The First Mobile Application You Need

Unless you’ve spent the past few years as a cave dweller, it’s impossible not to notice the mobile explosion.

Consider that, according to its own figures, Apple has more than 50 million iPhone customers worldwide, more than 85,000 approved applications and more than 2 billion application downloads. No wonder businesses are scrambling to join the revolution.

So how do you get mobile technology to work for your company? Start by making sure your company works with mobile technology.

In their rush to mobile, marketers are often all to eager to launch their own application. Instead, why not start with making sure your company’s existing Web site is mobile friendly?

A mobile-friendly Web site that actually loads quickly on a mobile device is a critical piece of your overall marketing strategy. It shows you really do care about customers – you’re in tune with their needs and understand the kind of information they want and how they want to interact.

Take a look at Southwest Airlines’ mobile-friendly site (http://mobile.southwest.com). Mobile users get all the essentials: check-in, flight schedules, booking info and reservation changes are easy to find and use in a quick-loading, commonsense format. Southwest also provides a link to the conventional site for users who have the ability or need more information.

Conversely, a poorly designed mobile version of your Web site can be devastating. If your site uses Macromedia Flash®, for example, chances are, mobile users can’t access your site at all. Try it. Pull out your mobile and enter your company URL in the browser. Do you like what you see? Does it represent your brand? If not, it means an investment of time and money to fix.

All of this is not to discount the value of mobile applications, which undoubtedly fuel the technology’s soaring popularity. But keep in mind the quirks. According to a Zogby poll released in March, 70 percent of mobile users have never downloaded an application. So, it’s not enough to offer a mobile application. Marketers must map a strategy of the right time, place and commitment level when launching their own.

To start with, “mobile” comes in many shapes, sizes and formats. With any number of screen sizes, mobile layouts are crucial. Single-column, straightforward layouts are best.

Even then, not all mobile users interact the same way through their mobile devices. They also interact very differently than their online desktop brethren. Your company’s mobile-friendly site doesn’t always have to replicate your conventional Web site, but prioritized content is essential.

Mobile is just one of many consumer touch points – living up to your brand promise across all media is just as important. The key to mobile marketing is listening to what your own customers tell you about how they want to interact.

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