As Australians go about their day – commuting on the bus, train or ferry, or going out for lunch – it’s rare to see them without their heads down, eyes glued to their smartphones. It has become ingrained into our daily behaviour, and has created a new path for businesses to find consumers. For SMEs it’s integral – if you aren’t getting your mobile marketing right you could be missing a huge opportunity.
Australia is known globally for its high smartphone adoption with almost 80% of the population using one. The same goes for purchases, with online shoppers increasingly preferring to use their mobile devices, which provide the freedom and flexibility to be used during idle time. According to Deloitte’s Mobile Consumer Survey 2015, 65% of Australians browse shopping websites on their smartphone, 40% doing so weekly. For SMEs, the internet is levelling the playing field; mobile does this even further by placing your shop front right into your consumers’ pockets.
There is a huge opportunity for SMEs to take advantage of mobile by optimizing digital experiences and capturing these consumers when they’re on the move. But it requires the right investment to ensure mobile experiences match consumer expectations.
Commit to mobile-first
A mobile-first experience is hugely important for SMEs, who need to make sure they have a presence where their consumers are looking. While it can seem tricky and costly to implement, thanks to advances in technology, mobile infrastructure is affordable for all types of business.
The first step is to take stock of where you’re at to ensure you have sales and marketing process that lives and breathes mobile. This may include reconsidering what technology you’ll be using and if you need any partners to help build your network. It may take an initial investment, but with mobile quickly becoming a staple of the marketing sphere – and only looking to grow in importance in 2017 – having the right mobile experience is sure to impact your bottom line.
Know your outcomes
Optimising mobile marketing means knowing your desired outcome. SMEs need to look at how customers are using their smartphones and other mobile devices and tailor touch points to this use. Metrics that should be monitored regularly include mobile monthly unique visitors and mobile as a percentage of total web sales. It’s also important to understand what role your mobile site will play in capturing customers. For some businesses it might be transactions; for others it could be sales leads. Knowing the desired outcome will help to develop your mobile strategy in a way that speaks to that ambition.
Make mobile match your in-store experience
Building a mobile-responsive website that responds to all devices including mobile phones, tablets and laptops, ensures a consistent digital experience and is a business imperative.
Compromises, like adaptive designed sites, which scale down to desktop versions to work to a smart phone, simply don’t perform well enough to match consumer expectations. The problem is often with images, which have issues maintaining integrity while changing screen size. This can disrupt navigation and often results in shoppers going to a competitor out of frustration. It is the same as walking into a shop and having no one there or seeing a messy, unloved store-front. Having an experience on mobile that makes it easy for consumers to navigate and engage with the content is key, which is why a mobile-responsive website is pivotal.
With mobile increasingly becoming consumers’ go-to tool for research, transaction and interaction, it’s important for SMEs to get on the front-foot now. The ability for SMEs to engage consumers has never been better – they just need to ensure they get the experience right.
About the author
Tom Wright is Asia Pacific Managing Director of Search Optics, a global digital marketing provider, enabling automotive dealers to deliver data-driven micro-targeted communications throughout the customer lifecycle. During a career that spans more than 16 years, he has created and delivered digital transformation strategies in senior leadership roles throughout EMEA and APAC, including Auto Trader, News International, Trinity Mirror, Thoughtworks and Sopra Steria. With sales, consulting, business development and marketing experience, Wright has provided solutions to many major automotive OEMs including Audi, BMW, Ford, Jaguar, Land Rover, Mercedes, Nissan, Rolls Royce and Volkswagen.
