You have to think about mobile as a significant source for your online traffic. When I say “mobile” I’m thinking about the full range of smart phones and tablets (iPhones, Androids and iPads to name a few). Another way to think about it is: everything online but your PC and laptop (while not completely accurate, it works). Or think: “small screen.”
Do you need a reason to focus on mobile?
I hope not, but at the beginning of the year I was still thinking of mobile for our clients as a good option but not a priority. A number of events conspired to completely change my mind. The final piece came from attending Social Media Marketing World. I converted and like many new converts, I’m all-in.
Need a reason? How about: Less than a year from now, mobile is projected to be over 25% of all the traffic on the web. Here’s a slide from Mary Meeker’s latest deck that tells a compelling story.
Want a better reason? Check the analytics for your site. And then check what your site looks like on a mobile device. You may not see much mobile traffic because of how clunky your site is on a small screen. Whatever you’re seeing for mobile, it should be above the 15% mark as a baseline. And it should be growing at a steep rate!
The key question with mobile is how does your audience interact with your content online?
Email’s pretty easy if you’re checking your email sends on a small screen. (Around here we’re trying to avoid the phrase “email blast.”)
How does your website look on small screens? Does the navigation work small? Can you read content without zooming in (ummm . . . many of us are one-handing it as we surf on our mobiles . . . don’t make us zoom).
And here’s the big one: can people easily donate via mobile? Is that even important? Well, what’s the primary purpose of your website? Whatever that purpose is, your visitors have to be able to do that on a small screen. For many, if not most of our clients, online giving is the primary purpose. So, make it easy.
And you don’t have to have a completely separate mobile site. That’s just not necessary for many organizations (or most). Responsive web design responds to the size of the screen and allows for varying screen sizes without having to have a mobile site. However you go about solving the problem, please do it. Soon.
And if you have a few minutes, get ready to have your hair blown back by flipping through Mary’s entire deck. Check out slides 22-25 on data, slides 26-29 on sharing and slides 30-37 on mobile. Of course if you’re involved with direct mail check out slide 94
What about you? How are you dealing with the mobile traffic opportunity? How much time do you personally spend on your smart phone or tablet? I’d love to know.
Steve Thomas
Partner, Oneicity
(photo credit: Rumpleteaser)
