Shopping online was once viewed as a novelty. Today, most of us make purchases online through Amazon, eBay, and countless e-commerce websites every week. We were also there when big bulky cellphones transitioned into the sleek, powerful mini-computers we have today.
The popularity of online businesses and smartphones go hand in hand. Instead of sitting down, booting up the computer, and waiting for the old DSL modem to connect, consumers can now take their phones out of their pockets and land on your website in seconds.
If you want to see your business thrive, you have to improve your mobile marketing strategy. A stunning 58% of internet traffic comes from smartphones. So if your site isn't mobile-friendly, you could be missing out on over half of your engagement and sales.
Ouch.
But you don't have to lose out on traffic forever. There are things you can do to improve your mobile marketing strategy, and we are going to show you five ways to get started.
Check your performance.
Do you know how your site performs for mobile users? If not, you should check right now. Open up your phone browser, go incognito, and type in your URL. You're essentially experiencing what people see when they visit your page. Now think about how a new customer feels when they land on your website.
Performance issues, like slow loading times, can drastically decrease your conversion rate, and upset visitors, especially on mobile devices. Most smartphone users expect mobile pages to load in two seconds or less. After three seconds, most people will hit the back button or close their browser.
If that person was coming to your site to buy a product, you completely lost them over a couple of seconds. The best thing you can do in this situation is to start looking for ways to speed up your site. You can delete inactive plugins that are using resources. Format your images and host videos on another platform, such as YouTube.
You must regularly check the speed and performance of your website. Navigate through the checkout process, scroll through your blog, and try your contact form. If your speed and performance are good to go, you'll have a better chance of converting mobile leads.
Optimize for voice search.
SEO is a great way to bring customers to your site when someone types the keywords you pick into Google. But voice search SEO is on the rise. All Apple and Android smartphones come with their own voice assistant, and many people have smart speakers like Amazon's Alexa in their homes.
Voice search keywords differ from traditional SEO keywords. Usually, marketers and SEO experts pick shorter keywords because consumers type an average of three to four words when using Google. With voice search, users ask full questions and change the way they say things because we don’t always speak the way we type.
You can revise your content to include more concise answers to some of the topics you cover. This strategy could get you the featured snippet spot at the top of the search page, which can exponentially grow your traffic.
Many companies now operate YouTube channels so they can build their audience and get more traction on their website. If you're using YouTube too, don't forget to add subtitles to your videos. Captions help the algorithm where to place your video.
Adding a transcript will also improve the chances that your video will pop up if someone uses a voice search to find information about a topic covered in your video.
Focus on writing mobile-friendly content.
The way your site loads matters, but focusing on creating mobile-friendly content will help keep people on your site longer. When you're writing blog posts, sales pages, or lead magnets, keep in mind that at least half of the people will see your words through their smartphone.
We suggest writing short, concise paragraphs that are broken up with headings, bullet points, and images. There’s no faster way to lose a visitor than to show them a wall of text as soon as they land on your website.
Short paragraphs and organized formatting means mobile users can quickly scroll through and scan your posts. As a result, they are more likely to read your content, engage with your call to action, and visit your business multiple times.
Simplify navigation and forms.
Next, let's talk about why you should simplify navigation and forms. Smartphone users are all about speed and accuracy. When users land on your website, they want to have the option to navigate precisely where they would like to go.
If your navigation bar is obscured by your theme or design, you're going to see fewer people engaging with different areas of your website. For example, if someone finds your blog post through Google search, they may be interested in buying your product. But if your theme is causing your navigation bar to stack text, the consumer might see this as a bad sign of quality and leave.
The same rules apply to your contact and payment forms. Both of these tools are essential for growing your business and making a profit. Your forms have to be smooth and responsive on mobile devices. Imagine checking out on a website, and facing a gigantic page of questions about shipping, card numbers, and personal information.
This situation could appear daunting to customers, especially if they haven’t made an account. But if you create a step-by-step payment form where users quickly navigate through a progress bar, you'll see a much greater conversion rate with smartphone users.
Think of it this way; 51% of shoppers have bought something with their smartphone. If you want to secure more sales, your forms and navigation must work on mobile.
Use multiple channels.
The last topic we will discuss today is using multiple channels to promote your mobile marketing campaign. You have to go beyond your website if you want to see consistent results.
Social media is a great place to start. Currently, over 3.81 billion people use social media, and that number is increasing every year. On top of that, users spend an average of two hours and 22 minutes on their social accounts. When you combine this knowledge with the fact that most social media users are on their smartphones, it becomes clear why social media is ideal for promotion.
You can share your latest blog posts, upload live video, or even create special promotions for your audience. All of these tricks will help you bring more mobile users to your website. If you've worked through the other tips mentioned here, then you'll see plenty of positive results from the traffic you bring in from platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
Email marketing is another essential marketing strategy for mobile users. Get people to sign up for your newsletter by creating a lead magnet on your website or asking people to subscribe to your list for new content.
You can use your email campaigns to build rapport with your mobile users, increase personalization, and present opportunities for users to engage with your brand.
As your audience grows, your analytics will help you determine how many mobile users visit your site every day. Use this information and the feedback you get from your audience to take your mobile marketing strategy from ordinary to extraordinary.