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The post Developing Your Mobile Strategy: 5 Questions to Address appeared first on HostGator Web Hosting Blog | Gator Crossing . With the digital landscape changing every day, incorporating new devices and means of accessing your products and content, understanding the dynamics of mobile is essential. The platform remains largely in its infancy so developing a strategy can be difficult, especially for those without the capabilities needed to perform comprehensive testing and customer research. Fortunately, the experts at Google have developed “ The Mobile Playbook “, which breaks down the process into five questions that will help guide your efforts and form your plan.   How does mobile change our value proposition? The success of your content efforts depends on understanding the value you deliver to your customers. For B2B firms, this likely takes the form of some body of industry knowledge. For B2C businesses, this stems from fulfillment of a lifestyle that resonates with your customer base. In either instance, the addition of mobile to the picture affects that proposition in dynamic ways. At the core of this change is the always-on, always-available accessibility enabled by mobile devices. This means that the functionality and information you provide to your customers is shaped by this new type of interaction. Online shopping is rising in prevalence, as are mobile applications and mobile-friendly web layouts that get useful articles into customer eyes. In a case study provided by Google’s resource, a local real estate agency creates a database of local information for home buyers and leverages the location services functionality of mobile devices to help drive relevance of information provided and document information reported. Online shopping is another deeply affected facet of the consumer experience thanks to mobile devices. According to the resource, as much as 29% of local search queries resulted in a prompt purchase, thus demonstrating the importance of making your wares and your location available to search engines and mobile applications. Location services can be used to provide in-store coupons when customers enter your business in order to increase sales conversion. In each way, the value proposition is reimagined and the value delivered incorporates mobile in effective ways.   How does mobile impact our digital destinations? But brick-and-mortar properties aren’t the only aspect of business being disrupted by mobile technologies. The form factor of devices and limitations of interface are playing a key role in evolving mobile web development solutions. The trend is not to be ignored either; as many as 57% of users say they wouldn’t recommend a business with a poorly designed mobile site. This change in design requires a complete reassessment of what your site means to the mobile user. Shrinking your website or enabling mobile functionality without considering their circumstances can lead to misguided efforts and wasted money. The mobile browser is small, frequently viewed on-the-go with only fingers to navigate. With regards to browser dimensions, changing to a vertical layout and increasing text size in order to facilitate reading and navigation is essential. The quick visits and hurried schedules of mobile users viewing your site means load times will need to be optimal to avoid trying customer patience. Finally, fingers offer intuitive and innovative interface options for phones, but their clumsiness compared to mouse pointers means that “clickable” elements will need to be large and well-defined to facilitate a comfortable experience.   Is our organization adapting to mobile? With the speed and significance of the mobile revolution, organizational changes are a necessity to tackle the consequent challenges. With this particular question, Google’s team offers an explicit solution. Because of the unique considerations of mobile, the tech authority recommends creating a team designed to “champion” mobile use in all its forms. This specialization of knowledge prevents cross-over issues in implementation and defines responsibilities in an understandable and effective way. Furthermore, the specialization of this structure can help balance the needs of multiple business arms, adapting to business growth in the process. The provided case study on Sprint details a nascent mobile plan that was able to effectively accommodate marketing, web design, and new resources, resulting in a growth of mobile web traffic to 30% of total traffic. If your business already has a mobile plan, or your company lies on the larger end of the spectrum, Sprint’s story offers additional insight. The company dispersed specialists into different areas of the business and accelerated mobile efforts in the process.   How should our marketing adapt to mobile? With the introduction of new platforms, viewing conditions, user experiences, and business capabilities, evolving businesses are faced with the task of assessing their marketing materials in brand new contexts. In this realm, some interesting trends arise. According to Google’s data, mobile usage is spread evenly throughout the day and occurs across many more contexts. A Nielsen study actually revealed that 68% of mobile searches occur at home where other devices and larger screens are available. For your business, understanding how to adapt to these contexts is essential. According to the research from Nielsen, 3 out of 10 mobile searches result in “valuable business outcomes”, including in-store visits, phone calls, or mobile web purchases. What this demonstrates is that our understanding of conversions is shaped by mobile context. Simply looking at sales numbers may result in bleak ROI calculations. However, activities including calls, click-throughs, and app downloads, each with a calculated value, contribute to the conversion formula, thus painting a much more accurate picture of effectiveness. In addition, mobile contexts offer an opportunity for building your brand. A beautifully designed mobile website can curry sentiments of user-friendliness, engagement, and customer understanding. Mobile applications and web-based applications can create a dynamic and interactive experience that shapes perceptions. In each way, leveraging the unique mobile experience creates positive progress toward goals.   How can we connect with multi-screen audiences? The din of conversation, content, and advertising on the Internet is only part of the noise modern consumers experience. With tablets and smartphones on the rise, “multi-screening”, moving sequentially from device to device, is rising in step. According to the resource, 90% of consumers move between devices to complete their tasks, and 40% of users browse smartphones while watching TV. This creates a unique conundrum for marketers looking to capture that valuable attention. The solution is multi-channel integration. Customer attention divided between social networks, television, mobile web, and tablets requires a consistent experience throughout in order to make an impression. Advertisements on TV can reinforce mobile experiences, working in tandem with the consistent aesthetic of print advertising. This consistency not only unifies marketing efforts, but also delivers a strong impression despite willful and sometimes excessive division of attention between devices. The changing landscape of customer interaction created by mobile is not without its challenges, but understanding these five essential questions can help make a forest out of the trees. Adjusting your value proposition to incorporate mobile and adjusting mobile web design to facilitate delivery of this value can help breed favor with consumers. Creating mobile specialists in your organization and adapting marketing efforts to the platform can help streamline organizational efforts. Finally, integrating the myriad channels of distribution can leave a lasting impression with distracted users. By adjusting your business model to the changing times, you can ride a wave of innovation that will breed success and enthusiasm, both internally and in the marketplace. Register a cheap domain name at HostGator.com Continue reading →