You need to optimize for Mobile!

I see everyday that businesses still making the mistake of NOT catering enough for mobile and it's users! Things like QR codes that lead to Desktop sites...? This needs to lead to a mobile optimized page. You need to keep mobile in your head all the time.

This post by Biserka Anderson is a must read!! Enjoy...

BLOG POST by Biserka Anderson @bisanderson

"Have you optimized your website for mobile? Yes? Good for you. In fact, you may be surprised to learn that you are in the minority. 74% of small businesses have yet to design a mobile-friendly version of their website, while only one in 10 believe this is necessary, a recent study by Serif found. According to Econsultancy, 72% of multi-screen users think business websites don’t work well on mobile devices. So the fact that you have taken steps to ensure your online inventory is well optimized for mobile use in itself puts you at a competitive advantage over the abundance of branded websites out there that just do not render well on an iPad or a smartphone."

"Mobile optimization is a must in today’s hyper-media reality. But it certainly isn’t the whole story, especially in the B2B world which is traditionally obsessed with things like sales funnel, conversion rates, and ROI. It is commendable that you’re attracting mobile users to your site, but how do you keep them on the page and make sure they come back?"

Have you considered mobile conversion optimization?

"The 2012 Digital Marketing Optimization survey by Adobe identifies the need to optimize content and design for consumption across all mobile channels as one of the top five conversion opportunities. The authors of the report also conclude that conversion optimization needs to be given higher priority. This recommendation applies to all digital marketers but is particularly critical for those working in B2B – a traditionally tough domain in terms of lead generation."

"Even though hand-held devices are typically associated with lean-back media consumption patterns, users still do lean-forward things – they share, post, and search. Think about what happens if they stumble upon your site while searching for your services on a tablet. Do you have a fast-loading, responsive, easy-to-navigate website that is a joy to use? Or do they have to wait for ages for it to load, pinch the screen, and scroll left to right?"

"40% of mobile users are likely to go to a competitor if they’ve had a bad mobile experience. You surely don’t want that to happen to you, right? You want them to stay; you want them to tell you about themselves and you want them to come back. The best way to ensure all of this is by creating mobile-friendly landing pages that ease conversion and enable you to capture leads."

Mobile landing page optimization – 10 best practices

1. Put responsive web design at the core of your website development to deliver a fluid experience across multiple screens. Forget about Flash and frames, which are not supported by some mobile devices.
2. Make sure the size of each page is small enough (about 15-20KB) so that it takes close to no time to load.
3. Use visual content where possible and less text.
4. Don’t forget the calls-to-action – make sure they are compelling, prominent, and finger-friendly, and cut straight to the chase.
5. Try to personalize the experience by geolocation.
6. Provide a short form – the shorter it is the more likely people are to fill it out.
7. Don’t ask for too much information on the form – name, company, and email address should suffice.
8. Don’t be all over the place – a landing page is designed to be the final destination of a web visitor, where they would (hopefully) leave their details to sign up for a service or download a value piece. Don’t add anchor links or anything that might distract them.
9. Explain what the value is. What are users going to get in exchange for parting with their data? Make sure it is something worth the exchange!
10. Last but not least, ask your employees or co-workers to test the mobile experience, gather their opinions, and tweak the text and design accordingly. It’s a team effort!

"With the proliferation of hand-held devices and widespread mobile media consumption, B2B companies can no longer afford to have a website not optimized for mobile. Delivering relevant, device-sensitive, thumb-and-finger-friendly content across all mobile channels – particularly tablets, used to read long-form content pieces which B2B companies often offer in exchange for lead data – is now a must for anyone who wants to win new business and stay ahead of the competition. Integrate mobile into your overall marketing strategy, set up closed-loop analytics, and watch the leads roll in. Just mind those landing page CTAs!"