Content Marketing From a Mobile Perspective


October 3, 2014

Content Marketing

For those of you who think content marketing is a passing fad, think again. The average consumer prefers it, or maybe they are becoming more sophisticated when it comes to paid marketing campaigns. According to Google’s Zero Moment of Truth research:

…in 2010 the average consumer engaged with 5 pieces of content before making a buying decision,  In 2011, that number doubled to more than 10.

Couple that statistic with some amazing findings as reported by TopRank:

  • Mobile web browsing accounted for 30% of all web traffic in 2012 and is expected to account for 50% by 2014. (Nucleus Research via SourceCon)
  • By 2016, the number of mobile devices is expected to surpass the world’s population–an 18-fold increase between 2011 and 2016. (Cisco)
  • Mobile phones accounted for more than 13% of all web traffic in August 2012. (Cisco)
  • Google, Facebook, Yahoo, Amazon, and Wikimedia are the top 5 media properties accessed on mobile devices (comScore 2013)

People are choosing to be be inundated with content.  Some people even surf the net while they watch television or a movie.  If anything, content marketing is more viable now than ever, and it is migrating to a mobile platform at an accelerated pace.  Here a few ways to rethink your content marketing from a mobile perspective.

Make Mobile a Priority

Just look at the companies who take online commerce seriously.  For instance, remember when eBay was the online auction juggernaut? You’d think that the popularity of mobile–and not having to be glued to your computer to keep up with bids–would make auctions more popular, but they actually only account for less than 15% of their business these days. With all the content people consume on their mobile devices (and how they’ll quickly they’ll move from one type of content to the next), the attention required for bidding is too much to compete with. People want to just “Buy It Now.” Apply that same concept when you’re thinking about how your business’s content will be perceived on mobile devices. Even if it’s not a product you’re selling, people want ease-of-use and instant gratification.

Think Mobile

In light of the trend toward mobile viewing, think first about how your content will appear on a smaller screen.  Use less text.  Choose or create images that will stand out and grab the reader’s attention, especially when they are going to be viewed in a smaller frame.  CEO and co-founder of Crowdsourse, Stephanie Leffler writes:

Create content in bite-sized pieces that can be stitched together to form longer-form articles — or be kept separate to serve mobile users.

Focus on Relationships

Even if the majority of the commerce you generate does not happen on a mobile device, you still need to invest in it.  Why?  It is the first step in building a relationship with a customer.  It’s time to think through tactics that will maximize your mobile platform.  As you provide valuable content and utilities through your mobile platform, your customers are likely to share it and engage with you on a deeper level.  Keep your online content simple and intuitive.

Need help with the first step of just curating valuable content? We’re content gurus for all types of industries. We also happen to be pretty awesome at mobile responsive web design. Reach out to us!