When Web Meets Mobile, Brand Meets Hand

Aug 13

JonathanMobile Internet , , , No Comments

Yesterday Google officially launched their Chrome to Phone extension. This concept, which was introduced at the recent Google I/O conference in May, is a simple: If you use the Google Chrome browser and have an Android phone running Android 2.2, you can install an app on both that allows you to instantly transfer whatever web content you are consuming to your mobile phone.

As they usually do, Google has created a video demonstrating the concept:

Cool, right?

Variations on this already exist for Firefox and there are rumblings of it being expanded to other mobile operating systems.

While you would be right in saying this is really only relevant for a small subset of the overall consumer market given Chrome’s and Android 2.2’s market share, that argument won’t hold water for much longer. Availability across other browsers, porting to other mobile OS’s, Android’s skyrocketing market share and ever increasing Smartphone penetration mean wider use is very much on the horizon.  And can Apple really be far behind with something similar?

It’s such a powerfully simple and useful application that uptake is inevitable.

What it spotlights is the need for brands to have a mobile-friendly web destination (as if there weren’t enough reasons already). If consumers are engaged enough with a piece of content to port it from web to phone, it better be a good experience for them on their mobile devices. You content is going for a walk and you’ll trip consumers up if it’s not optimized for the mobile context.

I’ve mentioned elsewhere how full web capable browsers with pinch and zoom functionality is a weak excuse for not investing in mobile web properties. Pinch and zoom is not an innovation. It’s a stop gap at best.  Full web browsing on a mobile device is an awkward experience. It requires additional and unnecessary consumer actions and neglects the fact that mobile context brings with it content and design distinctions.

This is why native mobile apps are so popular. They feel natural on the device. They meet user expectations for a seamless, scaled and efficient experience.

I feel that good marketing makes it as easy as possible for consumers to interact with your brand, your product, your service when they want and how they want.

Welcome to web to mobile world. It’s where brand meets hand. Don’t have sweaty palms.

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Three Simple Ways to Get Started In Mobile

May 13

JonathanMobile Internet, Mobile Marketing , , , , , 2 Comments

The big sexiness in mobile right now are iPhone apps. No question they are impressive and the opportunities for brand communications are many. But as they only reach a sliver of the overall mobile audience and are expensive to build, I wouldn’t recommend jumping in with an app unless you can conclusively prove it will reach a huge chunk of your target audience.

Here are three relatively easy and cost-effective tactics for getting started in mobile:

  • Build a mobile database: In Canada, you can’t buy a list of mobile numbers. If you find someone who will sell you one, say ‘no thanks’ and walk away slowly. Not only is it illegal it also undermines a key strength of mobile marketing – it’s permission based. Don’t be a spammer. There are a few ways to go about building your mobile database but the easiest is to add a mobile number capture to any web contact/sign up forms. Include a short ‘what’s this‘ description stating that the numbers won’t be sold or rented to any third parties and will only be used to deliver product or service information from your company. Now, I’d recommend working with a mobile services company to execute your database build and any subsequent programs but you’re taking a big first step by building a qualified audience and have a leg up for any promotions, CRM programming, or product/service alerts.
  • Register Your Mobile Domain: Whether or not you’re ready to launch a mobile internet site, you should at least ensure that your brand site isn’t being squatted on. The dotMobi initiative has brought together many leading mobile carriers and technology companys to support a special domain extension for the mobile internet. This lets consumers know that ‘yourbrand.mobi’ is optimized for browsing on their handsets. Opinions do vary about the necessity of having a dotMobi domain. Many brands have used an m.yourbrand.com format for their mobile internet sites. But for about $20 a year, its a good investment to own your dotMobi domain. DotMobi domains can be purchased through most (maybe all) domain registry services.
  • Optimize Your Email Content: If you send out B2B or B2C email communications, you should make sure your emails are optimized for reading on a mobile device. The increasing adoption of smartphones means that a significant percentage of your recipients will be viewing your emails on their handsets. This is especially true if you’re communicating with business professionals. There are two ways to go about this. The first is to strip down your HTML coding and simplify your email format/layout. Here’s a good resource for more on email to mobile optimization. The second is to include a link at the top of the email to a mobile version of the email. When clicked, the reader would then be taken to a mobile web page hosting your email content. Either way, you are ensuring your recipients don’t have to navigate through a jumble of HTML code to get to the substance.

There are nuances in each of these steps to make sure you’re getting the most out of your mobile marketing efforts, so I’d again recommend connecting with a mobile services company to help you navigate the landscape and ensure you’re implementing best practices.

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