More and more website traffic is driven by mobile users; Pew reports that significant numbers of users have smartphones as their only means of online access. A large number of those - as many as 60%, according to the Mobile Path-to-Purchase Report - use only mobile devices for purchasing. Because this usage will only grow, mobile users should be at the front of your mind when you develop your content marketing strategy.
Mobile Users Aren't the Same As Desktop Users
Do you know what mobile users need from your site? Content designed for the desktop doesn't always work for on-the-go users. Look at your site statistics to figure out what your mobile users want to do. Are they glancing at your site while in transit, or do they have time to look at it in detail? You'll want to offer different content depending on how long users stay at your site and whether they're using a smartphone or a tablet. Shape your content strategy so it gives mobile users the functions they want.
Big Screen Interfaces Aren't the Same as Small Screen Interfaces
It's common to build a site for the desktop and then shrink it down for mobile users, but the mobile platform isn't a small-scale desktop. Even if you have a responsive site design, it's more effective to design your interface around a smaller device and then scale it up to the big screen. The streamlined interfaces and shorter content that work so well on mobile devices still work OK on desktops; pages with sidebars and longer content that look fine on a desktop don't transfer nearly so well to mobile platforms. Whatever you do, if your mobile site has limited functionality compared to the desktop site, every page should give users the option to switch to the full site.
Mobile Conversion Opportunities Differ from Desktop Conversion Opportunities
Conversion on a desktop may mean making a sale, but may mean something different on the smaller platform. Build touchpoints that make it easy for potential customers to express interest despite small keyboards.
Mobile Offers Location-Based Strategies
The ability to know where your users are, as well as what they're doing, opens up entirely new ways of marketing to your users by tailoring offers specific to where they are and what they're doing. Planning your content marketing around desktop access means leaving out this whole channel of interaction.
Google Search Results Emphasize Mobile-Friendly Content
Content marketing is a never-ending battle to get potential customers to head to your site and convert them into actual customers. With Google now rewarding mobile-friendly sites with higher placement in search results, helping users find your site starts with a mobile-friendly interface. Staying competitive means mobile marketing can't be an afterthought any more. If you tailor your marketing to mobile users, Google will help them find you.
