If you think of the options to reach and interact with customers or partners online, these interactions have traditionally been via desktop software and browsers. The desktop access platform has been dominant for years and remains so for now, but with mobile Internet access predicted to exceed desktop Internet access by 2014 or 2015, a range of mobile platforms will
become available. Combining with these hardware platforms, there are also different software platforms which marketers can use to reach and interact with their audience through content marketing or advertising, so let’s look at the range of options that are available:
Desktop, laptop and notebook platforms
1 Desktop browser- based platform. This is traditional web access through the consum- er’s browser of choice, whether Internet Explorer, Google Chrome or Safari.
2 Desktop apps. We don’t see this platform talked about much, but with the launch of Apple Lion many Apple users are accessing paid and free apps from their desktop too, via the Apple App Store. This gives opportunities for brands to engage via these platforms.
3 Email platforms. While email isn’t traditionally considered as a platform, it does offer a separate option from browser and app- based options to communicate with prospects or cli- ents, whether through editorial or advertising, and email is still widely used for marketing.
4 Feed- based and API data exchange platforms. Many users still consume data through RSS feeds, and Twitter and Facebook status updates can be considered a form of feed or stream where ads can be inserted.
5 Video- marketing platforms. Streamed video is often delivered through the other plat- forms mentioned above, particularly through browsers and plug- ins, but it represents a separate platform. Television channels delivered through streaming over the Internet, known as IPTV, are related to this platform.
It could be argued that the major social networks, Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter, also pro- vide a form of platform, but these really exist across all of these technology platforms so they haven’t been identified separately.
Mobile phone and tablet platforms
Mobile device use has already transformed the way consumers access online content and services for entertainment, socialising and purchase decisions. The options on mobile hard- ware platforms are similar in many ways to the desktop. Since they can be used in different locations there are many new opportunities to engage consumers through mobile market- ing and location- based marketing. (We cover the design challenges of creating mobile experiences in Chapter 11 where options for responsive web design are reviewed.) Table 3.2 introduces some of these challenges.
Mobile marketing Marketing to encourage consumer engagement when they’re using mobile phones (particularly smartphones) or tablet devices.
Location- based marketing Location or proximity- based marketing is mobile marketing based on the GPS built into phones or based on interaction with other local digital devices.
The main mobile platforms are:
6 Mobile operating system and browser. There are mobile browsers which are closely integrated with the operating system.
7 Mobile- based apps. Apps are proprietary to the mobile operating system, whether Apple iOS, Google Android, RIM or Windows. A big decision is whether to deliver content and experience through a browser and/or a specific app which provides an improved experience.
With the growth in mobile platform usage by consumers it becomes important to assess whether companies are gaining similar levels of business from consumers using mobile plat- forms as from desktop platforms. Table 3.3 shows how companies can assess this using the approach to strategy development from Chapter 5.
The benefits that mobile or wireless connections offer to their users are ubiquity (can be accessed from anywhere), reachability (their users can be reached when not in their normal location) and convenience (it is not necessary to have access to a power supply or fixed- line connection). They Trends update Mobile usage
Mobile usage was forecast to overtake desktop usage in 2014. Find out the latest statistics on mobile and app usage at: http://bit.ly/smartmobilestats.
Table 3.2 Five common challenges of creating a mobile web presence
Challenge Issue Solution
One site or two?
Mobile app
Should you transcode (‘ screen- scrape’) your main website into a standard mobile template to create a separate site, or optimise your site for mobile? Are mobile apps necessary?
Create one site, hosted on one URL, fed by one CMS rather than building a separate site, which requires duplicated content updates.
If there is a business case for mobile apps in terms of more revenue from apps compared to mobile sites, these need to be created for the main app stores, or native apps can be created (such as the FT.com example in Chapter 11).
Right content Agree on a clearly defined content plan (news& info, entertainment, mobile commerce).
Offer content which mobile users want to access on their handsets: maps, info, shopping, social networking and coupons are the most popular mobile Internet activities.
UX Smaller screen size and lack of keyboard make easy, simple navigation critical.
Use simple navigation; vertical not horizontal navigation. Icons are easier to access than text links, and appear more ‘ app- like’.
Personalisation Personalised content maximises page views, extends dwell time, attracts repeat visits.
Build in behavioural, location and time- based components. (See responsive design section in Chapter 11.)
Promotion Mobile users want to find you quickly and easily on the mobile Internet.
Use all media channels to drive traffic; use trackable links to detect which ones evaluate channel efficiency.
Source: Smart Insights (2013).
Mini Case Study 3.1
If you’re thinking that location- based marketing is just for corporates with large budgets, the likes of Starbucks and McDonald’s, then think again. ClickZ (2010) has reported how AJ Bombers, a speciality burger bar in Milwaukee, attributed a sale increase of 110% to Foursquare. It has 1,400 people on its Foursquare page who have checked in 6,000 times. The mayor gets a free burger, and currently that’s ‘Amy’, who has had to check in 40 times in the last 60 days at the one- location establishment in order to achieve the distinction.
Engagement is also increased through people who add a tip to the restaurant’s Foursquare page, getting rewarded with a free cookie when they show it to a waiter or cashier.
The sales increase figure is based on a single campaign which saw 161 check- ins on 28 February, a 110% sales increase when compared to a normal Sunday. Joe Sorge, owner of the restaurant, promoted an AJ Bombers- branded ‘Swarm Badge’ event to his Foursquare- using regulars. Such a custom badge is awarded to users who check in at a location where at least 50 other users are simultaneously checked in.
The restaurant owner advised that success involves implementing Foursquare as a regular part of operations:
Our staff encourages the use and engagement of Foursquare by virtue of our Foursquare specials being very prominent throughout our business. It encourages our customers to ask questions of our staff.
Education of that staff is the key.
Location- based marketing
Table 3.3 Examples of objectives and strategies to achieve them for mobile platforms
Objectives
Substantiation (informed by situation analysis or
insight, for example) Strategies to achieve goals
Key performance indicators (critical success factors) 1. Reach objectives.
Deliver 2 million mobile site visitors in year.
Extrapolation of current growth in mobile segments on current site plus + 25%
increment from promotion in other digital channels.
Start investment in Google AdWords for mobile and mobile display networks.
Use device detection to access mobile site.
Promotion in-store.
Clickthrough rates from mobile- specific campaigns and impression share delivered by AdWords.
2. Act objectives.
4% add-to-basket visit conversion rate from mobile.
This conversion rate is around two- thirds of desktop site conversion. Consistent with reported industry examples.
Develop mobile site- specific search.
Mobile site merchandising.
Mobile site search % and add-to-basket rates.
Promo clickthrough rates.
3. Convert objectives.
Mobile AOV = £35 Mobile visit to sale conversion = 2%
This conversion rate is around two- thirds of desktop site conversion. Consistent with reported industry examples.
Initial implementation of mobile checkout. This will be optimised in future years.
Microstep conversion within checkout process.
Registration process for new customers.
4. Engagement objectives.
Customer satisfaction ratings of mobile experience at 80%
of online.
Reviews placed and repeat- customer conversion at 80% of offline rates.
It is expected with the new mobile site that satisfaction ratings and repeat purchase percentages will be slightly lower, but this is unknown.
We need to check thatemails are still successful in generating reviews.
Combination of strategies:
Email and mobile messaging specific to mobile site purchasers.
Mobile couponing.
% of reviews.
Source: Smart Insights (2013) mobile marketing framework.
also provide security – each user can be authenticated since each wireless device has a unique identification code; their location can be used to tailor content; and they provide a degree of privacy compared with a desktop PC. An additional advantage is that of instant access or being always-on; here there is no need to dial up a wireless connection. Table 3.4 provides a summary of the mobile or wireless Internet access proposition. There are considerable advantages in compari- son to PC-based Internet access, but it is still limited by the display limitations.