Multi-Platform Content: 11 Tips To Stay Top of Device

Content Marketing: Are You On Your Audience’s Radar?

Are you on your target audience’s device when and where they want to consume your content? Marketers, both media entities and retailers, must offer multi-platform content or be left out of the consideration set.

Over half of the US digital population is multi-platform – meaning they use both computers and mobile devices (smartphones and tablets). Further, the proportion of computer-only users has continued to decrease.

Mobile is no longer “nice to have” but rather a must-have business reality. Don’t assume that your website works on any type of screen. Unless it has responsive design, it probably won’t. If your management believes consumers will adapt, they don’t understand how customer use of connected devices has evolved. Consumers expect the information they want to be available where, when and how they want it. It must be device friendly. (Still not convinced? Here are 67 mobile facts and charts to help you plan for 2014.)

Time spent by connected device breaks out as follows. This isn’t some finger-in-the-air guess; it’s comScore data analysis.

49% of time on PC
39% of time on a smartphone
12% of time on a tablet

Focus on mobile.

Recent Millward Brown research showed that:

40% of mobile consumers in-market for a new product use their smartphone and/or tablet to research purchases.
60% of buyers use mobile to research their purchase.
Mobile buyers check retailer information an average of 6 times before purchasing.

The bottom line: Be mobile or be left out. 31% of the content published by top media entities is only consumed on a smartphone according to comScore.

The top “mobile only” platform are Apple, Amazon and Facebook, per comScore. This content mix means mobile consumption isn’t just text.

Apple’s no surprise since they invented the smartphone as we know it today. Further, iTunes rules when it comes to organizing your music and other personal media.
Amazon is king for product information especially pricing, customer ratings and reviews. As Kindle’s inventor, it’s also the home for ebooks and a major publishing platform.
Facebook provides an always available network for staying connected to family, friends and social connections to gather additional input on any shopping decision.

When it comes to combined platform usage , Google, Yahoo, Facebook, Amazon and Apple top the list.

Who’s not mobile savvy? They once were tech savvy giants—Microsoft and AOL whose users are mainly desktop PC-based. While they’re still big, they’re not leading edge. Even if you’re only seeking PC-based advertising, you have to understand that these audiences aren’t necessarily mobile-savvy and this can have an impact on your results.

Don’t forget to optimize your email for mobile!

Email isn’t one-size-fits-all anymore and there are marketing consequences if you don’t pay attention to this critical fact.

48% of email is now opened on a mobile device according to Litmus. Further, people who recently read email on their mobile device will do so again about 45% of the time.
BUT if your email doesn’t render on a mobile device it’s gone for 70% of consumers according to Blue Hornet data.
97% of email is read once and done. The remaining 3% of email is viewed in more than one environment according to Litmus.

What do top multi-platform content marketers do?

Don’t think: “These are market leaders and I can’t or don’t want to compete with them.” You need a multi-platform marketing strategy to reach your core audience or your business will suffer.

Marketers either currently use or planned to add mobile to their marketing strategy based on ANA and MediaVest research released January, 2013.

84% of respondents use mobile websites
78% of respondents use mobile search
76% of respondents use mobile apps
75% of respondents use mobile display ads

Marketers’ goals for mobile were multi-faceted:

85% of respondents wanted to reach unique audiences.
80% of respondents wanted to deliver content on-the-go.
78% of respondents wanted to improve location awareness.

3 Key multi-platform considerations

1. Be present across device formats.

Use a combination of mobile strategies to build an effective mobile presence.

Offer a mobile website. Focus on the activity your audience does most on-the-go.
Provide a mobile app where appropriate but realize that you’ll still need to market it and get your customers to download it. Here are 21 mobile app tips to help you.
Budget for mobile search. This requires a separate budget from your PC-based search. Again, consider the search terms your audience uses on a smartphone.
Assess whether you should add targeted Facebook advertising. Most of Facebook’s revenues come from mobile and it’s a top smartphone-only entity. Allocate a small budget to test whether it helps your product.
Check whether your product is offered on Amazon. Again, skip the blinders. If I don’t see it, it doesn’t exist. Also check competitive products and substitutes. If they’re present, determine how you’ll compete.

2. Leverage the power of social media.

Beyond being a part of your content marketing distribution plan, social media sites are optimized for mobile and often have easy-to-use apps with an installed user base.

Dress your social media window. Just as retailers use their shop windows to lure buyers in, use social media to display your wares. It’s where people shop from the comfort of their couch. Think visual content.
Use a variety of social media platforms. People use different platforms for different shopping activities. While Facebook ranks as a top social media platform, don’t underestimate the value of image friendly sites like Pinterest and Instagram.

3. Mobile optimize your email.

To ensure your email is read and acted upon, it must render on mobile device since email is a content snacking activity.

Make it readable. By their nature, smartphone content is small. Even younger readers can have difficulty understanding your message. So have pity on those with reading glasses. Use at least 14 point fonts.
Accommodate finger tapping. Using your finger to navigate a smartphone isn’t very precise. Make sure your audience can respond or your email effort is wasted. Think big buttons.
Use one column. Rethink your mobile email to focus on your reader’s attention on the key points.
Place your call to action at the top of the screen. Ensure that your reader can find your CTA and act.

To ensure that your content gets read and acted upon, you need to have a mobile strategy that enables it to be findable and consumable on a variety of connected devices.

What’s your experience been with incorporating a mobile strategy into your marketing plans?

Happy Marketing,
Heidi Cohen

Photo Credit: (c)2013 Heidi Cohen – All rights reserved. Limited use allowed if the image is linked to this post. No right to change the content. Hat tip to coffee drinker in Joe’s Coffee on Upper West Side of NYC.

Multi-Platform Content: 11 Tips To Stay Top of Device