How Mobile Is Your Website?

Aug 12 2008

-Brant Kelsey

Your customers are on the go.
You're out with friends, and it's almost time for dinner. None of you can decide "what sounds good", until your someone mentions that new place somewhere downtown. What's on the menu? How much is it? WHERE is it? Your friend pulls out his trusty mobile phone and "Googles" it. Voila! She reads off the menu and even makes a reservation!

Can your customers find you this easily? If you don't have a mobile optimized website, chances are, "no". Even if they did, most websites are not optimized for mobile devices. Having a mobile optimized website can give you a distinct advantage in the marketplace by providing valuable information to users on the go, at the moment they want it. Most sales are impulse buys, so being there when the urge hits the consumer could translate into big money for your business.

It's worth the effort.
iPhones. Blackberries. Razr's. iPods. PlayStation Portable. Smart phones and mobile devices are everywhere. An estimated 95% of Americans have some kind of mobile phone and has become one of the most personal items a person owns. Everyday we go to work, grabbing for our keys, wallet, and mobile phone. A mobile phone is instantly accessible anywhere. In the car, waiting at the doctor's office, on the train. By making your website "mobile", you could potentially reach 2.7 billion mobile phones worldwide. David Ogilvy once said, “If you’re trying to persuade people to do something or buy something, it seems to me you should use their language.” Last year, 1.3 billion of those phones accessed the Internet. Even if mobile traffic only counted for 10% of your Internet traffic, just "speaking the mobile language" gives you an advantage with 10% more customers and the business they could potentially bring you.

What can you do?
Everyday, you think about what your customer needs, and you give it to them. That's what keeps you in business. Do the same with mobile content. Consider what your mobile website could be. Imagine how your customers use your services when they are not at their computer. The obvious answers immediately come to mind. Maps, directions and phone numbers. But what about your pricing or rates? Could your customers log in and check their orders? Maybe they are having a bad experience and want to tell you about it right then and there on your mobile contact form. How about coupons or specials? Imagine how many more widgets you could sell with a mobile coupon. It saves you money, it's environmentally friendly, and it creates a "buzz" because your competitors probably aren't doing it. Most new phones are GPS ready, just having a mobile site could help customers find you and allow you to sell your service to customers on vacation or just passing through.

Make it sticky.
No matter what you do on your mobile site, give your customers something useful, and they will come back. Mobile visitors can bookmark websites on their phones just like they can on their PCs. It only makes sense that if you have a mobile site that is useful, your customers will come back to you when they need your service again.

Next, give your users something to talk about and more will follow. Mobile websites are relatively new, and people like to talk about the latest and greatest thing. If they hear someone talking about your service or mobile site, chances are they will pull the phone out of their pocket and check the site. Try it. It's an interesting phenomenon I've noticed.

Also, don't forget to tell your existing customers about your mobile website! If they don't know about it, they can't check it out or tell their friends about it. Put a story about it in your company newsletter, send an email out to your customer list, put it in the Sunday paper, or just tell them about it in a place where they are likely to need your service. Do something your competitors aren't doing, then and then let your customers know about it! Tooting your own horn just a little will jump start your mobile site and the hits will start coming in.

If you're not mobile, you're missing out.
Be ahead of the curve. More and more devices are able to connect to the Internet. Game systems, iPods, even refrigerators. Be ready, engage a new segment of potential customers. Maybe ones you haven't considered in the past. Your customers are on the go more and more everyday. Keep pace with them and retain your competitive advantage.