Mobile Search is Everywhere

6 Mobile Marketing Tactics

Consumers use mobile search during their waking hours wherever they are, according to Performics/ROI Research where respondents had accessed the mobile web at least once a week and used mobile search at least once during the past month. (Note: Here are 56 Must-Have Mobile Marketing Facts.) The salient mobile search findings for marketers are:

  1. Consumers use mobile search at home, work, social events, in transit and when running errands. Consumers have their phones with them all the time and use them to find information. While mobile search usage at work is surprising, it implies employees look up information they don’t want their bosses to know about.
  2. Consumers’ use of mobile search has changed how they gather information for roughly two-thirds of respondents. Users check for additional information and content at times and places they previously couldn’t.
  3. Consumers use mobile search for dual screen consumption. 66% of respondents used mobile search while watching television and 45% of respondents used mobile search while on a computer. Mobile search supports multi-platform consumption by providing a quick, easy way to get timely answers to questions regardless of what consumers are otherwise doing. It’ll be interesting to see how this consumption behavior evolves with increased tablet penetration.
  4. Consumers use mobile search in stores. Top consumer reasons are to compare prices (66% of respondents), find product information (64% of respondents), look for sales or specials (62% of respondents) and/or search for specific products (62% of respondents).
  5. Roughly one third of consumers use mobile search more than they use search engines on a computer. Bear in mind, mobile search facilitates Internet usage on a mobile device in ways that users don’t need on a computer.

6 Mobile marketing tactics

Here are six implications of this mobile search research for marketers, particularly for retailers.

  1. Create mobile optimized website. For companies with a physical presence supply your physical address and phone number so users can quickly find you and/or talk to you. From a competitive perspective, online-only businesses should consider a mobile presence with their phone number.
  2. Provide an array of on-the-go information. Even though consumers use mobile search when they’ve a computer handy, ensure prospects and customers can access your phone number, physical address, schedules, flights and other timely information.
  3. Craft easy-to-consume, bite-size content. Optimize your content for mobile reading including smaller, fast loading pages that users can scroll down.
  4. Present product and purchase related information. Remember consumers take their mobile shopping. They check their mobile devices while they’re in your retail establishment. Therefore, check your competitors’ mobile content and pricing.
  5. Make mobile offers. Since customers check prices before purchasing, close the sale by offering them a special deal. Bear in mind, this option may train customers to wait for a better promotion, so use it sparingly.
  6. Enable mobile purchasing. Let customers buy directly from your mobile website to ensure that you get the sale regardless of where the shopper may be physically.

For marketers, the major take-away is that a mobile website should be integrated into your overall marketing plan to ensure that you reach prospects and customers when and where they’re looking for you. While this is critical for businesses with a physical location, online-only companies should consider it a competitive must-have to ensure that they’re present too.

Does your company have a mobile presence? If so, how has it been implemented and what have you learned from it? Please add your insights in the comments section below.

Happy marketing,
Heidi Cohen


Here are some related mobile marketing readings.

Photo credit: Ed Yourdon via Flickr

Tags , . Bookmark the permalink.

2 Responses to Mobile Search is Everywhere