“In the United States at this time, more than 40 percent of all existing mobile phones in use are smartphones, and over 50 percent of all recently acquired mobile phones are smartphones, moving towards the eventual majority,” according to Eli Goodman, a spokesman for comScore. “Mobile internet usage is directly correlated to smartphone adoption, so a mobile specific strategy is a must as a function of your broader marketing mix.”

Mobile apps are one of the first lines of engagement for marketers looking to interact with consumers. The comScore survey of more than 30,000 U.S. mobile subscribers found that almost half of respondents used downloaded applications and accessed browsers from their phones during the three months ended in January, an increase of about 5 percentage points compared with the three-month period ended in October 2011. Accessing of social networking sites or blogs increased by 3.4 percentage points to 35.7 percent of mobile subscribers, comScore said.

Google Android ranked as the top smartphone platform with 48.6 percent of the market. Apple held 29.5 percent market share and RIM ranked third with 15.2 percent share, comScore said.

Elements of a Mobile Strategy

To meet demand for mobile engagement, comScore’s Goodman said companies should consider the following strategies:

1.  Create a Mobile Optimized site. While there is significant growth in mobile app usage, a significant amount of mobile internet browsing is still being done via the mobile browser, and nothing will cause greater mobile visitor consternation than being presented with the standard website when navigating with a mobile phone.

2.  Determine if creating a mobile app is right for your business at this time, and if so, choose the platform carefully.  Mobile app development requires serious investment and support, so it isn’t as easy as just throwing together some programming hours to make it happen.  Furthermore, iPhone and Android phones make up more than 75 percent of the smartphone market, so focus app development efforts on the platforms with the greatest reach if time and money are a concern.

3.  Develop mobile-specific search and display strategies to maximize any mobile advertising campaigns.  If you are working on search campaigns, anything lower than the top 2 positions is not worth your time.  Display ads must be geared towards a mobile audience with appropriate copy and optimization (for example, HTML5 offers programmers a variety of options as it relates to creating more effective mobile display ads).

4.  Remember that smartphones and tablets are not created equal.  Both devices are increasingly being used for browsing on-the-go, but can differ greatly in both demographics and actual usage behaviors.  The website delivered to a smartphone user (mobile optimized) should be different than the one provided to an iPad user (standard web) since the user experience and purpose for surfing the web on an iPad is much more similar to that of a desktop surfer than it is a smartphone surfer.   

Don’t Forget the Traditional Website

Importantly, companies should remember that the implementation of mobile apps should not preclude them from continuing to invest in their traditional websites.

In fact, companies should continue to invest resources in their standard websites because demand for them is not slowing, Goodman said.

Mobile internet usage only makes up about 8 percent of all time spent online in the U.S. at this time. And while that percentage is rising, “the entire internet usage pie is growing, Goodman said. 

“So even though more internet usage will increasingly come from mobile devices, the ceiling of how much time we spend online, especially with the tablet/desktop internet user experience being so related, will not cause a diminishing need for classic websites,” he said.

Image via Shutterstock.

Mobile is undeniably a hot new marketing tool. But it is not just a mini version of the internet we see on our computers. Marketers have to think long and hard about what information they want to make available via a mobile app or site, and figure out the best way to do so.

Top considerations for mobile content:

• Keep word counts short. Smaller mobile screens mean consumers have to do more scrolling to read longer messages — an extra effort that might discourage them from reading.
• Have a laser-like focus on your audience. With significantly less real estate to work with than a traditional website, it is all the more important to understand the target audience for your mobile site and what information they will consider relevant when accessing information this way.
• Understand the platform. Will users be scrolling or swiping content in a mobile app on a phone or tablet, or clicking links in a mobile version of a web page? The parameters of the platform you choose may help you narrow your content choices.
• Don’t be coy. Put the most important info at the top. Users shouldn’t need to scroll or swipe or link to get the payoff. And you risk losing your audience if interacting with your mobile interface requires a lot of work to find the relevant data.
• Link to longer or more detailed content. If you’ve got a lot of information to share, consider linking back to your full website, or perhaps creating an email link to send the full version of the content. If you link people back to your full website, make sure it is a direct link, so users do not have to navigate via the tiny text.
• Make sure there is a call to action. A sign-up option, a link to your email newsletter, a feedback button, etc., will make your mobile content more actionable.

Make your content work for your audience

Mobile content marketing is great, but it requires you to expand your view of what content marketing means. There is not necessarily a direct translation from content marketing for websites to content marketing for mobile applications. Because there is much less screen space for information, most mobile websites and apps focus on providing transactional content, such as recipes that viewers can save, store locators, or tools they can use to send a message, check the status of an upcoming flight, etc.

Indeed, if relevance is the ideal consideration for what content to include, then it seems that users may not be as interested in consuming traditional educational content via mobile devices. People aren’t going to read white papers, case studies, or long articles on a mobile site. They might, however, read blog and Twitter posts, watch short videos, or listen to podcasts.

Here are two examples (one mobile application and one mobile website) that show some of the options for making content available on mobile devices and some of the key considerations involved in the process.

Indiana State University

This mobile application for the iPhone, Android, and Blackberry mobile platforms allows students at Indiana State University to stay in touch with campus news and activities. (Reviewed on an iPhone)

User experience. All the relevant links are available directly from the home page. Here users can choose to see the calendar of events, look at a list of courses for the upcoming semesters, access emergency numbers, read news about the university, or log into their account.

Navigation. Navigation on the app is simple and direct. The home page displays the nine primary options via graphical icons. It also provides links to the lyrics for the university’s fight song (with an option to play the song), phone numbers of nearby businesses, the ability to search the catalog of media in its library, and a link to the university’s official magazine. Many of the subpages also feature a one-button link back to the home page, which keeps users from having to backspace multiple times (thus, reloading each page) in order to move into other sections of the app.

Because there is a lot of content to share, users may have to follow multiple links in order to move down into the site to get certain information (for example, when looking for a particular academic course or athletic event). I also found that some of the links (such as athletic events or news items) lead users back to pages on the main university website. Although these pages are not optimized for viewing on a small screen, the links are direct, so users do not have to navigate the main website on their phones to find the information they are looking for.

Search. Several of the pages have their own search functionality — for example, the course list is searchable once a user has narrowed it down to the main subject (such as art or economics). The magazine is also searchable, which is quite beneficial given the amount of content in a magazine and the lack of space for content in a mobile application.

However, the news and calendar functions do not have search forms. The calendar in particular could benefit from the ability to search, though it is divided into sections, such as alumni events, athletic events, music, student academic dates, etc.

Format/ layout. The formatting and layout are clean and simple, as is best for an application like this. The application is branded consistently with the ISU website — it uses the same shade of blue, and the icon for the button to link back to the homepage is the university’s logo.

Discovery Channel mobile

The mobile website of the Discovery Channel is m.discovery.com, and it provides access to many of the same fun items users will find on the main website. (Reviewed via Safari on an iPhone)

User experience. With advertisements at the very top of the page, this mobile website doesn’t look as clean as many branded mobile applications. But on the plus side, the overall user experience has been well-optimized for viewing on a smartphone.

The home page features a sampling of some of the content types accessible from the navigation bar — such as the full TV schedule, Twitter links, quizzes, and the Discovery store. The main page also displays news headlines, the primetime shows for that day, and links to the most popular videos and photos on the Discovery site.

That said, the mobile site does have some challenges. The videos did not play properly during this review, and the blogs did not seem to be updated. For example, the first entry on the topmost blog “Discovery of the Day” was dated April 30, 2009.

Navigation. There is a primary navigation bar at the top of each screen, linking to each of the core content categories: videos, quizzes, photos, news, blogs, Twitter, the TV schedule, and the store. At the bottom of each page (which sometimes requires a bit of scrolling to get to) there are links to the full website, other Discovery network sites, and general contact and feedback links.

The top navigation bar links back to the home page, but this is not viewable when users have scrolled through the top navigation bar, which only displays three topics (out of nine) at a time. That means there is not always a direct link back to the home page. Additionally, there is no function that allows users to search for content found only on the mobile site.

Format/ layout. The formatting and layout on this app are clean and simple. The mobile site branding is consistent with the main Discovery Channel website, using the same shade of blue and featuring the Discovery Channel logo in a banner at the top of each page.

Conclusion

Content creation for mobile websites and applications will never be the same as it is for materials that were designed to be viewed on desktops and laptops — these devices just don’t have enough screen real estate to make that viable. So marketers have to decide what content is most relevant for users who access their information via mobile devices, and how to lead them to the meatier content, when they are ready to go deeper.

What do you think about these efforts to share content for mobile devices? How is your mobile content different from what you share on your main website? How will optimizing content for mobile devices change the way we think about content marketing in general? What are your thoughts about the next steps content marketers need to take in the mobile space?

Image credit: Fotolia.com

The other day, I was in a popular national chain pizza restaurant enjoying a meal with friends.

While we dined, I noticed a number of younger people (under 34) showing their mobiles to the server before getting their bill. One family even had a teenage mobile user hold up her phone on behalf of the family.

Now, this particular chain of pizza restaurants does a lot of online marketing, especially email. In fact, many of my friends that evening had printed off 2-for-1 vouchers from the chain’s website.

Being in the SMS (mobile phone text messages) business, I was curious how the pizza chain’s program worked. I used my smartphone to search for the chain’s “mobile voucher.” What I observed at the restaurant and found online only served to strengthen the research I’ve seen on how effectively mobile SMS campaigns reach the younger demographics.

Using SMS to get them to spend

In the example above, the voucher code was for 25 percent off the food bill when you purchased at least two “adult” pizzas. It’s a pretty good deal, especially for those on limited budgets (like most young people), and a sure way to bring customers (who might be otherwise reluctant) into the restaurant for a meal by spending a minimum amount.

But discount codes are only one kind of SMS marketing tactic — there are plenty of other uses, such as:

• Free product offers
• Buy-one-get-one-free coupons
• Priority customer codes
• Special announcements
• VIP access

Like all good offers, you need to consider your audience for your product or service. For example: the local restaurant could offer a free bottle of wine with your next visit; an electronics store could announce when a popular game is back in stock; or a local night club could offer special access to mobile customers on a traditionally slow evening with “Free VIP access this Tuesday night! Show this text code when you get to the door VIPTUES121211″.

SMS messages are actually read

The New York Times reported that email use is declining in younger target markets (those under 34 years old), noting they prefer to use SMS messages to communicate. In a U.S. study conducted by eMarketer, over half of the respondents between the ages of 18 and 34 said that they would give their mobile number to a business in order to receive coupons or vouchers.

SMS is powerful for marketers as well: the average open rate for SMS messages is over 95% (Frost & Sullivan). you suddenly see how effective SMS marketing is when trying to reach younger segments of your audience.

Putting it all together

I signed up online for the promotion by entering my mobile number and immediately received a confirmation text message on my phone:

ABCPizza: Thanks for your interest in our 25% off voucher. To receive your code, reply “yes”. Standard network charges apply. See T&Cs on our website.

The pizza restaurant is using good practice here. The opt in to receive the code is a reassuring sign that I’m not enrolling in something suspicious. Also, the message clearly communicated what the charges would be (standard network rates).

I confirmed and received my code which explained how to redeem it and how long I had to use it.

ABCPizza: 25% off ur bill when you order 2 main meals. Show code to your server when you ask for the bill. 26e1A56 Exp 23.11.2011

Once we finished our meal, I showed my SMS message to my server, who took down the number to check against a live database, and then gave me the 25 percent discount.

What’s more, I told my friends to text to the opt-in short code to get the discount too. Which brings me back to a point I made earlier about considering your audience in your offers. A compelling offer will get shared and with most young people today carrying mobiles, this viral sharing of SMS marketing messages ensures your offers are read by this important demographic.

Content leverage

Content leverage is using every  piece of content  in multiple ways to get the highest return on investment from each piece of content. Obviously, content is not valuable unless buyers are aware of it and are engaged with the material.  This requires marketers to deliver the content in new, interactive ways and channels. Borrowing from Newton’s first law, content in motion will tend to stay in motion and be more effective as a result.

Let’s track the life of a single blog article to bring these practices to life and show how a marketer can leverage content to its best use.

Developing content derivatives

An executive writes a compelling blog article based on new research from a survey of customers and prospects. The blog post explains how the research findings uncover an important buyer issue, validates the market need for the vendor’s solution, and highlights that solutions exist to address the issues identified in the research.

A research-focused post helps in the early stages of the buying cycle to inform  buyers that  solutions are available  to  make improvements.  In this scenario, marketers can develop content derivatives such as:

1) Research White Paper: The marketing team develops additional content based on the original blog post to create a white paper. However, keep in mind that research indicates buyers prefer shorter white papers; the recommended length is four to six pages.

2) Infographic: Research and best practices recommend converting content into an infographic to illustrate data that can be  quickly understood and enhance a call to action.  The elements of an infographic can be weaved into the white paper and other materials to make the data “come to life.”

3) PowerPoint: The presentation is an overview of the research findings on the market opportunity, a summary of the white paper and the executive’s best practice recommendations, which can be uploaded on Slideshare.

4) Live and On-Demand Webinar: The executive leverages the PowerPoint to present a live webinar, which is also recorded for on-demand playback.

5) Video and Podcast: The executive is interviewed in Q&A form to create a series of short and compelling videos and podcasts. Creating transcripts of each interview can provide additional content leverage.

To improve the connection and engagement of today’s busy buyers, more marketers are moving beyond traditional options to leverage interactive media such as:

1) Microsites: The marketing team develops and publishes a collection of related research and advice to a best practices microsite, providing buyers with a single resource to facilitate each step through the buyer’s journey.

2) eBook: The team  converts the key white paper content and PowerPoint into a visually compelling eBook, an interactive overview of the research, and key points  that an executive can quickly read  to understand main concepts and recommendations.

3) Mobile Content / Applications: The team converts the research into content optimized for mobile devices and creates a “Solution Finder” application to help users find the right solution  based on which piece of the research matches customers’  specific priorities / pain points.

4) Multi-media White Papers: The team enhances the white paper presentation with embedded video and podcast recordings, helping buyers feel more connected to the executive.

5) Interactive White Papers: Today’s buyers demand content be more relevant and concise. To deliver a personalized white paper, the marketing team should consider assembling and customizing the content for each buyer. This content customization can be developed on pivot points, which matches content to the buyer’s industry, location, size, role in buying cycles and pain points. The content is put into an interactive software application to survey the buyer on his profile. From there, a customized white paper is delivered with content precisely matching the buyer’s profile.

6) Interactive Diagnostic Assessments: Most buyers struggle to understand whether research issues are  relevant or applicable to them and whether addressing the issues should be priority.  The marketing team may consider a diagnostic assessment to gather and benchmark the prospect’s opportunities against industry peers and leaders. This can illustrate to buyers the competitive costs of maintaining the status quo versus the competitive advantages of adopting new solutions that can address priority issues.

7) Benefit Calculator: Without a business case, today’s economic-focused buyers are hard pressed to allocate budget and pull the trigger on an investment. The marketing team can tap the research to create a customized, interactive benefits calculator that will quantify potential benefits for prospects.

Putting the content in motion

The traditional ways to connect and engage buyers with valuable decision-support content is evolving to incorporate more channels and social sharing.

Traditional channels use promotions, excerpts, and links to the content in order to increase awareness and engage buyers.

Some of the traditional channels that the marketing team leverages to promote content include:

1) Website(s): Promote and link to the content from the main company website and microsites, not forgetting to promote the content via portals in support of sales / channel enablement.

2) eNewsletters: Include excerpts and links in regular newsletters as value-added content.

3) Banner Advertising: Use banners to promote the content as a call to action for users.

4) Paid Search: Use targeted keywords and content as a call to action.

5) Traditional Advertising: Place promotions and links from traditional advertising to the online content.

The one issue with these traditional channels is that they are paid advertisements and have a low trust rating.  However, social content placement is often earned and is trusted more than traditional advertising  by today’s skeptical buyers.

Using social media-focused channels, marketers connect and engage with influencers and the buyers’ communities via:

1) Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn Posts and Links – Beyond just links to promote the content, marketers post key excerpts of compelling findings and advice. These posts are liked and forwarded by other members.

2) YouTube & Slideshare Posts: Based on the type of content, the marketing team leverages specific social channels for sharing content such as YouTube for videos and Slideshare for PPTs and PDFs.

3) LinkedIn Discussion Groups and Quora: Marketers determine what key questions would be compelling to discussion groups  to attract group members’ comments on the research and findings as well as to  collaborate on additional opportunities, best practices and solutions..

4) Influencer Links: Marketers make influencers aware of the content and findings / advice, prompting several influencers to write about the content and pass along excerpts / links.

5) Search Engine Optimization (SEO) – Search engines prioritize links to content that are seen as  timely, relevant and valuable to the community. To optimize SEO, marketers still need to be sure that content is tagged properly and contains important keywords. Additionally, marketers must ensure that content is back-linked,  liked, promoted and linked to/from other independent and influential sites.

6) Article Syndication: Marketers convert the blog post and other content into article form, and get digital and print publishers to feature / promote the article because they feel it will help their readers.

The bottom line

When an author develops a blog article or other  piece of marketing content, it’s key that the marketing team leverage the content in multiple ways by creating derivatives to put the content in motion. This strategy should include creating multiple traditional and new interactive media derivatives that engage buyers with content through traditional and social channels.

This graphic illustration of  a single piece of content from a research oriented blog post can be used to derive multiple pieces of content to connect and engage buyers via multiple channels  and facilitate the buyer’s journey that can help drive content marketing effectiveness.

Have you tried this approach? Anything you would add to the graphic above?

Planning

I’ve seen many email newsletters in my inbox, and some make me wonder if they actually went through any planning before they pushed the publish button. You don’t have to put together a business plan, but you do need to plan your email newsletter content to match your overall content marketing strategy. Did you set goals for your newsletter? If you didn’t, you really should.  For instance, if your goal is to educate your readers and establish yourself as a thought leader, consider including more informational content in your newsletter.

Make sure you develop the newsletter around the goals and ensure they’re measurable. Think about it; how will you know if the newsletter was successful? Speaking of planning, do you have an editorial calendar for your newsletters? Setting one up, just as you do for the rest of your content marketing activities, will help you plan things like:

• The schedule of your email newsletter: Do you have a consistent schedule?
• Special dates: Does your schedule take into account for special dates or events?
• Opportunities for reuse: Do you have a plan to repurpose some content in your blog, upcoming event or informational products?

Design and layout

I’m no designer, but I know when I see a design I like and I know how important it is to make newsletters effective. Even if it has the best copy in the world, a poorly designed template can turn off your readers and cause them to hit the dreaded delete button. A few things to keep in mind for an appealing design include:

• Appealing colors and a natural blend of copy and design. (No dark backgrounds with blue text).
• Keep the layout free of clutter – no one wants to navigate through a busy email with too many visual elements.
• Videos and photos are great, but trying to pile them throughout the email make me want to scream; keep it to just a few photos or a link to videos.

Readability

Many newsletters fail to keep the reader engaged due to one simple error – they don’t make their content readable. Oh yes, there’s a difference between readable and unreadable content; ever try reading a one-paragraph, 500-word article? So, what are some ways to ensure your newsletter passes the readability test?

• No large paragraphs. Keep a paragraph to 3-4 sentences.
• Avoid content overload by not putting everything in the newsletter. Learn to link out to your website or blog too.
• Keep it consistent and use standard faces and sizes for your font.  Some standard fonts to use in your newsletter would include Helvetica and Arial.
• Add subheadings, where possible, to break-up sections.

Subject line

OK, this one is a no brainer.  For your subject line, craft one that’s compelling, related to the newsletter content and makes the recipient click and not hit delete. When you’re looking at developing a great subject line, consider these points: Ask yourself, “How does this make the recipient feel?” Try to draw on emotions or general curiosity.

If you have a numbered list of points, try to integrate that number into your subject line just as I have with the headline of this post.

Sharing

Do you think your newsletter is only for your existing subscribers to read? Actually, it’s not.  What do you do when you read something that’s WOW? Do you keep it to yourself or share it out? Yep, you share it out with your friends, connections and family. This is what you need with your email newsletter. Now, how do you get your existing subscribers to share your message?

• Ask them to share it with someone who will benefit from it.
• Give them many options to share it. This includes email, social media and other methods.

Calls to action

Most of the email newsletters I get have a good amount of valuable resources without trying to sell me something. Or do they? An effective call to action isn’t an ad or a button telling me to buy now; rather it’s subtle but effective. Some great ways to keep your readers engaged involve getting them to see more about you and your business. Consider these simple but effective calls to action:

• Add icons and links to connect with you on social networks. Check out the Content Marketing Institute Newsletter for a perfect example of this.
• Invite your reader to an upcoming event.
• Ask the reader to subscribe for their own updates if someone forwarded the email to them.
• Welcome feedback and see what your readers think of you.
• Add links to other relevant content, such as your blog.
• If you have to add a sales message, keep it small and let your content speak for you instead.

Testing

If you just write something and send it out, will it succeed? How do you know? Unless you’re Professor X and can read minds, you will need some method to test your message. What elements of your message would you test? Try these on for size:

• Do A/B testing with different subject lines or even different opening statements.
• Not everyone’s email client is the same; test on multiple email clients and operating systems.
• Speaking of that, are you testing your content on mobile devices? Does your message fit and display properly for those on the go?

Thorough testing gives you a better shot at success, and it will show when you go through your email analytics. I could go into more with these metrics, but I will save that for another post.

Content Marketing With Effective Email Newsletters

Email newsletters are not dead; they are very much alive and remain an essential element to successful content marketing. When you incorporate each ingredient, you have a checklist for successful email newsletters. Do you have a checklist for your email newsletters? What would you add to this list?

Testing content in any format gives you a better opportunity to get it right. Testing mobile content should answer the following questions:

• Is the mobile content hitting its mark?
• Do your customers and potential customers understand what you are trying to tell them?
• Is the communications vehicle (e.g. blog, Facebook, newsletter, print magazine) the right one for the mobile environment?
• Do your users have the technological savvy to navigate your mobile format?

Why is testing mobile content different from testing traditional content?

There are three main reasons why testing mobile content (both websites and apps) is different from traditional content:

1. Needs change depending on context—Users have fixed attention because they probably need to find a piece of information or perform a task quickly, while still managing many sensory inputs or distractions.
2. Devices change on a yearly basis—Users are constantly learning new mobile applications and navigation choices, creating “navigation aggravation.”
3. Personalization complicates delivery—The small screen necessitates knowing exactly what content to deliver to which customer to avoid both navigation aggravation and context issues.

Let’s break down each of these priorities to understand how to better test mobile content.

Needs change depending on context

When you work from your desktop, tablet, laptop or even from your smartphone in a fixed environment, like your office, family room couch or kitchen table, your attention and inputs are stable. This means that your environment remains mostly unchanged and you are able to focus on the task at hand. However, because your environment is relatively static, you may be more open to exploring a website or application because your need preferences are less focused than in a mobile environment. Many mobile users’ needs tend to be more focused on completing a task or obtaining a piece of information.

Recommendation: Test content while your targeted customer base is in a mobile, fluid environment. Give users tasks to perform what most mimic what you are testing.

For example, if you represent an electronics website, you need to know your mobile content persuades users about your competitive pricing, even while they are physically in a big box store and comparing prices. Therefore, you will want to test your users while they are in the same type of store, so you can accurately measure if your content helps them in real-time situations. You will be able to ascertain with greater certainty if they can find your content and rank its value even though inputs are constantly shifting.

Testing this way would include the following tasks:

1. Create a set of short simple tasks (2-5) you want your users to complete.
2. Pick an environment that most closely mimics where and how you think your users are accessing your content.
3. Give the users a prescribed amount of time to perform the tasks.
4. Stand next to them and ask them what they are thinking about. Prod them to talk out loud about how the content is helping or deterring them from finishing the assigned task.
5. Watch them as they access the content using the mobile device. (Make sure the users are using their own mobile device or something that most closely mimics theirs. If they need to learn an iPhone during the test, the test won’t get at what you really want to know, which is how they are interacting with the content).
6. You may want to consider videotaping them as they perform the tasks, but have someone else do it. You want to act as the moderator so you can ask them pertinent questions about how the content is satisfying—or not satisfying—their needs.

Devices change on a yearly basis

When is the last time you had to relearn how to “use” your laptop? Or, even a desktop computer? Yes, applications change a little bit with each new version, but the basics are the same.  And yet, with the introduction of new mobile devices and operating system updates every week, the learning curve can be steep. You cannot know that your content is accessible and valuable unless you test it using the same devices your customers  use.

Recommendation: Use your analytics to determine the most popular devices your customers use to access your content, and then test your content on those devices.

Personalization complicates delivery

With such a small amount of space available compared to your website’s home page, more marketers are personalizing content for mobile devices. Think of the home page of many mobile sites you go to.  They are either far too complicated—a mirror of the traditional home page—or far too simple.

There are a number of ways to personalize content. Customers can set up a mobile device the first time they access a website to deliver the content most valuable to them. Or, even better, technology by companies like Maxymiser that run alongside a mobile site tracks user data to deliver the right content.

Think of people who go to their bank’s online site or app using a mobile device. If it’s 2:00 a.m., they probably are looking for the location of an ATM. If it’s 3 p.m., they may want to know what time the bank closes. By aggregating real-time data, you can understand context and return  what is possibly the most valuable content, thereby saving the customer a lot of navigation aggravation

Recommendation: Create smart, accurate user scenarios so you know the hows and whens of your customers’ interactions with your content. This will allow you to make sure you are delivering the right types of content at the right time.

So tell me about your adventures with mobile content testing: Do you have any more advice to give?

Wrong.

In fact, a recent online survey found only 33 percent of companies now have a mobile marketing strategy. However, an additional 62 percent of businesses plan to launch a mobile marketing strategy over the next 12 months.

The “Mobile Marketing: Plans, Trends and Measurability” survey was conducted by King Fish Media in partnership with Junta42, Maxymiser and Hubspot (Note: Registration is required).  More than 560 marketers and corporate executives participated in the online survey conducted in April. The survey revealed several other interesting trends about mobile marketing that are happening now and over the next year.

Mobile marketing has potential to build relationships

Sixty-four percent of survey respondents say the biggest upside of mobile marketing is its use as a relationship-building tool. While the actual monetization of mobile marketing is taking off slowly, opportunities exist to leverage apps to deliver tools, content and brand messages that can lead to customer sales.   Getting customers to download an app and claiming a piece of real estate on their mobile phones is one-to-one marketing at its finest.

The focus on relationships may explain the prevalence of the most popular content types, both now and over the next 12 months: Social networking, branded content distribution, email capabilities, geo-location/maps and general reference.

Android and iPad apps are gaining traction

The iPhone is currently the dominant platform for mobile apps, and nearly 75 percent of companies are developing iPhone apps. However, the Android and iPad apps are expected to see the strongest growth over the next year. Apps for the iPhone and Blackberry are expected to be flat. Interestingly, 68% of companies have no plans to develop apps using the Windows operating system.

Mobile spending to increase

Currently, only 12% of a company’s marketing spend is on mobile, but the vast majority of survey respondents (82%) plan to increase their spending on mobile over the next year, with an average spend estimated to be 19% of the budget. While half of respondents indicated the budget for mobile would be tied to a specific project/custom media program, 30% are moving budget from mainstream marketing and advertising to fund mobile marketing projects.

Mobile ROI is slow to develop

The overall return on investment (ROI) for mobile is slow to develop:

• Only 24% of survey respondents report the ROI for mobile programs has exceeded or performed as expected and 34 percent have not measured it.
• Forty-one percent say future mobile marketing programs will need to show a positive return to continue them.
• Thirty-four percent say they will be tracking ROI, but a positive return will not be required at this time.

Takeaways for content marketers

What you need to do about your mobile strategy may depend on your type of business:

• For companies that conduct online commerce, it is critical to offer an app or mobile web site that gives customers an easy-to-use and intuitive buying process.
• For companies that do not sell online, the question will be what is the best way to engage customers and prospects online to foster and maintain relationships.
• Mobile commerce may not make sense for many companies, particularly B2B brands that require a long and complex buying process.

As with any content marketing initiative, it is critical to offer valuable content and utilities instead of a sales message.  Some possible applications to offer through mobile channels include:

• Feeds of searchable content, podcasts and blogs that are dynamically updated
• Product or store finders using the GPS feature of the phone
• Unique videos, landing pages or content that can be accessed with a QR code
• Ties into your customers’ accounts or loyalty programs from mobile platforms

In short, think about tactics that will help bind your company to your customer by offering value and convenience.  Mobile marketing gives you the opportunity to build and strengthen your customer relationships.

Smartphone ownership rises
U.S. Smartphone ownership is expected to reach a tipping point in the U.S., according to Nielsen.

Mobile changes content consumption
Since the average U.S. adult spends over 10 hours a day consuming content, according to Ipsos, content marketers should consider where and how users consume content.  In particular, information snacking (where users consume content during otherwise wasted time) and time shifting (where consumers read or watch content at  different times), are growing trends. For mobile devices, this often translates to information-on-the-go for content consumption in otherwise “wasted” time like commuting.

Mobile Internet users spend their time differently than computer users
Because people use their mobiles to stay connected, reading email accounts for roughly two out of every five minutes users spend on the mobile web, making it the most popular activity, according to Nielsen. Compare this to computer use where email is the No. 3 activity on computers following social media and games.

Mobile search tends to be local
Roughly half of mobile search has local intent versus 20 percent of Web search, according to SearchEngineLand. This means your mobile search strategy must be different to capture on-the-go users who need information where they are.

Mobile goes shopping and brings your competitors with them
According to ForeSee research, one in three shoppers used their mobile phones to gather information in a retail store, and about half of shoppers checked on competitors.

To reach these mobile consumers, different types of content as well as mobile-friendly formats are needed to provide an optimal experience when and where your users want it. Do you have a plan to make your content mobile-friendly or are you hoping that your web-based content works on other devices?

To help you get your mobile content marketing strategy on track, here are six important elements that require mobile optimization.

Mobile search
Mobile search helps on-the-go users navigate the mobile web to meet their immediate needs.  Because these  users have different needs and use different keywords, it’s a good idea to have a separate mobile search budget and plan. You need to think differently about the words you use and the content you serve to this audience.

Mobile website
Since website speed and usage differs on a mobile, a mobile website focused on your users’ primary needs is a high priority for content marketers. Your mobile website must load quickly and should be function-oriented, allowing for easy scanning. On a mobile device, less is more. Also, due to the small screen, use larger buttons.

Text messages
Use this granddaddy of mobile communication that doesn’t require a smart phone for time-sensitive information like alerts and sales as well as reaching teens. This text-only (aka SMS) presentation is limited to 160 characters, so good copywriting is needed to keep your message brief and on target.

Email
Since email can be handled in small chunks of time and allows employees to stay on top of business developments, it tops mobile Internet use. From a content marketing perspective, optimize email copywriting for the small screen by using short, action-oriented headlines.

Mobile apps
Since seven out of ten smartphone users download an app, consider creating your own app. The content marketing challenge is how do you provide useful product related content for users on the go? SitorSquat is a great example of how a major brand is providing useful content for consumers who are (quite literally) on the go. Don’t overlook the need to market the app and to get users to continually use it.

QR codes
The pop art squares provide a way to connect offline to online content and communications. For content marketers, QR codes provide an easy solution for linking offline content and buildings to online content, information and/or communications.

To determine which mobile elements are most important for your content marketing, start by looking at how mobile has influenced and changed how we consume content. Assess how these traits apply to your target audience and which forms of your content offering need to be adapted for mobile consumption. In your assessment, don’t overlook the need to be where your competitors are.

Which aspects of your content marketing have you adapted for mobile consumption and why? Please add your experiences in the comment section below.

But, location-based services can go far beyond the check in.  LBS is a big opportunity to influence people in a particular place. To help you see the possibilities, I’m sharing an example from North Carolina State University.

An example: On Campus at NC State University

On Campus is a customized location-based service for the NC State University campus. Through its mobile applications, On Campus offers content and features that depend on location. Some examples include check-ins, event promotions, digital rewards, points, leader boards, maps of nearby locations, reviews, and photo sharing.

“On Campus connects people to places, places to people, and people to people in places,” says Tim Jones., the university’s Interim Associate Vice Chancellor for Communications.

What’s happening on a university campus? A lot. That’s why On Campus features content about events very prominently. Students and faculty can know what’s happening anytime anywhere.

To reward people for attending certain events, On Campus cleverly incorporates its own branded badges. It’s like content candy.

Remember to plan

It’s not hard to imagine the possibilities of LBS for other industries driven by location.  Disney is already using a location-based service to guide people through their amusement parks. Even a retailer such as The Home Depot could use such a service to help customers find what they need in their large warehouse-like stores.

Now, before you jump into a location-based service, remember planning content is key.  As with a website, you must have the right content ready. And, you have to be prepared to maintain the content over time.

For example, let’s turn back to the events content. Did the university simply dump the content from their website into their LBS? No. Instead, the university made two types of changes—editorial and architecture.

Editorial changes

NC State University expanded their editorial process to include criteria for selecting events to feature in On Campus as well as a feature schedule. “We’re now mapping out the best process—staff responsibilities, editorial slant, featured event partnerships and schedule—to clean up the location data and keep event content relevant and useful for our users,” says Jones.

Architecture changes

At the same time, NC State University faced architecture issues. To keep the process efficient and the content usable for a mobile device, Jones did not want to recreate event content from scratch or to integrate each department’s individual calendar. So, he and his team decided to create a special feed of the main university calendar content. This feed provides only the appropriate event content to On Campus.

In the future, NC State University plans to use this feed in other ways. One possibility is to tie the event content to a QR code (bar code) on a campus building. When someone walks by the building, he or she can see the events scheduled in that building.

“We wouldn’t be able to use single source content across several location-aware channels without planning,” says Jones.

Summing up

So, when you venture into LBS imagine the possibilities. Then, get practical with your planning. Think about both the editorial and the architecture implications for your content.  That way you’ll get the right content to the right people at the right time, and make the most of your opportunity to influence people on location.

Special thanks to Tim Jones, Interim Associate Vice Chancellor for Communications at NC State University, for sharing his example.

As the pace of smartphone adoption increases, meeting and event professionals and content marketers will be challenged to keep up with demand, and more importantly, innovate using this young platform.

The benefits of mobile apps are compelling. Compared to paper-based versions of event programs, they’re more portable, interactive and can display multimedia content (and obviously, they’re more ‘green’). And planners and marketers are just beginning to leverage the networking aspect of apps to increase engagement and provide attendees with a convenient channel through which they can communicate.

How content marketers can use meeting apps

There are a lot of ways for content marketers to use apps for planning and to enhance the attendee experience.

Pre-Conference

• Provide enhanced sponsorship opportunities, generating additional revenues
• Solicit input on program design or development
• Facilitate dialog among attendees based on mutual interests
• Promote interactivity with speakers or other subject matter experts
• Generate qualified leads for exhibitors based on attendee needs

During Conference

• Offer real-time access to program changes, presentations, speaker bios, conference-based news or information
• Share interactive maps of hotels, convention centers, exhibit floors or local points of interest for experiential events or after-hour gatherings as well as the ability to locate or track friends and colleagues
• Create location-based games that facilitate engagement and interactivity among attendees
• Conduct audience polling, session evaluations, user-generated announcements or other content

Post-Conference

• Share archived sessions, handouts, etc.
• Increase ROI through reinforcement of key learnings and support for attendee action plans
• Update interested parties on follow-up initiatives and announcements regarding upcoming events
• Encourage ongoing dialog among attendees, laying the groundwork for subsequent meetings

Where to find event apps

Perhaps the best place to find meeting-related apps is www.meetingapps.com, a joint venture of event planning network Invenia Incentives and exhibition producer IMEX. This comprehensive portal has over 500 app titles divided among more than two dozen categories, including meeting management, travel, social media and conferences.

If you want to develop your own app for an event, the cost generally runs between $1,000 to $5,000 or more depending on functionality. QuickMobile, Core-Apps, E-proDirect and EventLink are some developers who are distinguishing themselves in the industry but the field is becoming more crowded every day and with that will come pricing pressure. Organizers and marketers are encouraged to do their homework and talk to their peers.

Apps for event planners

So what’s on the smartphones of some of our favorite meeting and event planners?

	Super Planner is a business app for the professional event planner. It provides a variety of planning tools, including calculators for venue capacity, staffing, catering, staging, projection and dance floor, as well as useful tips in several areas. Features include capacity calculator, food and beverage, staffing and audiovisual.
	ootoWeb enables planners to access information from the ootoWeb Meeting Management Suite while on the go, accessing reports on meeting specification, attendee list, activity pickup, sleeping room pickup and more.
	Posted enables you to track your delivery parcels from many shipping and courier companies. Add in your tracking number and Posted displays all relevant details about your parcel. Currently supports over 50 delivery providers. Enable Push Notifications and get alerted when the status of your package changes and more.
	When you need a photo of the ballroom or reception space you’re checking out but the view is wider than what your iPhone camera will capture, Auto Stitch can merge up to 20 overlapping pictures to create the effect of a wide-angle camera.
	When planning events, there is so much to remember. To manage all the information coming your way, you’ll need some tools to help organize your thoughts. Evernote turns your smartphone into an extension of your brain and helps you remember everything from notes to ideas to snapshots to recordings.
	If your thumb-typing skills aren’t up to par, Dragon Dictation creates voice-to-text transcriptions that can be sent via e-mail or text message, or pasted into any iPhone app. Some say it’s up to five times faster than typing on the keyboard. A great way to save time if you need to summarize notes from a production meeting.

Apps to enhance attendee experience

As an attendee, here are some of my favorite apps to check out.

	ShowGuide is designed to provide conference attendees a convenient tool to navigate conferences without having to carry bulky printed guides. With ShowGuide, attendees can view all of the courses/sessions, exhibitors, venue maps and general information available for partnered events. You can set up favorites to streamline your event experience. ShowGuide will allow attendees to download and store multiple events to their device for use offline.
	In the U.S., one of the most popular event locations is Las Vegas. If you’re visiting this area, check out MGM MIRAGE’s official Vegas Reality augmented reality (AR) app. Point your smartphone camera anywhere at the Vegas Strip and it provides interactive information about resorts, casinos and other points of interest. You can also book show and restaurant reservations and receive exclusive offers via Twitter.
	Should you bump into someone new, you can always Bump smartphones, which allows you to share photos and contacts, compare friends, or become Facebook friends. No poking required.

For the second generation of meeting apps, here’s what I’d like to see more of:

• Personalization of content based on interests and the ability to customize apps to meet individual needs
• Leverage the mobile platform for more learning, both formal and informal
• Better integration across mobile platforms (Android, Apple, Blackberry, etc.)
• Better integration across social networks (Facebook, LinkedIn, Foursquare or Gowalla, etc.)

What other apps do you think are good for event planners and attendees?