Mobile Evolution: 4 tips on how to incorporate a mobile strategy into your business

Mobile communication has grown exponentially in last several years. A 2013 ComScore report shows that over 50% of U.S. adults own a smartphone, which provides a powerful mini computer in a person’s pocket. The same report shows 125 million smartphones are in the hands of consumers allowing for communication through text message, apps, voice and video calling along with app-specific communication and social media experiences.

Communication opportunities are so fractured in today’s multimedia world. When it comes to marketing, companies who are opting for a “mobile first” strategy are neglecting a core audience. A Business Insider article suggested a “mobile too” strategy for companies. Especially, after they surveyed readership and found many, about 90% still use a desktop/laptop computer as their primary computing device. However, mobile wasn’t far behind at slightly above 60%. I believe in the very near future, 6-8 months, we will begin to see a shift in what is coined mobile. Tablets, iPad being the most popular, can now be taken anywhere there is cell phone service and access the web, just like a smartphone. With the emergence of smartwatches, that rely on your mobile device, this too will become part of the mobile category.

So how can you and your company embrace mobile technology and use it to your advantage? Let’s find out.

1. Know your audience
This one sounds simple, and for many businesses it is. Either through observation or preferably  through data that can be tracked via Google Analytics, Facebook, surveys, emails, etc., take a look at who’s your core audience.  For example, in my last blog post I referenced a Facebook ad campaign I recently completed for a private K-8 school. After dissecting the data we discovered we might need to incorporate a new core audience into our mix. Traditionally, we believed that women, ages 25-54 was our target sweet spot. However, after the recent campaign we’ve learned women, ages 55-65+ were more likely to engage with our ad content then the previous age group, even though the number of times the ad was placed in front of them was lower than the 25-54 age group. Additionally, the analytics also indicated that 94% of all clicks to the ad were from viewing Facebook via a smartphone or tablet.

This data supports recent research from Business Insider which suggests future smartphone buyers will be older and poorer. Now that we have a new grasps on our audience. We can better build messages that would resonate with the audience. Knowing your audience is an age-old recommendation from communicators and marketers. But it is essential for successful communication and cannot be emphasized enough.

2. Content customization
Marketers and communicators continue to place a large focus on content. No matter what new technology comes along, you have to tell a story to peak someone’s interest. More so than ever, thanks to so many options for individuals to choose from. Dr. Steven Padgett from the Troy University’s Hall School of Journalism and Communication reinforces the impact of content, “strong content is king in any medium. Mobile devices are simply another way to display our content.”

Continue to tell your story, but with a twist. Include the perspective of the user/customer, involve them to create user generated content (UGC). Ask your customers to submit their own testimonials on why they frequent your business or use your product. Nine times out of 10 they are telling you through a video on YouTube that they recorded on their mobile phone, or sent you a Tweet directing them to their blog about their review of your services. With mobile communication, embrace it, let your customers help tell and share the story so it’s customized by your more brand’s advocates. The most powerful form of marketing is when customers engage in word-of-mouth conversations on their own, sharing your message.

Mobile communication is personal, so why not play to those strengths. An example of content customization is sharing messages your customers at the time THEY need them, not when you feel it’s best. A great example is in a mall in San Antonio, Texas. The mall has free WiFi for all shoppers. Once you connect, you are asked to include your mobile number and/or email. Then while shopping you might receive a text message from a store about special offers that are happening that day. Also, with modern mobile technology, most phone now recognize when you are close to a WiFi connection that you have signed on to before. It will automatically connect you, the “handshake,” as its called and you could instantly begin receiving information about the latest deals. As a consumer, this helps from having to search through any of the popular coupon apps to locate one. Through mobile technology, the coupon is delivered when the customer needs it, even before he/she realizes that she needs it.

Also, keep in mind that the mobile viewing experience is different. When creating content, such as a ‘how-to’ or ‘best practices’ article, know the right length to quickly read on a mobile device. Know that adding too many, high resolution photos will slow down load times and in-turn, drive traffic away from your content. It’s best to experiment with a few layouts to find out what your audience likes best.

3. Cross channel promotion
Many individuals today consume news and social media through their mobile devices. In the fractured multimedia world that I mentioned early, you should not ignore your core communication tools. If you have a great customer story to tell, proudly display it on your website, in an eblast, in your newsletter and at your business. Then use social media to share that great story you worked so hard to capture with your difference audiences.

Remember that each social media channel displays information differently. Facebook can handle longer posts better, Twitter is only 140 characters and just recently integrated video, and Instagram focuses on photos or video with very little text. Each channel has its strengths and it’s important to customize the same content for each. Using each channel will help maximize the life of your content and goes a long way in providing a consistent brand message across the digital sphere.

4. Mobile integration
Each of the recommendations above have some overlap, and this one is no different. Let me be clear though, when I say mobile integration, I mean a “mobile too” approach, not a mobile-centric one. With so many people using smartphones, it’s clear that a business must make accommodations to communicate with this growing audience segment. In the last year or so, responsive design within website has grown in popularity. A responsive design means that the look of a website adapts to the size of the screen and doesn’t require to build a mobile-only website. You will notice this even on your desktop, view a website in full screen and shrink the window down to a ¼ of your screen. Did it change the layout of the website? If so, then you’re viewing a responsive website.

This innovation allows for a seamless user experience from desktop, to tablet to smartphone. It is what consumers are expecting and what Google is pushing.

Here’s a personal example, my wife is in the 25-35 age range and only uses a desktop computer for work. When she’s home and out and about, she is on her smartphone. She does everything from it, pays bills, keeps up with friends on Facebook and Instagram, watches Netflix, emails, reads news, text messages, plays games and more. She hasn’t turned on her computer at home in about eight months. Me for example, use a desktop computer at work, use my mobile phone for business and personal use and use my iPad for school work (writing my blog post), movies, games, news, and more.

My point is, mobile communication  continues to grow and is a part of our everyday lives, where we like it or not. Embrace it, include it into your marketing mix. Treat mobile as an opportunity and not like an old piece of food in the refrigerator that you know is there, but do not want to look at.

How do we affect change through communications?

It's happening right now, and you don't even realize it. Yup, it just happened again. The landscape of media communications changed again, it’s a cultural shift in the mindset of technologist, journalist, and you and me. Let me explain why. 

We are at a time in the world where media convergence is here, and we as professional communicators and business leaders must figure out how to utilize the technology to communicate with customers and stakeholders. Understanding how to utilize communication technologies is so important in fact, that the BBC new agency conducted a multi-year study to find out how they were doing in adopting technology and how they could do a better job of connecting information to people. 

In the BBC study, a quote from an interview with Jeff Jarvis, a journalism professor, blogger and writer, really stood out to me. Jeff said that success should not be measured in antiquated metrics such as how many eyeballs saw a story or program. Instead, success should be measured by how journalism helped improve someone’s life or improve a community. That’s a powerful message and I think why we have seen media convergence increase in recent years. Many silicon valley startups create an app, website or program with the thought that their product will improve a person’s life. The mindset of these organizations is focused on the user experience versus making big profit. It’s a culture shift that has occurred and is still happening with the expansion of media technology and communication. 

Twitter, like many recent communication tools, is now an avenue that can affect real change. Take what was called, the Arab Spring, a cultural revolution that began in December of 2010 and spread to Egypt and Syria in 2011.  The revolution took place online as well. Twitter, as a platform, played a role to overthrow the governments that were not in the best interest of the people. While some media trickled to the countries to cover the story, you could watch the story and change unfold in 140 characters or through linked YouTube videos. It was the people who became the reporters, citizen journalists, who understood the importance of gaining support world wide for their efforts. The story, told directly by those involved in the uprising, and aided by western journalists helped bring real change. A media convergence on a global scale. 

The culture shift also refers to how users are interacting with communication technology. The emphasis for mobile/tablet-based experiences is growing and traditional media is slowing adopting ways to keep users engaged. You see this a lot with TV shows that ask to “continue the conversation online” using a hashtag related to the show content. The NFL is jumping on this where those with tablets can enjoy different camera angles, more player stats, online conversations, all geared to build a greater user experience. Make no mistake though, the NFL sees this as an opportunity to make more money through advertising dollars and advertisers see this as an opportunity to engage an already committed audience. 

Over the summer I ran two Facebook ad campaigns for a school to help with enrollment. Although the campaign was successful in that in drove traffic (500 clicks) to their website, what was most compelling was how people were viewing the ad. About 99 percent of the views came from Facebook’s mobile platform, mainly through their app. This leads back to the user experience. 

In a Wired.com article, the author notes how people are moving from a web-based experience to an app-centric world. The emphasis on apps has helped drive the change that media outlets should take seriously. Content that is easily digestible via web is great, but content that is sharable and a quick read is vital for an organization to stay relevant via mobile. As professional communicators we have to help our organizations cut through the digital clutter in order to stand out from the crowd. It’s more than just posting a few social media messages every onnce in a while. An organization, and newspapers for that matter, cannot simply dabble in the digital sphere. They must go all-in to share content in today’s fast-paced world. Providing content for our customers and stakeholders that is user friendly for the mobile space should be a high priority for us. Does our company need an app to communicate with our users? How can we better engage in online conversations with customers to make ourselves better?

It all comes back to a cultural shift in communications and how media companies attempt to keep up with their audience. Can newspapers keep up with the digital divide and post stories online when they happen, tease them on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Tumblr while publishing a more in-depth analysis for the print edition. 

I think, as a person who grew up as the technology grew, WE are being looked at to usher in the change, continue to the culture shift. We as communicators have the ability to direct the next phase of this process. What will media convergence look like in two years or after the next Moore’s Law cycle comes into effect? Let’s make this discovery together. After all, “The world as we have created it is a process of our thinking. It cannot be changed without changing our thinking." -Albert Einstein

Introduction to My Blog

Hello readers of digital media!

My name is Stephen Chavez and I have worked in the marketing and communication industry for the last seven years. I have worked for small boutique public relations and marketing agency, a regional marketing firm in Texas and for a small engineering firm. Currently, I work in the nonprofit sector handling marketing and communications for 43 clients in the San Antonio and surrounding area.

I have an Associate of Arts degree from Northwest Vista College, a Bachelor of Arts in Communication with a concentration in public relations and am currently working on my Masters of Science in Strategic Communication from Troy University.

This blog will be about examining how emerging media plays a role within strategic communications. I will discuss how the currently media landscape is changing/ has changed and how it may affect consumers.

I plan to post to this blog once a week for your reading pleasure.

Be sure to bookmark this address to your browser on your desktop, mobile device and tablet to check back for postings. You can find my blog at: www.stephenchaveztroy.blogspot.com

So why am I writing this blog? I believe that it's important for people to understand how we consume media and examine if media is adapting to our needs. Without getting too heavy, there are many communication theories that examine how media influence the world, but I believe we are in the middle of a shift. For the first time, consumers, you and me, are shaping what the media is reporting on. WE have the power to influence media and that has only happened thanks to the the emergence of digital media and the opportunities to create and share news.

Thanks for joining me on this magic carpet ride and I hope you enjoy reading the upcoming posts.

Stephen