We sent Greg Hickman of Mobile Mixed your questions regarding Mobile. These are his answers.
Why is mobile more important now than ever for B2B?
It really doesn’t matter if you’re B2B or B2C, mobile has impacted the way we as consumers communicate and do business. We all use our mobile devices for many things. Whether it’s checking/sending email, searching for information, using apps, texting family/friends/co-workers or name your favorite activity—it’s the one device we have on us 24/7 making it an opportunity to do business.
Mobile also shouldn’t be viewed as only a direct sales tool but also a way to save a business time and money. There are plenty of businesses implementing mobile solutions to streamline operations that eliminate paper and reduce time that employees spend on activities, which can dramatically impact the bottom line. Whether your use mobile in the front end of your business or the back end, it can generate results.
How do I as a B2B brand, deliver the greatest value using smart mobile devices?
Use mobile to solve a problem, make something easier or save time. Your customer (whoever it may be) may prefer to communicate and receive information from you via mobile, which means you need to adjust how you do business. Whether that’s communicating via mobile optimized email, SMS/MMS messaging or within an application, mobile can help you better connect to customers in a way that is more suitable for them.
When it comes to my B2B brand, how do I develop a mobile strategy and prioritize where to start?
Mobile strategies don’t change when it’s B2B or B2C…A good mobile strategy covers these four areas.
1. Identifying and aligning the mobile strategy with the business goals and objectives. They cannot be different.
2. Review the customer personas and identify mobile tactics that will connect with that audience.
3. identify existing media channels/assets that can be used to promote and announce your new mobile initiatives.
4. Collect data from each respective channel and add it to your CRM to complete your customer profile so that you can enhance your communications and messaging moving forward.
What does my B2B audience expect when I deliver content and information on mobile devices?
The same thing any consumer expects. A seamless and painless experience. Mobile users will do anything and everything desktop users will do provided it’s presented in a usable way.
The strategy shouldn’t change but the delivery might. Content, no matter what type of content, needs to be formatted for mobile devices. Making content snackable should be a priority. Using Clear headlines, subheads, bullets and numbers makes scanning content easier no matter what device you are on. Mobile optimized sites make content readable and email and SMS can offer up mobile delivery channels to distribute that content. Let’s not forget audio…audio is extremely mobile friendly. Podcasts, audio blogs, Interactive Voice Responses, can all be effective.
How do I create a call to action as a B2B marketer when delivering content to my customers on mobile?
Short, sweet and to the point. No time or room to include fluff. The call-to-action should be clear, concise and ideally above the fold when on the mobile device.
Does my B2B mobile strategy differ depending on the demographics and time of day?
Yes, most likely. You’ll find your audience connects with you from a mobile device at certain parts throughout the day and that’s when you need to be cautious of your CTA’s and where they are driving your customer. Landing pages should always be optimized for mobile and paid advertising, whether it’s google, facebook, will be seen on a mobile device making your final destination likely to be viewed from mobile.
How do I create a B2B mobile strategy that blends with my content online?
Don’t look at them as separate and refer to question 3. Don’t try to make it harder than it has to be. Your strategy is your strategy. Your content is your content. There is one web that is viewed from different devices. 🙂
Do you have any more questions for Greg? If so, don’t be shy! Leave a comment, below.
And stand by for future posts in which Greg will expand on some of the points touched on here
Images with thanks to http://www.imomentous.com/blog/tag/mobile-talent-strategy/ and www.brafton.com/news/develop-mobile-content-to-keep-tablet-owners-close-at-hand
Latest posts by Greg Hickman (see all)
- 8 Surefire Tips To Help You Plan Your Mobile Strategy - March 19, 2014
- 3 Steps To Getting Started Using Mobile Marketing - March 13, 2014
- How To Create A Mobile Strategy that works - March 6, 2014