Is My Marketing Mobile Friendly Webinar Summary
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Is My Marketing Mobile Friendly Webinar Summary
- 1. Halfmoon Yoga B•B•Q Is My Marketing Mobile Friendly & Why Should I Care? © 2014
- 2. KimButler@TheURLdr.com facebook.com/theurldr @theurldr Kim Merritt Butler #theurldrwebinar
- 3. Today’s Agenda Set the stage and describe the importance of mobile Why you can’t ignore mobile. Review the data Use of mobile by businesses and nonprofits What you can do today to prepare your organization for mobile Next steps
- 5. 99% 143,000,000 # of smartphones owned in U.S. in 2013 comscore.com 29% of Americans use only mobile devices to access the internet. ondeviceresearch.com 91% of U.S. adults own a cellphone theatlantic.com 61% own a smartphone Comscore.com
- 6. 93% Since 2010 Source: comScore
- 7. Source: Litmus, “Email Client Market Share,” April 2012 38%
- 8. Source: Chris Warden Spread Effect
- 9. • 71% of US web audience • 75% global reach 10 At the beginning of 2014 4.5 billion Mobile users worldwide
- 10. 83% of the audience for this webinar use mobile devices to manage their personal lives 80% of adults 18-44 have their smartphones with them 22 hours a day mediabistro.com
- 11. 220,000,000!
- 12. mobile responsive 99% mobile friendly vs
- 14. US smartphone subscriptions expected to grow +28% in 2013 Mary Meeker
- 15. 16
- 17. people look at mobile devices 150x per day people look at smartphones 200x per day
- 18. 40% of Americans under 35 used a mobile device to make a donation. 50% used a mobile device to browse non-profit websites and emails.
- 19. 40% Of Shoppers Consult 3 or More Channels 4 out of 5 Consumers use smartphones to shop Source: Chris Warden Spread Effect
- 20. 75% used phone to get real-time, location-based information 90% of mobile searches lead to an action local search PewInternet.org searchengineland.com 70% who ran a local search via mobile acted within one hour CMO Council
- 21. Source: Chris Warden Spread Effect
- 22. Experian Marketing Services 50% of email is opened on a mobile device.
- 23. 30% Blue Hornet 80% of users delete mobile email that doesn’t look good. Blue Hornet of users unsubscribe from email lists after receiving mobile email that doesn’t look good.
- 24. Mobile Marketing
- 26. 50%+ Local searches were performed on a mobile device
- 30. Mobile ads perform 4-5 times better than online ads Source: iMedia Connection 1st Position
- 31. Florist frederick • Keywords are likely to be shorter • Keywords are likely to have local intent
- 32. 57%of mobile users won’t recommend poor mobile websites Source: The Social Media Hat
- 33. 66% of small businesses are using mobile for their business. 34% aren’t. small business use of mobile Constant Contact customer research
- 34. 34% aren’t. • have no plans to adopt mobile in the future 65% • lack of customer demand 56% • “mobile isn’t relevant to my industry or business” 28% Constant Contact customer research
- 35. Dorothy S. Jones April 1, 1947 – April 5, 2013 Services Dorothy S. Jones, age 66, passed away on Friday, April 5, 2013. She was at home and surrounded by her family.
- 36. why not? we’re a nonprofit… not best for my products… we’re regulated by the government… cost is too high…
- 37. calendar or time management customer communications GPS / mapping accounting or invoicing mobile for operations 82% 74% 52% 44%
- 39. YOU DON'T GET TO DECIDE WHICH DEVICE PEOPLE USE TO ACCESS YOUR CONTENT. THEY DO. Karen McGrane, author of Content Strategy for Mobile @karenmcgrane
- 40. at the end of the day, it’s about success
- 42. tip #1 avoid using too much text
- 43. tip #2 avoid multiple columns
- 44. tip #3 clear and easy calls to action
- 45. tip #4 9-point font, headlines don’t stand out Minimum: 22-point headlines, 11-point body text, improved contrast avoid tiny fonts
- 46. tip #4 avoid tiny fonts Better: 22-point headlines, 16-point body text
- 47. tip #5 use images carefully
- 48. bonus #1 don’t ignore local search
- 49. bonus #2 don’t ask customers or supporters to turn their phones off!
- 50. 1.4 billion images taken on mobile per day Nokia’s Vesa Jutila, at DigitalK 2012 100 hours of video uploaded per minute camera on the phone to take shots in-store or with customers, social posts from businesses featuring images, etc. bonus #3 youtube.com don’t ignore mobile tech
- 52. 50%
- 54. less is more. focus – use less text use a single column clear and easy calls to action no small fonts (test, test, test!) use images carefully (don’t rely on them) claim your listings: be found on local search! let your customers use their phones don’t ignore your phone (pics, video, social)
- 56. 57
- 57. Value Package for Constant Contact Today’s Webinar Special Online Learning System $199 Custom Email Template $ 99 Mobile Website Audit $199 Email Audit $199 Package Value $696 $696 Package FREE www.TheURLdr.com/offer Plans start at $20/month | No Contract | 100% Money Back Guarantee KimButler@TheURLdr.com facebook.com/theurldr @theurldr
Notes de l'éditeur
- Welcome everyone!! I’m Kim Butler, The URL Dr., and I thank you for joining me for today’s webinar “How to Market Your Small Business in 2014… Before we get started, I want to give you little direction on our MeetingBurner webinar. On the left side of your screen you should have a Chat tab where you can ask questions during the presentation. I’m going to do my best to answer your questions in the Q&A session at the end of the presentation. We’ll also be continuing the conversation on Twitter after the presentation, using the hashtag #theurldrwebinar. So if you think of a question after the presentation you can Tweet it later this afternoon or tomorrow. At the bottom of your screen there is a meeting temperature gauge. You can slide that towards hot or cold depending on how you are liking the presentation at any given time. I’d like to thank the Western Maryland Regional SBTDC – the Small Business Technology and Development Center for sponsoring our webinar today and the follow up webinars taking place tomorrow and Thursday at 1:00. If you are a small business and need assistance or counseling, the SBTDC offers a variety of services to small business at no charge. I’ve used the SBTDC’s services for all 3 of my businesses, starting way back in the 80’s and I highly recommend them. In this two part webinar, I’m going to start off by showing you a framework for small business marketing that will help you recognize the various things you should be thinking about as you develop your marketing efforts. Then, we’re going to cover mobile marketing and the use of mobile in your small business.
- Welcome everyone!! Thank you so much for joining us today for “Is My Marketing Mobile Friendly & Why Should I Care?” Mobile marketing is a subject that is getting more and more press as the number of people using smartphones and tablets continues to grow at a staggering pace. But for those of us in business and running nonprofits, it brings up a whole new list of issues and considerations that we need to address in how we are projecting ourselves online and trying to reach our audience.
- Our webinar today is provided in part by Constant Contact but the information presented is based on best practices and can be utilized by any small business or nonprofit, regardless of whether or not you are using Constant Contact. I am a Platinum Level Solution Provider and a Constant Contact All Star Award Winner. Here is all my contact information. As Jenn said we’ll have a Q&A session at the end of the webinar, but you can also connect with me after the presentation at any one of these addresses. The presentation slides will be sent to you in an email after the webinar and I’ll show this information again at the end, so you don’t have to feverishly try to scribble all this down.
- [click to build] First we’re going to set the stage and describe the importance of mobile. [click to build] Then we’ll really drive home the point and go over some more of the evidence about why you can’t ignore mobile, even if you think your customers aren’t using it. There’s a lot of data out there…we’ve pulled together the statistics that we think will most likely make you sit up and take notice. Then, we’ll… [click to build] take that look into mobile a step deeper, and closer to where you are today – the reality of mobile use by businesses and nonprofits for business, fundraising and communicating. [click to build] Then we’re going to share with you some simple tips you can use today to start preparing your business or organization to go mobile. You don’t have to change everything about your business to start making the move to mobile, but you do have to be thoughtful about a lot of aspects of your business and how they intersect with the mobile reality. [click to build] Finally, we’ll discuss next steps.
- So let’s start by setting the stage for mobile.
- Simply put, your customers are using mobile devices. A lot. These statistics alone should be enough to make the case and help convince you that it’s time to start thinking about how your business has to build mobile into it’s strategy. Mobile is becoming an increasingly seamless part of our lives, and that includes your customers, members, supporters or followers. Mobile trends are not just growing here in the United States, but across the globe.
- Smartphones and tablets have caused Internet use to [click to build] increase 93% since 2010, according to comScore.
- Look at this stat – there are about 6 billion people on the planet and 4.8 billion have a mobile device, a cell phone. [click to build] only 4.2 billion have a toothbrush. Think about that for a second. It’s important that your marketing is mobile-friendly. [click to build] We know that approximately 38% of people read their email and social media interactions on a mobile device. That’s almost 40%. You don’t want those people to miss your message or to have difficulty “getting” the message.
- Here’s another statistic that I find hard to believe, 75% of Americans admit to bringing their phone to the bathroom. More than ever, Americans are attached to their devices. So much so, that they take the device with them wherever they go, even the bathroom. This leaves a crap load of time to reach your potential customers. (sorry, couldn’t resist)
- What about the rest of the world, you ask? Incredibly, at the beginning of 2014, there were 4.5 billion mobile users worldwide.
- But let’s step back and look at just your use of mobile… [click to build] In one of Constant Contact’s recent audiences, 85% said they were already using mobile devices to help manage their personal lives…You all can already appreciate the perspective of your customers, clients and supporters. When we look a little bit further at the physical connection of mobile devices to people, we see stats like this one [click to build] a recent study found that approximately 80% of adults have their mobile phone within arms reach for 22 hours a day. (obviously, if they’re taking them to the bathroom) if you think this sounds a little bit crazy, consider how you reacted the last time you thought you lost your phone… So, without even getting to a discussion about mobile and your business, just look at how mobile has become a seamless part of our personal lives…your customer’s lives… Kelsey Jones, Managing Editor at Search Engine Journal, tells us that 8% of a person’s day is spent looking at a mobile screen, which presents an excellent opportunity for mobile marketers to find customers who are looking for local services, as well as mobile commerce customers who want to make a purchase online through their smartphone or other mobile device.
- Simply put, “mobile” as a technology has become largely inseparable from how we go about our days, our personal lives, and as we’ll talk about today, our professional lives as well. As you might imagine, there is a LOT that we could choose to focus on or discuss when it comes to mobile. In fact, if you Google “small business mobile marketing” you’ll get [click to build] over 200 million web page results..…but we don’t have a week to spend together, so we made some choices when creating this webinar on what we wanted to address, and here’s what we’re going to do today….
- There’s two sides to this “big ticket mobile question”… You’ve seen, or may have heard, that when people talk about mobile they usually start by asking something like [click to build] “is your site, or are your emails, mobile-responsive or mobile-friendly?” At the heart, that’s a [click to build] technology question…one that addresses how different platforms (desktops, tablets, mobile phones) display different content, websites or images. The other side of this is to consider [click to build] “mobile friendly” as a marketing and strategy question, one focused on how a small business thinks about their customers or supporters, how a small business creates content, and how mobile has changed the way that their audiences consume that content. Today we’re going to discuss some key points of each. We’ll talk about what you need to be aware of from a mobile responsive side and then we’ll discuss – the idea of becoming more mobile-friendly from the perspective of the choices you can make to be better positioned in a world in which mobile has become a part of us.
- With that in mind, let’s look at more of the evidence about why you can’t ignore mobile.
- In 2013, smartphone subscriptions in the US were expected to grow 28% year over year. By the end of 2013, worldwide smartphone usage reached 1.4 billion
- That translates to 1 in 7 people in the world use a smartphone.
- This year, the number of global smartphone users will hit two billion [click to build] and it will grow to six billion by or before 2020 according to the Mobile Marketing Association (MMB)
- People are doing all sorts of things on their mobile phones. In fact, [click to build] recent research shows that we look at our mobile devices up to 150 times per day. That number goes up if [click to build] you consider smartphones only… That’s for email, checking calendars, listening to music, taking or viewing pictures…and, oh, right…making phone calls!! Let’s look at some other ways in which mobile has become a part of our behavior…
- Nonprofits are starting to experience an impact from the rise of mobile… [click to build] 40% of Americans under the age of 35 said they used a mobile device like a phone or a tablet to make a donation. [click to build] Another half (50%) of them said that they used their smart phone or tablet to browse non-profit websites and emails. As mobile fundraising becomes a prominent way that donors connect with organizations, it’s essential that non-profits capitalize on the trend by looking towards mobile fundraising solutions. 1 in 10 American adults have texted a charitable donation from their phones
- [click to build] 40% of shoppers consult 3 or more channels often while shopping before making a purchase. This same stat was less than 10% in 2002. Even more astonishing is the fact that 52% of Americans use their devices while browsing in-store in order to research the product online. This type of behavior will ultimately lead to an increase in the importance of online reputation management, fair pricing and transparency from retail outlets. [click to build] 4 out of 5 consumers use smartphones to shop. Smart retailers like Target are recognizing this trend and incentivizing the use of mobile phones within the store with discounts and coupons targeted at mobile users. Many restaurants are doing the same thing by offering a free drink, appetizer or a coupon code to those that check in using Foursquare, Yelp or Facebook.
- One area in which behavior has clearly been influenced and aided by mobile has to do with what is referred to as “local search” – essentially, finding something you need in your own neighborhood or town. It could be restaurants or a dry cleaner or a flower shop, but there’s no denying mobile has become a part of our search for what we want. [click to build] 75% of mobile users are looking for real-time, location based information on their phones [click to build] 90% of those mobile searches lead to an action [click to build] and 70% of those actions take place within an hour of the search -- which makes sense, because we search for something when we need it…and finding a solution to that need, especially one that is close by, makes taking action incredibly compelling…
- Mobile users that find your business online have a conversion percentage nearly 3 times higher than the same search done on a desktop or laptop. Why? Mobile users are on the go. When you’re browsing, you grab the laptop and start researching or just satisfying curiosity for products or services. When you grab your smartphone to search, you have a specific intent in mind, whether it be food, clothing or an oil change for your car. Mobile searchers are buyers, assuming you can meet their needs.
- And one of the most prominent activities managed via mobile is the reading and management of email. Email itself is a ubiquitous form of communication, and mobile phones have only increased the ever-present nature of email. But just how much email is being viewed on mobile devices? A whopping [click to build] 50% of unique emails!! And that number is growing steadily. This should make you sit up and take notice. More people are using mobile phones, more mobile phones are “smart,” enabling a more seamless connection between the user, their needs, their searches and communication, and ultimately their decision to buy or support a business or organization. And …to actually take action! Whether or not your customers or supporters are using mobile at the moment to interact with you, they are using mobile to interact with the world, of which you are most certainly a part. And more and more they will be expecting to be able to interact with businesses large and small through their mobile devices.
- And since that number is so high, businesses that send email need to keep two more numbers in mind… [click to build] mobile email, and a mobile email experience that is easy for your readers to navigate, is incredibly important. A recent study (from Blue Hornet) found that 80% of email recipients delete mobile email that doesn’t look good… [click to build] and 30% unsubscribe from the email list…put that all together and what you have is an argument for considering mobile as you build your emails and communications
- All businesses have goals…and across all of the businesses and organizations listening today, there are likely some very similar, high-level goals. Marketing “GOALS” are something that we all have, maybe you want to reach new customers and donors or drive repeat business and support or nurture leads and relationships you may want to engage members, advocates, and volunteers And you’ll probably want to increase donations and revenue. Another way to think about these is that they are the “30,000 foot view” of marketing…very much part of your marketing and website strategy. But what we’re here to do today is come down a bit, and get more specific.
- Let’s talk about your website. So how do you give visitors to your website a consistent experience regardless of what device they use to view your site on? The answer is responsive design. A responsive design simply means a website has been constructed so that all of the content, images, and structure of the site remain the same on any device. If a user looks at a website on their desktop they’ll get a full view of the site. When that same user goes to visit the same site from their smartphone or tablet, the site will retract to fit on the smaller screen. With a responsive design you don’t have to worry about having different websites for various devices or making sure that your site runs properly on a mobile device.
- But here are several other really important reasons why you should make the switch to responsive design for your website. In 2012, over half of all local searchers were done on a mobile device.
- In 2014, mobile internet usage is expected to overtake desktop usage.
- And if you’re not convinced yet that responsive design is important, Google claims that it prefers responsive web design as the recommended mobile configuration, which was confirmed by Google’s Pierre Farr in June of 2012. Responsive design gives users a better experience. No zooming and shrinking. Content automatically adjusts to the screen of the device. According to Google’s Think Insights on Mobile, as reported in an article by John Rampton on Huffington Post last May, whenever someone arrives on your mobile website and is frustrated, or doesn’t see the content they are searching for immediately, there’s a 61% chance they will leave and head to another website. However, whenever a user has had a positive experience with your mobile website, that individual is 67% more likely to buy your product or service. Here’s another really important reason about why responsive design website make more sense than having a regular website and a mobile website. If you have a separate desktop and mobile site, you’re going to have to run separate SEO campaigns for each. That’s more time and more money from a marketing standpoint and a management standpoint.
- Here’s another really important reason about why responsive design website make more sense than having a regular website and a mobile website. If you have a separate desktop and mobile site, you’re going to have to run separate SEO campaigns for each. That’s more time and more money from a marketing standpoint and a management standpoint.
- When considering your online advertising, keep in mind that mobile ads perform 4-5 times better than online ads according to iMedia Connection But it’s also important to note that on desktop searches, roughly 1/3 of clicks go to the top organic result. [click to build] Average CTR on mobile devices tends to skew even more toward the first position, as smaller screens offer fewer listings at any one time. (Brent Carnduff)
- Remember that mobile device screens are dramatically smaller than regular computer or laptop screens. Because the keypads are also smaller, [click to build] search terms are likely going to be shorter too. In addition, because searchers are out and about, [click to build] search terms are likely going to have local intent. Searchers are looking for something close by. Choose keywords that are mobile-user specific and check your content’s length to optimize your mobile user’s experience of your website.
- Part of providing an optimal user experience is making sure that the site loads quickly on a mobile device. Page load speed is part of Google’s algorithm in deciding what site comes up in what position in search results. But it’s not just about making Google happy. Nearly half of consumers say they won’t return to a website if it doesn’t load properly on their mobile devices. (The Social Media Hat) [click to build] 57% of mobile users won’t recommend companies with poor mobile websites. This makes improving your website’s mobile-friendliness a major marketing effort, especially when it comes to maintaining a positive image in the minds of your customers.
- Constant Contact recently conducted a survey of it’s customers to uncover how they’re using mobile, as they found that a clear majority of them, [click to build], 66%, are using mobile for their businesses. That does mean, however, [click to build] that a bit more than 1/3rd of small businesses aren’t. What reasons are given by the other 34%? Let's take a look…
- Of the 34% that aren’t, here are the top 3 reasons they’re not using mobile for their business: [click to build] quite simply, 65% say that they have no plans to adopt mobile in the future [click to build] 56% cite a lack of customer demand [click to build] and 28% say “mobile isn’t relevant to my industry or business” This last one makes some sense…it may not immediately be clear how mobile could be applied within some industries. So what industries out there might not immediately come to mind (like a lot of business-to-consumer businesses) as leveraging the growth of mobile? Let’s look at 4 unlikely candidates for using mobile…
- [click to build] Hope Hummus is, as the name suggests, a food manufacturer…and they sell through distributors (grocery stores and supermarkets). They have a mobile website that focuses on showing people how to connect through social media, and most importantly provides a button (“Find Hope”) to start a local search for hope Hummus [click to build] Wheels Manufacturing is a small manufacturer of bicycle parts…and they sell through distributors. Their emails offer insights into new products coming, and even on a mobile device their brand is prominent [click to build] Funeral Innovations is a small start-up in the funeral services industry, and they provide innovative technical solutions to their partners. One of their solutions provides QR codes to be placed on materials, directing those that scan the code a mobile site allowing for relations of the deceased to leave memories or photos, and to get information about upcoming services. [click to build] Here is a Liberty Tax franchise, a provider of tax-preparation services. In this email there is a clear call-to-action placed where it can be easily accessed by someone viewing the email on a mobile phone. For now, we’re not looking at how these businesses did or did not follow mobile best practices…we’re focused on the fact that across industries you might not have expected mobile is becoming part of the toolkit to work with customers. In short, if mobile is coming to the two absolutes in life, taxes and death, then it’s likely not far from your business!!
- So how do you convince others in your organization to embrace mobile? Here are 4 push-backs you’re likely to hear, and a comment on each for why these should be more “speedbump” than “roadblock” on your way to adopting mobile… [click to build] We’re a nonprofit and don’t sell products Nonprofits are starting to experiment with accepting donations via mobile devices – Square and PayPal are examples. Nonprofits could also benefit from the proliferation of tools for mobile phones and tablets that make running events easier – apps for checking in attendees and certainly apps for taking pictures, capturing video and distributing them via social media live, during the event!! [click to build] We’re highly regulated by the government You might not use mobile to exchange sensitive information…but your emails help you to remain in touch with your clients or constituents and stay top-of-mind. It’s a communication consideration… In fact, the US government (including the Pentagon!), has started building out security and management solutions for mobile technology…and making it easier for government contractors to reach procurement officers on “any available operating platform, whether it is iOS or Android” [click to build] Mobile wouldn’t be best for my particular products You may not sell your products via mobile, but you could consider mobile as a channel for communicating to your customers about your products (can you take pictures and send those? Can you create excitement and drive people to visit your store? Do you have a mobile-optimized web-site that you could direct people to through emails and posts?) There are also ways to collect information (like email addresses) from the people you meet (think about events or conferences) – you could have them Text to Join your email list or scan a QR code on your business card. [click to build] Costs too high If you’re already doing email marketing or social media marketing, you’re already “invested” – what I’m suggesting is more of shift in how you think about things you already do, like creating content.
- In addition to starting to incorporate mobile into considerations for how to market themselves, our recent study also uncovered a selection of data showing ways that small businesses are using mobile for their operations: [click to build] 82% of small businesses use mobile for calendar or time management [click to build] 74 % use a customer communications app. [click to build] 52 % use a GPS and mapping app. [click to build] 44 % use an accounting/invoicing app. Small businesses (and this means you) ARE mobile today…for various aspects of their business…
- Here are some more examples of how some small businesses are embracing mobile in their efforts to connect with their audiences [click to build] the NB Fitness Club shows that sometimes the use case for mobile and a small business can be pretty simple. They had to communicate a change in their hours over the holiday…perfect example of a great communication for mobile (outside of the small font)…it’s a focused message, branded and unambiguous. [click to build] here is Alex’s Lemonade Stand, a non-profit that has considered mobile as it built an email announcement about an upcoming event. Notice the easy-to-locate call to action button, and good use of images (located after the most important information and the call to action). [click to build] the South Grove PTA…exercise a best practice and creates simple messages, easy to digest on a mobile device…with a clear call to action. [click to build] in this example, Boloco, a chain of burrito restaurants announces their Mother’s Day promotion with a simple email. As with the first two here, the text could be larger…but note the simplicity. None of these involved hours of brainstorming around a conference room table… What you see here are small businesses thinking and working at building mobile into their communications strategies. They’re doing this because they’ve realized something that eventually all businesses will…
- “You don’t get to decide which device people use to access your content. They do.” Once you recognize this, I mean really recognize this at a foundational level, you’ll be ready to see that…
- At the end of the day, it’s about success. Mobile can enable small businesses to work more effectively – at the moment that matters, whether that’s using mobile check-in to allow a consultant to step out from behind a registration table at a networking event and engage better with his prospective customers or letting a flower shop owner create and send an email coupon to her subscribers to draw in new business on rainy Tuesday. At the end of the day, embracing mobile is about success – the success of your efforts to communicate with your customers or supporters, and the success of your efforts to connect with them where they are…because they are most certainly connecting with their worlds via mobile.
- I've shown you how mobile has become prevalent in the world around us, and I've shown you how mobile is an increasingly important tool in the toolbox of small businesses…now I want to show you 5 tips for what you can do today to start preparing for or taking advantage of mobile...
- Tip #1: avoid using too much text Think about it – do you want to read long and complex messages on your phone? When you’re on the go? No. Which means neither do your customers or supporters. Do you want to read a message like the one here? [click to build] Probably not… What you want is to see something more like [click to build] this…the result of some basic considerations as you build your message: Start to re-think your content. Long-form content (think newsletters that have more than a couple of short, to-the-point paragraphs) doesn’t work for mobile readers. So look at the content you’re building and start to re-think it: could it be condensed? Can a picture tell the story better? Can you turn one newsletter into a series by cutting it into pieces? If you have longer, or more complex content or assets you want to share (like a product guide, or new regulations for your clients or a research report that supporters of your non-profit would be interested in), send an email with a clear call-to-action that directs people to where that asset lives (on your website, blog, etc.
- Tip #2: avoid using multiple columns Prior to the rise of mobile and mobile communication, emails had started to take on an almost website-like feel – with multiple columns and navigation elements similar to what you find on websites. But with mobile communications driving content to be more focused, and also just to fit a more physically condensed space, multiple columns cause problems. Here are two examples of what can happen: [click to build] In this first one, you can see how the mobile email client has tried to figure out what to do with the multiple columns…and it has [click to build] squished them together in a less than optimal way. [click to build] in this example, the email has been forced into a single column [click to build], but clearly that process has also created an ungainly single column that will make the email practically unreadable.
- Tip #3: clear and easy calls to action You want to make it easy for your readers to take an action, to do something that keeps them connected to you – come to your website or event registration page, click through to a white paper you wrote, learn more about your services. You can increase the odds of them taking that action by carefully thinking through the design of your emails. Let’s look at two examples of how not to do it, and one way to make it easier. [click to build] in this example, there are calls to action, but they’re [click to build] hard to see, and would be even harder to get a finger or thumb to hit them easily. [click to build] in this one, the calls to action are probably easier to get clicked on, but because they’re [click to build] bunched together, the likelihood that the reader will be able to click on the one they want is lower. [click to build] here’s one that works…notice how the call to action is [click to build] a button that is clearly separated from the rest of the content, both visually and spatially? This will make it easier for the reader to click on it. You should also consider making your images clickable…they’re ready-made buttons waiting to be clicked! A note here on buttons versus text links. What you really want to do is make it easy for your readers to take the action you suggest. Whether you give them large text links (with clear separation from surrounding text) or easy to tap buttons, make sure that there is no confusion about what action you want your reader to take: learn more? Register for an event? Make a donation? Make it incredibly easy… You should also be thinking about where that button or link takes them – will they be dumped into a screen that is hard to see on a mobile device? That could derail the entire experience for them…
- Tip #4: avoid using tiny fonts This one would seem to be pretty self-explanatory…but is no less important. [click to build] here’s a sample with 9-point font. Yes, a lot of text fits on the screen, but who can read it? People will need to pinch-to-zoom the text, and then have to scroll around. They’re more likely to delete the message, as well as unsubscribe from future small-fonted emails. [click to build] this one is a bit better, as the font starts to reach a minimum size that we’d recommend (11 points for body text and 22 points for headlines), and starts to bring greater contrast between the text and the background. But it’s still hard to read. [click to next slide]
- Tip #4: avoid using tiny fonts (continued) this third one gets better still…the font is now at a size that works better on a mobile device, but on a desktop it [click to build] won’t be overly large. So, at a minimum, use 16 point font for body text (and go larger for headlines – 22 points is good) and strong color contrast (dark text on a light background) – but also be sure to test the content on yourself…send the email to yourself and view it on your phone or tablet…or borrow one from a friend…
- Tip #5: use images carefully Images are a great way to convey a message, tell a story…create a connection. But if you don’t carefully consider how you’re going to use images, you may end up with some unintended consequences that lead, at best, to someone not reading your email. At worst they’ll unsubscribe from your list and you won’t be able to communicate with them at all. Here are some common challenges to consider: [click to build] notice the red “X” here? That’s there because some mobile email clients may not display images by default…so be sure that you’re using what is called “Alt Text,” or text that appears if the image doesn’t, to at least let people know what’s there. [click to build] in this example, there’s a great picture – the promotional poster used for a fundraiser, and when viewed on a desktop email client it may look great…but the problem is that on a mobile device, in order to see it, or the rest of the message, [click to build] the reader will have to scroll the message. Notice also that the image has pushed the call to action all the way to the bottom of the message, making it less likely that the reader will actually click through. [click to build] finally, be aware of where or how an image may appear. You may need to resize images as you build your email (a lot of email marketing tools have simple, built in image-editing capabilities). Before you send any message out to your customers or supporters, TEST THE EMAIL BY SENDING IT TO YOURSELF!! And then view it with your readers in mind…and make changes accordingly. A few extra minutes of testing can save a lot of headache later.
- Bonus Tip #1: don’t ignore local search There’s so much information out there about mobile, that it’s really hard to narrow it down into a presentation of 20 minutes, so here are 3 bonus tips. The first one is to make sure you keep local search in mind. If you’re a restaurant, a retailer of products or something that people are likely to search for as they’re out and about, there are a lot of listing services and apps out there that give small businesses the ability to get found. Here are just three examples: [click to build] yelp is one of the most popular location-based services…with lots of different categories available for people to search on. It can search by location, providing a map of the options available in the area where the search takes place. [click to build] urbanspoon is another, focused on finding dining options. As with most of these apps, patrons can leave reviews or photos…and there is easy access to directions and phone numbers. [click to build] Like we showed earlier, more and more mobile phone users are searching for information about local businesses through their phones – and they often act on those searches almost immediately. If you’re not listing your business or services everywhere you can, you’re missing opportunities. Spend some time to look over services like Yelp and YellowPages online, and claim your name, claim your listing, make sure that at a minimum you’ll show up in searches when someone is looking for a service like yours. You can also seek out tools like Yext, which allow you to update your information in one place and have that update flow out to all of the popular search tools and sites.
- Bonus Tip #2: don’t turn the phones off! Unlike at the start of movies in a theater, lectures in a large hall or perhaps in church, you shouldn’t ask your customers, supporters, event attendees, etc. to turn their phones off. Phones have become an extension of how people experience the world…and how they share that experience with others. So they take pictures and post them to different channels…sometimes in real time. And along with that picture and that post comes an implied endorsement. Mobile phones also enable social media…posts, tweets, messages…it’s all right there at an individual’s fingertips. [click to build] these two examples are from Instagram – pictures were posted up by customers, offering emotional connections to the experiences that those customers were having. [click to build] In this one, you can see Tweets from customers endorsing products, an endorsement being shared with their networks, networks filled with individuals that might become that businesses’ next customer! We understand that you may have proprietary or sensitive information that you don’t want your customers or supporters to transmit, and in those cases you should obviously provide appropriate direction to your customers, supporters, clients or audiences. But as much as possible, allow people to keep their phones on. Make it clear that you welcome them sharing their thoughts of your presentation or content, and make it easy for them to do so (provide them with hashtags, Twitter handles, etc.).
- Bonus Tip #3: don’t you ignore mobile technology Almost all phones manufactured today have a camera and messaging tools…that you can use to capture and share the personality of your organization. The volume of images and video being taken and shared every day is staggering [click to build] – offering a clue to just how much communication has become visual. In addition to taking pictures (of new items you’ve got in stock, of your employees interacting with customers, of your customers having a great time at an event or fundraiser), or videos of your organization’s supporters at that event, your phone can be a gateway to the social networks that you choose to use, making it easier for you to connect to your followers and audiences. And the most important thing to keep in mind with respect to mobile technology? Experiment, experiment, experiment…you’ll learn what works and what doesn’t for you and your supporters.
- I've shown you how mobile has become prevalent in the world around us, and I've shown you how mobile is an increasingly important tool in the toolbox of small businesses…now I want to show you 5 tips for what you can do today to start preparing for or taking advantage of mobile...
- I’ve put a lot in front of you today, we know. Let me just review some of the things I want to make sure you take away from this webinar: First, I tried to make it clear that you can’t ignore mobile any longer. [click to build] with almost a third of Americans getting to the internet only through their mobile devices, and [click to build] half of all email being opened on mobile devices… [click to build] and 30% of users unsubscribe from email lists after receiving mobile email that doesn’t look good It has become increasingly clear that the behaviors of your customers, supporters (or potential customers and supporters) is moving them to consume information on mobile devices. More and more, if you want to connect to your audiences, you’re going to have to incorporate mobile into your thinking.
- I showed you how small businesses everywhere are embracing mobile for their own business operations [click to build] – they’re seeing mobile as a tool that can help them run a more successful business or nonprofit. They’re also jumping in to the world of mobile…testing and experimenting [click to build] – figuring out how to leverage mobile to help people find their products, get or share information and to let supporters or customers help tell their story (through images, reviews, etc.)
- Finally, I gave you a lot of tips to keep in mind as you start to think about how to make mobile a part of your communication strategy… [click to build] have more focused content; use single-column layouts; make it EASY for people to click on the links or buttons that you create for them to take an action [click to build] use the largest fonts reasonably can (don’t forget to test on yourself and your devices first); be careful with image use; be sure to visit local search sites like Yelp or Yellow Pages and claim your listings. Claim your local listing on Google and Bing. [click to build] finally, encourage your customes, supporters, event attendees, clients to use their mobile phone when they’re in your shop, at your event, after a client meeting. Let them become a part of the voice of your organization. And don’t forget the power you hold in your hands with a mobile device…take pictures and video, post to social networks when you’re inspired In short, start to make “mobile” a part of your professional life and your thinking, and you’ll be off and running.
- The URL Dr. specializes in responsive website design through WordPress, the easiest and most widely used content system for business websites. We have packages for full websites and single landing pages. We also design e-commerce sites in Volusion and in WordPress with WooCommerce.
- To promote your organization effectively online with messaging that is mobile friendly, consider [click to build] Constant Contact’s Essential Toolkit Product. Starting at $45 a month, Essential comes with email, email and social media integration, social promotions with Facebook, online surveys, and online event management. [click to build] If you are interested in getting started with just email, Basic is available starting at $20 a month.
- As our special today for all our webinar attendees, The URL Dr. is giving any business or non-profit that signs up for a new Constant Contact Toolkit Basic or Essential package to start their mobile marketing campaigns, free access to our: Learn in 45 – online learning system. [click to build] 11.5 hours of online video instruction on how to get the most out of your online marketing with Constant Contact. We charge $199 for this class on Udemy. You’re going to get free, unlimited access, for as long as you want to use it. [click to build] Your’re going to get a custom email template to match your website, valued at $99 [click to build] And mobile website audit, where we’ll examine your website and give you suggestions on what you can do to be more mobile friendly, valued at $199 [click to build] And an email audit, where we’ll examine your Constant Contact account and give you suggestions on how to improve your results, valued at $199 [click to build] If you order or upgrade before our webinar is over, you’re going to get this $499 package free with your sign up. [click to build] You can get this offer by going to TheURLdr.com/offer and clicking on the “Sign Me Up for Constant Contact” button. This is going to take you into Constant Contact’s website where you can choose your level of service. You don’t pay any more for Constant Contact when you go through our link. It’s the same low price. But you must purchase through our link or you won’t get the value package for free. For our attendees that already have Constant Contact, you’ll get this great package for free when you upgrade your current account to Toolkit Basic or Essential. You want to go to the same url address: TheURLDr.com/offer and click on the “Upgrade My Constant Contact” button. Fill out the form and we’ll take care of getting your account upgraded and you’ll get all the free goodies you see here. [click to build] Remember Constant Contact plans start at $20 a month. There is no long term contract, you can cancel at any time, and Constant Contact comes with a 100% money back guarantee. If you’re not happy with the service in the first 30 days, you just say so, and you get your money back. So I’m going to leave this screen up as we go into our Question and Answer session. But remember this offer is only good until the end of the webinar.
- Our webinar today is provided by Constant Contact but the information presented is based on best practices and can be utilized by any small business or nonprofit, regardless of whether or not you are using Constant Contact. I am a Platinum Level Solution Provider and a Constant Contact All Star Award Winner. Here is all my contact information. As Jenn said we’ll have a Q&A session at the end of the webinar, but you can also connect with me after the presentation at any one of these addresses.
- Customer Judy is on a shopping spree. But she’s on the go. She’s running errands and moving about town. She’s navigating a site on her smartphone, but it’s not displaying correctly. She’s annoyed with having to zoom in and click on tiny links. She ends up closing the page in frustration and will likely forget this website and business exists. In today’s society of instant gratification, people have short attention spans. It’s easy for businesses to lose potential customers with a complicated, slow or inefficient mobile website. After all, if your business doesn’t have a viable mobile strategy, chances are that one of your competitors does, and Judy is going to visit them.