is the way of the present and future, and slowly but surely businesses are beginning to adapt to this truth. More transactions and communications are being made via a mobile device than ever before, and it is vital for the product and service industries to understand and accommodate this fact. Wondering what is going on in the mobile world these days? This post is going to focus on three mobile marketing trends that businesses all over are employing in 2018.
Background
First off, it is important to realize that desktops are no longer a dominator of the consumer eye. It has been a couple of years since mobile users have surpassed desktop by the millions, and these numbers keep going up. Many countries around the world have trumped desktop in total digital minutes used, with the U.S.A. being at over 71% mobile share in digital minutes, and Indonesia being at 91%! (Source: Smartinsights.com). With that, it is imperative for business owners to take this into account and consider user engagement with the company via the online world. Here is what industry pioneers can do to ride the wave:
Put an App On It
It is said that by 2020, progressive web apps will have replaced 50% of general-purpose, consumer-facing mobile apps, and the world will spend $1 trillion by 2021 rebuilding the web to make it: mobile-first. (Source: Entrepreneur.com). Start thinking about how you can help your consumers with a progressive web app that may make their time spent in your funnel easier. A museum thought of a special use for an app that enhances user engagement with their exhibits. Once the app is downloaded, visitors can then use the camera function to scan a picture or text on an exhibit, interact virtually, and read additional tidbits of information about the display that are not available to those without the app! The options are endless.
Mobile Optimization for the Win
On top of the importance of apps, Google is going to begin indexing websites based on what their mobile site looks like, vs. the once cherished desktop version. Make sure that if you do business online, that your IT team has the bandwidth and know-how to get you to mobile perfection. This not only enhances customer satisfaction, it will increase your users, sales and opt-ins. Some areas to focus on for this that can get a little wonky in mobile land:
• Page loading time
• Responsive design
• Buttons functional with touch screens
• Photos and text in proper proportion and location on page
Artificial Intelligence
Have you noticed that most phones have a virtual assistant nowadays? Heck, it is almost impossible to get to a real person in customer service anymore, because more companies are utilizing the efficiency that a mobile assistant, customer service, technical or sales bot can provide. Maybe you want to weed through certain types of consumers by having the bot ask certain screening questions and then directing them to the right person in your department based on their responses? No need to hire an operator anymore! Research predicts a virtual digital assistant will be on more than 3.3 billion devices by 2020. (Source: Entrepreneur.com).
Next Steps
It is important to do a full website/online presence evaluation for your business with this wave of mobile users flooding the nation. Google has many free tools that can be used for testing your site in mobile friendliness and speed, two crucial factors in winning the mobile optimization game. It is completely free and easy to use, all you have to do is go to the sites and enter your website into the search bar. Take a proactive step into the modern world and brace yourself for mobile, because it is here to stay!
