ads that include a clickable phone number have experienced a 6-8% average increase in clickthrough rates. A click to call costs the same as a click to your website but customers who call are often more qualified leads. Your phone number appears as an additional line of text at no extra cost. See the number of calls received for each keyword, ad group and campaign. Location Extensions What is it? Whether you have multiple storefronts you'd like to promote locally, or a single storefront you'd like to attract a user's attention to, Location extensions can help grow your business by bringing more customers through your doors. They feature your business phone number, clickable directions to your business and can also show how far the person is from your store. Why you'd use it These ads deliver down-to-the-block-level info about your business to the right user, in the right place, at the right time. Mobile local information seekers are ready to take action: research from Google and Ipsos shows that 59% visit a business and more than 40% purchase after looking for local information on their smartphones. Simply enter your business address or link your Google Places account to your campaign as a Location extension to set these up. Mobile Ad SitelinksWhat is it? Sitelinks direct users to specific pages of your website. Why you'd use it It’s not that easy finding your way around the mobile web, so mobile ad sitelinks can be really useful as it takes users straight to the page on your site that you want them to visit. With Sitelinks you can quickly guide customers to your best-selling products or a page with useful info, such as your online store locator. Mobile users find these ads really helpful and campaigns with mobile sitelinks see an average 30% increase in clickthrough rates. Internet, phone and cable giant Comcast makes it easy for mobile users to check service availability and get assistance by providing their phone number on their mobile site and in their search ads. Comcast built a mobile ad extension that lets users call directly from search results, a campaign that had a 270% higher click-through-rate than desktop search ads and led to a surge in mobile sales
• #55: MoglueBuilder (used to create content-rich ebooks without programming skills) and MoglueViewer (used to preview ebooks on target devices).When we last covered Moglueback in May, the startup was focused only on iOS but has just started to offer support for Android, too. Authors can now make ebooks with MoglueBuilder, preview the content on any iOS or Android device in real-time with MoglueViewer, and then place their titles as apps directly in the App Store or Android stores – following a “step-by-step” process from within MoglueBuilder.MoglueBuilder is available for PCs and Macs, and again, users don’t need to have programming knowledge to create interactive ebooks. The tool makes it possible to add images, effects, sounds, or animations to text via a simple drag-and-drop-based UI. Users currently have access to over 100 free images and 200 free sounds that come with the platform but can integrate any kind of content themselves. (A set of 90 Halloween-related images has just been added, too.)
• #61: Connect Directly to a URL “Like” your Facebook Page Local Maps Follow Your Twitter Page Play a YouTube Video Text Message CampaignContact Info – VCF Card Phone # Campaigns Sweepstakes Product Demos
• #62: Connect Directly to a URL “Like” your Facebook Page Local Maps Follow Your Twitter Page Play a YouTube Video Text Message CampaignContact Info – VCF Card Phone # Campaigns Sweepstakes Product Demos
• #63: Connect Directly to a URL “Like” your Facebook Page Local Maps Follow Your Twitter Page Play a YouTube Video Text Message CampaignContact Info – VCF Card Phone # Campaigns Sweepstakes Product Demos
• #65: mobile is a rework of another initiative such as a web site, and not viewed as strategictechnology choice is made first (i.e. "we need an iPhone app")mobile presence is seen as a publicity tool or simply a have-to-have“we already know our customer base” assumption based on another solutiondoes not include a business case, or has a business case that has not been validatedunique device characteristics and capabilities are not consideredcompetitor or competitive offerings are imitatedattempting to used canned solutions when a custom experience is desired
• #66: Our recommendation, at its most basic level, is a simple one: We encourage the appointment of a Mobile Champion within your organization. This person should gather a cross-functional mobile task force to work to determine your company’s approach for each of the questions listed. Benchmark your competition, understand how your customers use mobile through focus groups and surveys, talk to your agency partners, and brainstorm internally.