Mobile Strategyfor Small Businesses
BRIDGET RANDOLPHSME MOBILE STRATEGIES 2014
mobile is
HUGE.
Image/Graph etc.
Image Source
by 2017,
85% of the world’s population
will have 3G coverage.
@BridgetRandolphSource: Ericsson Mobility Report
internet.org initiative from Facebook
@BridgetRandolphSource: Cisco's Global Mobile Data Traffic Forecast Update
internet in year 2000
mobile data
in 2012
mobile data usage in 2012 was
12x the size of
the entire internet in 2000
we’ll be more
connected than ever
@BridgetRandolph
you'll reach
people
you can't reach any other way.
@BridgetRandolph
a multiscreen, device-agnostic
world.
@BridgetRandolph
25% of UK consumers have made a purchase
using their mobile device.
Source: Econsultancy
77% of smartphone users have
researched a product or service on their phone.Source: Google Databoard
about half then purchased the item
in-store.Source: Google Databoard
so businesses need to be
mobile-friendly.
mobile can’t just be
an add-on anymore.
@BridgetRandolph
the
problem is,
people are doing it
WRONG.
even big brands
mess up…
Forbes – interstitial adsImage/Graph etc.
…and my personal favourite:
Starbucks – lost CTAImage/Graph etc.
Starbucks – lost CTA
(they’ve fixed it now.)
…or worse, they
don’t do anything.
60% of small businesses have websites; only half of these are mobile-friendly.
Apple – no mobile website
70% of
the top 20 UK retailers have a mobile-friendly website.Source: Econsultancy
only
Image/Graph etc.
Image Source
small businesses are even
less likely to have a mobile-friendly web presence.
60% of small businesses have websites; only half of these are mobile-friendly.
2 reasons.
they don’t see the
value.
71% of smartphone owners have researched a product on their device which they later bought.
but it’s easy enough
to show the
value of mobile marketing.
84% of small businesses saw an increase in new business due to mobile marketing efforts
so it seems more likely that…
…they just don’t know
where to start.
that’s where I come in.
Mobile Strategyfor Small Businesses
BRIDGET RANDOLPH
Getting Started with Mobile
1• Mobile Friendly Website
2• Search and Discovery
3• Reaching Your Customers
Where they Are
Step 1
Mobile-Friendly Website
where your online
customers primarily
interact with you.
61% of mobile users who land on a non-mobile-friendly site are likely to go to a competitor's site
3 main approaches
• responsive– rearranges the layout
• dynamic serving– serves different HTML on same URL
• separate mobile subdomain– e.g. m.domain.com
choose an approach
based on
your goals and technical
capabilities
your
users’ needs.
(we did a flowchart for our Best Practice Guide)
www.distilled.net/training/mobile-seo-guide
but for a
small business with a
small website…
…I’d usually recommend using
a responsive template,
and a
CMS (like Wordpress).
individual Wordpress themes
• Designfolio (from PressCoders): free, or $79 with support licence.
• Standard: $49 or $99 with support licence.• Responsive (from CyberChimps): free.
premium Wordpress theme providers
• Elegant Themes: ~$40/year with full support.• WooThemes: free-$70.
or, if you don’t want to use Wordpress:
• SquareSpace: from $8/month (for the most basic service).
• Wix: around $10/month.
Simples!Image/Graph etc.
Image Source
but I can’t afford that.
well,
if you do
NOTHING else,
Facebook.
Google+.
because they’re already
mobile-friendly.
and
start saving up for a mobile-friendly website!Image Source
final point to
remember:
a mobile-friendlywebsite is
NOT a strategy.
it’s just the
starting point.
Step 2 Search and
Discovery
how people find
your website.
1.mobile SEO2.local search3.social media
1) mobile SEO
responsive design?
SEO of Responsive Design by Kristina Kledzik
You don’t need to do anything extra.
what if I can’t use a responsive design?
dynamic serving
Vary HTTP header http://goo.gl/km1qcZ
Up to 73% of mobile local keyword rankings differed from their desktop counterparts
separate URLs
There are
several areasto look at.
I wrote a whole post on Moz about it.http://moz.com/blog/how-to-optimize-a-mobile-site
A Checklist for Optimizing Your Mobile Site
2) local search
any business with a
physical location and/or
location-based
service area.
94% of smartphone users have looked for local info and 84% have taken action as a result
Desktop result for ‘plumber’ search in London
Mobile result for ‘plumber’ search in London
there are
several factors for local search rankings
on-page optimization for location
Image/Graph etc.
local listings
- Google My Business
- other relevant local business directories- Yahoo! Local- Bing Local - Yelp- Merchant Circle- Angie’s List- Judy’s Book - Kudzu
Google My BusinessImage/Graph etc.
Small Business Guide to Google My Business
local linkbuilding(e.g. local news sites, government sites, blogs, etc.)
“NAP” citations(like links for local SEO)
• Name• Address• Phone number
consistencysignal to Google that they all refer to the same business
protip: use Whitespark’s
Local Citation Finder tool
- from $20/month
imagesstorefront and product
Image/Graph etc.
structured data
- Schema.org: /Place and /LocalBusiness- hCard markup- KML file for GoogleMaps
social profiles
- Google+- Facebook
24% of local search via apps happens on Facebook’s mobile app
reviews and recommendations
- Yelp- Google My Business
- TripAdvisor- Yahoo! Local- Foursquare- Zagat (for restaurants)
for a great local SEO resource, check out David Mihm’s report on
Local Search Ranking Factors 2013
http://moz.com/local-search-ranking-factors
Does it work?
case study – Coffee CornerImage/Graph etc.
We managed to get them to the top of page 1 within 6 weeks, which took their
search traffic from 100 to just under 300 visitors per month
Gareth Brown, founder of Target Local
They’re also seeing visitors coming from their Yelp
profile.
3) social media
we’ve already seen that
social is important
for local SEO.
but it’s also a
marketing channel
in its own right.
4 out of every 5people who
use Facebook daily access it on a
mobile device.
social media is a good way for your mobile visitors to
find and
interactwith you…
…if you do it right.
and social is not just a part of
the discovery process.
@BridgetRandolph
a great channel for maintaining
customer
loyalty.@BridgetRandolph
first, you need to
remember:
it’s about
conversation, not
broadcast.
use the
‘dinner party’ test.
and have a content plan.
this is all just basic
social media best practice.
mobile-social
protip:make sure that the
content you share
is mobile-friendly.
so you’ve got a mobile-friendly website.
and you’ve made it easy for mobile users
to find you.
now what?
now the fun part:
Step 3: Reaching Out
in this phase, you can reach out to your customers
where they are,
instead of
waiting for them to come to you.
you can bypass
the search process altogether with
- apps- exclusive mobile content- emails
1) apps
do I need an app?
Apple Store: 900,000+ appsGoogle Play: 1,000,000+ apps
@BridgetRandolphSource
7 iPhone apps earned
10% of app store revenue for iPhone
@BridgetRandolphSource
benefit:it’s a walled garden.
@BridgetRandolph
are you
sure
you need one?
@BridgetRandolph
probably not.
small steps:ask yourself, does my app:
@BridgetRandolph5 questions based on ‘For Mobile Devices, Think Apps, Not Ads’, HBR Mar 2013
add convenience?
@BridgetRandolph
small steps: ask yourself, does my app:
offer unique value?
@BridgetRandolph
small steps: ask yourself, does my app:
provide social value?
@BridgetRandolph
small steps: ask yourself, does my app:
offer incentives?
@BridgetRandolph
small steps: ask yourself, does my app:
entertain?
@BridgetRandolph
small steps: ask yourself, does my app:
if not,
you probably shouldn’t build it.
@BridgetRandolph
small steps: ask yourself, does my app:
but if your business model relies on
frequent return visits,
it may be worth investing in an
app.
2 types of app:
1. native app (iOS, Android, etc)2. web app (HTML5)
Image/Graph etc.
Apple's App Store contains ~775,000 apps
native app web app
pros• faster performance• more specific functionality• app store support
cons• ££££• high-maintenance• approval process longer
pros• cheaper• easier to maintain
cons• one-size-fits-all• can’t be accessed offline• no app store support
some tools to help you build an app:
- Bizness Apps: from $59/month (native apps)
- ViziApps: starts from £29/month (web app) or £99/month for (native app)
- AppMakr: free native Android app (with ads), or for $9/month native iPhone and Android apps (no ads). - Premium option: $99 one-time fee for white-label
version.
- RedFoundry: contact for a quote
These tools were featured on Mashable
2) exclusive mobile content
some ideas:
- loyalty app
- push notifications with geotargeting
related to
- exclusive offers for mobile visitors
are you sure you need an app?
because if you want an
easy hack…
- check-in and
coupon services
Foursquare, Facebook, Groupon.
added benefit:
online visibility and
social proof
speaking of Facebook
and Foursquare…
bonus tip:
social media
competitions
3) emails
62% of e-mails are
opened on mobile devices.
@BridgetRandolphSource: US Consumer Device Preference Report (Q2 2013)
email marketing
IS mobile marketing.
@BridgetRandolph
if you do email marketing, make sure you’re using
mobile-friendly email templates.
79% of smartphone owners use their smartphone for reading email
email providers with mobile-friendly templates
• MailChimp: from ~$10/month
• Campaign Monitor: from $10/month or $5/campaign
if you don’t want to use their full service, you can simply use them to
build your email and
export the HTML.
and finally…
bonus tip:
provide
in-store wifi and collect customer data such as email addresses or (quick!) survey answers.
Half of the smartphone users who researched a product on their phone later purchased the item in-store
this doesn’t have to be scary…Image/Graph etc.
Image Source
in fact, it’s
really easy!MyPlaceConnect provides a service to set this up for you - from €25/month
you might decide to do ALL the things. Image/Graph etc.
or not.
but no matter your individual needs…
…there are a few important things to remember.
mobile is
HUGE.Mobile commerce accounts for 23% of online sales
need you
a mobile strategy.
start with a
mobile-friendly website.
and
build up from there.
it’s
easier than you think!
Why Mobile’s Important2012 KPCB internet trends updateGoogle Think Insights reportGoogle DataboardFull Value of Mobile calculatorThe Mobile PlaybookOur Mobile PlanetGlobal Mobile Stats 2013Ericsson Mobility Report 2013
Building a Mobile SiteMobile Web Design TipsDistilled’s best practice guideDesigning for SEO
Understanding Your Mobile VisitorsGoogle Analytics for Mobile
Mobile SEOKeyword Research for mobileResponsive SEO Tune-up
Optimizing your local presence for mobile Mobile SEO AuditOptimizing a separate mobile siteSEO of Responsive Web DesignImpact of Google Smartphone Crawler 1Impact of Google Smartphone Crawler 2Impact of Google Smartphone Crawler 3Google’s mobile development guidelinesGoogle blog - mobile and ranking factors
Thinking More About Mobile‘What is “Mobile”?’Mobile Strategy for Small Businesses
@BridgetRandolph
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