Despite it’s recent popularity, the mobile web is still in its infancy, technologically speaking. But that doesn’t mean it’s too early to start talking about how brands and businesses can improve their mobile marketing strategies and start engaging users on the small screen. For businesses that need a little help managing the market and distinguishing their brand from the rest on the mobile web, here are the 5 worst (and most common) mistakes to avoid courtesy of DevelopmentNow.
1. Not having a mobile website (which is to say, not having your website optimized for mobile devices).
If you do not have a mobile-optimized website, you are failing to connect with at least some portion of the 80 million users that regularly access the mobile web from their Smartphone devices.
2. Not having a real mobile site
Be wary of any site or business that suggests that a website can be mobilized simply by resizing objects and rearranging the web view. It takes a more in-depth web design process to create a nicely functioning mobile web page.
3. Not having goals
Deciding what you actually want users to do with your mobile site—and thus, the criteria for determining whether or not the site is effective at driving users to perform this action—is critical to any mobile marketing strategy.
4. Producing a rocky mobile experience
Brands can engage mobile users much more successfully by providing a fluid mobile experience that makes it easy for mobile users to navigate the site and access information or data that they may be searching for. Sites that only have one page (the home page for example) optimized for mobile access can be frustrating to mobile users and often drive them away from the site. At least a few (2-3) pages of a site should be mobilized, allowing users to explore content and learn more about the services that business provides.
5. Overwhelming mobile users
A mobile website shouldn’t have all of the same copy and content as a desktop site. By trying to jam-pack everything into just a few pages of your mobile site, you‘re putting too much information into too tiny a space. As with so many other forms of media, when it comes to the mobile web, your best bet is always to keep it simple, clean and presentable.
We hope that these tips are helpful whether you’re just starting out on the small screen, or working to perfect your mobile marketing strategy and set your brand apart from the rest. If you have any additional tips for avoiding mobile pitfalls, please let us know in the comments below!
About the author: Erin Kelley | Erin maintains the DevelopmentNow company blog. Her insightful reports on mobile marketing trends serve to inform brands, businesses and individuals of how to take advantage of the growing new media industry. DevelopmentNow is a new media consulting company that specializes in building integrated mobile web solutions and native apps.