Sent Text Messages: 76%
Used Downloaded Apps: 54%
Used Browser: 52%
Accessed Social Networking/Blog: 39%
Played Games: 34%
Listened to Music on Phone: 29%
The information above comes courtesy from comScore's November US Mobile Subscriber Share report.
Other interesting information from the report includes Samsung having a higher market share than Apple, 26% vs 18%, and Google's Droid operating system (54%) having a higher market share than Apple (35%).
This means if you are looking to develop an app - you might want to target the Droid operating system first.
Overall, 123.3 million people in the U.S. owned smartphones (53 percent mobile market penetration).
Brian Starzec | HVAC Business Solutions, LLC | January 23, 2012
HVAC Business Solutions helps contractors use technology to grow their businesses. Our core services include a next-generation flat rate pricing system, website design, mobile website design, search engine optimization (SEO) and custom iPad application development. Our blog is focused on technology, marketing strategies, new products and methods to combine these concepts to help HVAC contractors attract new customers and grow their businesses.
Showing posts with label Mobile Marketing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mobile Marketing. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Monday, January 14, 2013
Why Speed Matters
Here is an interesting article about how intolerant Internet users have become when it comes to waiting for a video to load - Study: Streaming Video Viewers Lose Patience After 2 Seconds. Here are the key findings:
Quite simple - you need to make sure that your website loads quickly. Most HVAC contractors do not have websites with video, so you can expect that patience is probably even lower for the average website.
This is especially critical for home owners on a mobile device. If they are accessing your website through a mobile device, it is absolutely critical that your website is optimized for mobile browsing and mobile download.
Test out your website on your iPhone, iPad, Droid, Blackberry or other device. How long did it take to load? Was it easy to view all of the information? Was it formatted for the device?
If the website took too long to load, if the information was to small to read or the page required scrolling, then it is not optimized for mobile devices. If you have any doubts about the importance, please read our previous post 23 Eye-Opening Mobile Marketing Stats You Should Know.
If you need assistance obtaining a Mobile Optimized Website, we are here to help.
Brian Starzec | HVAC Business Solutions | January 14, 2013
- Viewers begin to abandon a video if it hasn't loaded in 2 seconds
- If the video hasn't started within 5 seconds, 25% abandon the video
- If the video hasn't started within 10 seconds, 50% abandon the video
- Each additional second of delay resulted in a 5.8% increase in the abandonment rate
- 1/2 the people with high speed Internet access believe that 5 seconds is too long to wait for a video to load and play
Quite simple - you need to make sure that your website loads quickly. Most HVAC contractors do not have websites with video, so you can expect that patience is probably even lower for the average website.
This is especially critical for home owners on a mobile device. If they are accessing your website through a mobile device, it is absolutely critical that your website is optimized for mobile browsing and mobile download.
Test out your website on your iPhone, iPad, Droid, Blackberry or other device. How long did it take to load? Was it easy to view all of the information? Was it formatted for the device?
If the website took too long to load, if the information was to small to read or the page required scrolling, then it is not optimized for mobile devices. If you have any doubts about the importance, please read our previous post 23 Eye-Opening Mobile Marketing Stats You Should Know.
If you need assistance obtaining a Mobile Optimized Website, we are here to help.
Brian Starzec | HVAC Business Solutions | January 14, 2013
Thursday, August 9, 2012
Social Media Access Via Mobile Grows
Madeline Bennett | ClickZ | August 1, 2012
Mobile users are continuing to turn more frequently to their cell phones for social and gaming purposes, according to the latest data from analyst Comscore.
For the quarter ending in June, 36.9 percent of mobile users accessed a social networking site or blog on their handset, up almost a percentage point from 36.1 percent compared to the first quarter 2012.
Mobile gaming increased by the same amount, up from 32.6 percent to 33.4 percent quarter on quarter.
The numbers might only be slowly creeping up, but the overall pattern shows a greater proportion of mobile subscribers are using their handhelds for traditional desktop tasks.
The biggest growth areas for mobile content use were music and apps. Those using their handset to listen to music grew by 2.3 percent to 27.6 percent, while 51.4 percent have used a downloaded app, up from 50 percent last quarter.
But the humble text message is still by far the most popular use for mobile devices, with three quarters of users sending a text over the period. And SMS isn’t losing any of its popularity, growing 0.7 percent since March.
The news is not so rosy for certain mobile providers, with Comscore revealing that Research In Motion has dipped 1.6 percent to 10.7 percent in its share of smartphone subscribers, losing out to Google's Android and Apple's iOS, which grew to 51.6 percent and 32.4 percent respectively.
Android is also winning in the battle of the handset. Although Samsung and LG both dropped slightly in their share of the market, they remain the top two vendors, with 25.6 and 18.8 percent of mobile users respectively. Still, Apple's strong position is highlighted by the research as it managed to creep up by 1.4 percent to 15.4 percent, despite industry concerns that it would lose mobile users in the face of competition from popular Android devices such as the Samsung Galaxy S3 and Nexus, and the continuing wait for the iPhone 5.
Original Article...
Mobile users are continuing to turn more frequently to their cell phones for social and gaming purposes, according to the latest data from analyst Comscore.
For the quarter ending in June, 36.9 percent of mobile users accessed a social networking site or blog on their handset, up almost a percentage point from 36.1 percent compared to the first quarter 2012.
Mobile gaming increased by the same amount, up from 32.6 percent to 33.4 percent quarter on quarter.
The numbers might only be slowly creeping up, but the overall pattern shows a greater proportion of mobile subscribers are using their handhelds for traditional desktop tasks.
The biggest growth areas for mobile content use were music and apps. Those using their handset to listen to music grew by 2.3 percent to 27.6 percent, while 51.4 percent have used a downloaded app, up from 50 percent last quarter.
But the humble text message is still by far the most popular use for mobile devices, with three quarters of users sending a text over the period. And SMS isn’t losing any of its popularity, growing 0.7 percent since March.
The news is not so rosy for certain mobile providers, with Comscore revealing that Research In Motion has dipped 1.6 percent to 10.7 percent in its share of smartphone subscribers, losing out to Google's Android and Apple's iOS, which grew to 51.6 percent and 32.4 percent respectively.
Android is also winning in the battle of the handset. Although Samsung and LG both dropped slightly in their share of the market, they remain the top two vendors, with 25.6 and 18.8 percent of mobile users respectively. Still, Apple's strong position is highlighted by the research as it managed to creep up by 1.4 percent to 15.4 percent, despite industry concerns that it would lose mobile users in the face of competition from popular Android devices such as the Samsung Galaxy S3 and Nexus, and the continuing wait for the iPhone 5.
Original Article...
Monday, July 16, 2012
Nine ways to either tiptoe into mobile or take the plunge
Robin Neifield | ClickZ | June 11, 2012
You probably don't need convincing that a mobile strategy is necessary, but many digital marketers have been reluctant to jump in the water, waiting for all the ripples of devices, markets, and approaches to settle. They won't. In this very fractured digital media environment, mobile plays a unique and increasingly critical role, providing a wealth of personal, immediate, and location-smart ways to interact with specific audiences.
The U.S. mobile environment is turbulent but full of growth and promise. The majority of mobile phones are now smartphones, many with larger screens and more sophisticated user options. Apps, tablets, and converging devices as well as the growing availability of good, useful, and functional mobile experiences have given consumers the opportunity to increasingly choose mobile over other digital connections. This ease of use and the attending dramatic adoption rates are largely responsible for the growth in mobile ads, mobile email, mobile websites, and mobile apps that follow and feed the consumer trends. The impact is felt across channels and verticals but it need not be an all or nothing commitment for you. Only you can assess how important mobile viewing and interactions are to your business, and the "right" strategy will be dependent on many variables including your audience demo and smartphone or tablet adoption, your competitive environment, available budget, and digital goals.
Your minimum requirements may range from a tiptoe approach that cautiously tests your mobile opportunity to a full-out plunge into the mobile waters. But what may be a small test for a large or mobile-critical organization may seem like a plunge to a smaller business or one less reliant on mobile marketing, viewing, or interactions. Keeping that in mind - here are some ways to either tiptoe into mobile or advance to take the plunge.
Mobile Tiptoes
Whether you are in tiptoe mode or plunge mode, remember that the mobile experiences and opportunities that you provide do not stand alone. Your mobile consumer may and probably does touch you in multiple ways, so strive for consistency and use each channel in the most impactful way possible.
Original Article...
You probably don't need convincing that a mobile strategy is necessary, but many digital marketers have been reluctant to jump in the water, waiting for all the ripples of devices, markets, and approaches to settle. They won't. In this very fractured digital media environment, mobile plays a unique and increasingly critical role, providing a wealth of personal, immediate, and location-smart ways to interact with specific audiences.
The U.S. mobile environment is turbulent but full of growth and promise. The majority of mobile phones are now smartphones, many with larger screens and more sophisticated user options. Apps, tablets, and converging devices as well as the growing availability of good, useful, and functional mobile experiences have given consumers the opportunity to increasingly choose mobile over other digital connections. This ease of use and the attending dramatic adoption rates are largely responsible for the growth in mobile ads, mobile email, mobile websites, and mobile apps that follow and feed the consumer trends. The impact is felt across channels and verticals but it need not be an all or nothing commitment for you. Only you can assess how important mobile viewing and interactions are to your business, and the "right" strategy will be dependent on many variables including your audience demo and smartphone or tablet adoption, your competitive environment, available budget, and digital goals.
Your minimum requirements may range from a tiptoe approach that cautiously tests your mobile opportunity to a full-out plunge into the mobile waters. But what may be a small test for a large or mobile-critical organization may seem like a plunge to a smaller business or one less reliant on mobile marketing, viewing, or interactions. Keeping that in mind - here are some ways to either tiptoe into mobile or advance to take the plunge.
Mobile Tiptoes
- Prepare for any mobile recommendations or budget requests by checking your site stats on a regular and recurring basis. What percentage of your audience is coming from a smartphone or tablet? Distinguish between the two. Set up your analytics to assess the behavioral characteristics of these groups. How did they find you? Are they new customers for you? Are they good customers?
- Make sure your site experience on the most popular mobile devices is a good one. You'll have to do some rigorous quality assurance (QA) across devices and platforms. Mobile-friendly sites need not mimic every function or include all the content on your website, but they should satisfy the mobile user's needs and provide a positive, integrated experience that allows for more interaction, if desired.
- If you are running a paid search program create a new ad group for mobile searchers that recognizes the different frame of mind of the on-the-go consumers. Their potentially timely and location-based needs may vary sharply from other searchers and that should impact your copy, bidding, and testing strategies. It also helps with budget management to have them in their own ad group. Make sure you have the mobile-friendly landing pages to send users.
- Ensure that your email is readable and actionable from mobile devices and test segmenting mobile readers for a different messaging strategy and cadence.
- Make good use of social options with mobile viewers. Users are an easy click away from sharing, rating, reviewing, commenting, etc…and you don't want to lose that opportunity.
- Build mobile-specific destinations and experiences. A mobile site or an app can be a new point of entry that provides a unique experience for your viewers and may also bring new users to your brand family.
- Expand your concept of push marketing beyond email to include opt-in text advertising. While the great majority of emails are never seen by their intended target, the vast majority of SMS messages are opened and seen within minutes of sending.
- Incorporate mobile ads, including video ads, into your media plan to reach your audience where they spend an increasing portion of their time online. Take them through a mobile funnel to mobile conversions and track that separately.
- Make mobile commerce easy or integrate with other e-commerce opportunities to start or finish the sale in mobile.
Whether you are in tiptoe mode or plunge mode, remember that the mobile experiences and opportunities that you provide do not stand alone. Your mobile consumer may and probably does touch you in multiple ways, so strive for consistency and use each channel in the most impactful way possible.
Original Article...
Monday, July 9, 2012
Every Email Version Is Your 'Mobile Version'
Mike Hotz | ClickZ | June 27, 2012
What a difference a year makes.
Return Path reported last month that mobile device email opens increased 82 percent over March 2011. At the same time, email read on the iPad increased 54 percent. Marketers are seeing an average of 30 percent of emails opened on mobile devices, with this rate expected to climb to over 50 percent by the end of 2012.
Some other telling results: 63 percent of U.S. smartphone users say they would delete an email not optimized for their mobile device. Only 2.4 percent of smartphone users said they would open an email on both their mobile devices and computers.
In May 2011, I recommended that you start optimizing your email creative for viewing on mobile devices ("Optimize Your Email for Mobile").
This new research indicates that the time to prepare is behind us. You can no longer think you've done your job if you simply link to a "mobile version" in your preheader.
Every version of your email is now a mobile version with almost nine of every 10 email readers checking messages via mobile devices every day.
It is now imperative to make your email creative easy to view on a mobile device. Your creative needs to adapt whether your subscriber is reading it on a desktop, a tablet, or a mobile device.
Design With Mobile in Mind
As more subscribers use their smartphones to view your email, it becomes even harder to get the subscriber's attention in the mobile inbox. The mobile inbox takes up a third of the viewing space, leaving you only 200px to get your message across.
As a result, the subject line counts as your headline. Mobile users are relying heavily on subject lines to signal messages they should open immediately, so yours needs to be compelling and make an impact.
Consider these tips:
The ultimate in mobile-friendly emails is created using a responsive layout. Responsive-layout email creative relies on the same HTML code for all versions and uses media queries to style the HTML based on screen size.
Subscribers viewing the creative on larger screens (desktop, tablet) see the full design, while subscribers using native email apps see the smaller mobile version.
REI is an excellent example of a marketer that has gotten this concept right. Its navigation condenses down from four items on the desktop version to two across on the mobile view.
The primary imagery and content in the creative can scale to drop extra space when viewed on a smartphone. Tertiary messages are designed so that the image can be hidden while the overall message stays intact.
The Last Word
If you have been on the fence about getting your email creative in shape for mobile devices, now is the time.
Your subscribers' move toward mobile is not showing any signs of slowing down. You can no longer assume that mobile users are returning to their desktops to get the full email experience.
Don't try to fit everything in your desktop version of an email message into your mobile version. The secret is to plan to streamline content and ensure that your subscribers get your message and take action no matter which device they use to view your content.
Research shows that 63 percent of U.S. consumers who have made a purchase via their smartphone did so in response to a marketing message delivered via mobile email.
If you ensure a good experience across devices, you can bank on a continuing increase in opens, clicks, and conversions.
Original Article...
What a difference a year makes.
Return Path reported last month that mobile device email opens increased 82 percent over March 2011. At the same time, email read on the iPad increased 54 percent. Marketers are seeing an average of 30 percent of emails opened on mobile devices, with this rate expected to climb to over 50 percent by the end of 2012.
Some other telling results: 63 percent of U.S. smartphone users say they would delete an email not optimized for their mobile device. Only 2.4 percent of smartphone users said they would open an email on both their mobile devices and computers.
In May 2011, I recommended that you start optimizing your email creative for viewing on mobile devices ("Optimize Your Email for Mobile").
This new research indicates that the time to prepare is behind us. You can no longer think you've done your job if you simply link to a "mobile version" in your preheader.
Every version of your email is now a mobile version with almost nine of every 10 email readers checking messages via mobile devices every day.
It is now imperative to make your email creative easy to view on a mobile device. Your creative needs to adapt whether your subscriber is reading it on a desktop, a tablet, or a mobile device.
Design With Mobile in Mind
As more subscribers use their smartphones to view your email, it becomes even harder to get the subscriber's attention in the mobile inbox. The mobile inbox takes up a third of the viewing space, leaving you only 200px to get your message across.
As a result, the subject line counts as your headline. Mobile users are relying heavily on subject lines to signal messages they should open immediately, so yours needs to be compelling and make an impact.
Consider these tips:
- Keep subject lines to 25 characters.
- Decrease number of navigation items to three.
- Continue to use HTML text. Most mobile email clients default to disabled images.
- Increase font size. Many designers recommend a minimum of 14 pixels for body text and a minimum of 22 pixels for headlines. Apple will automatically increase small fonts to a minimum of 13 pixels. On Android devices, 16 to 18 scale-independent pixels are considered medium and large text sizes.
- Add contrast. Many factors make reading on a mobile phone challenging: smaller screen, lighting conditions, distractions, etc.
- Add padding between sections. A typical adult finger covers 45 pixels when pressed against a mobile screen. Make sure that your calls-to-action are padded at least 10 to 15 pixels to avoid frustrating tap errors.
- Use distinctive colors for links.
- Create larger buttons and links. Avoid clustering links in lists to make tapping more accurate.
- Design whole sections to be clickable.
The ultimate in mobile-friendly emails is created using a responsive layout. Responsive-layout email creative relies on the same HTML code for all versions and uses media queries to style the HTML based on screen size.
Subscribers viewing the creative on larger screens (desktop, tablet) see the full design, while subscribers using native email apps see the smaller mobile version.
REI is an excellent example of a marketer that has gotten this concept right. Its navigation condenses down from four items on the desktop version to two across on the mobile view.
The primary imagery and content in the creative can scale to drop extra space when viewed on a smartphone. Tertiary messages are designed so that the image can be hidden while the overall message stays intact.
 | |
| Desktop/Tablet version | Smartphone version |
The Last Word
If you have been on the fence about getting your email creative in shape for mobile devices, now is the time.
Your subscribers' move toward mobile is not showing any signs of slowing down. You can no longer assume that mobile users are returning to their desktops to get the full email experience.
Don't try to fit everything in your desktop version of an email message into your mobile version. The secret is to plan to streamline content and ensure that your subscribers get your message and take action no matter which device they use to view your content.
Research shows that 63 percent of U.S. consumers who have made a purchase via their smartphone did so in response to a marketing message delivered via mobile email.
If you ensure a good experience across devices, you can bank on a continuing increase in opens, clicks, and conversions.
Original Article...
Friday, June 22, 2012
23 Eye-Opening Mobile Marketing Stats You Should Know
Corey Eridon | HubSpot | June 21, 2012
Marketers are starting to realize that the mobile upswing isn't just a fad. Thing is, if you haven't already made an investment in mobile marketing, starting now could seem a little daunting. I mean, it's just one more thing to add to your ever-lengthening to-do list, right?
But that doesn't mean you shouldn't consider it, even if it just means you start mobile-optimizing your emails. Or maybe you invest in optimizing your site for mobile visitors. Or even do a little mobile SEO. Wherever mobile marketing stands on your list of priorities, there's no doubt it's here to stay -- and these stats should help you understand just how important it is, and perhaps help you prioritize your efforts.
23 Mobile Marketing Statistics You Should Know
The State of the Mobile Union1) 1.08 of the world's 4 billion mobile phones are smartphones. 3.05 billion are SMS enabled. (Source: Microsoft Tag) Tweet This Stat!
2) Mobile internet usage is projected to overtake desktop internet usage by 2014. (Source: Microsoft Tag) Tweet This Stat!
3) Apple and Android represent more than 75% of the smartphone market. (Source: comScore) Tweet This Stat!
Mobile Optimization
4) 74% of consumers will
wait 5 seconds for a web page to load on their mobile device before abandoning
the site. (Source: Gomez) Tweet
This Stat!5) 46% of consumers are unlikely to return to a mobile site if it didn't work properly during their last visit. (Source: Gomez) Tweet This Stat!
6) 71% of mobile browsers expect web pages to load almost as quickly or faster as web pages on their desktop computers. (Source: Gomez) Tweet This Stat!
Mobile Search
7) 7.96% of all web traffic
in the U.S. is mobile traffic. That number skyrockets to 14.85% in Africa, and
17.84% in Asia -- up 192.5% since 2010. (Source: Pingdom) Tweet This Stat!8) One half of all local searches are performed on mobile devices. (Source: Microsoft Tag) Tweet This Stat!
9) Mentioning a location in mobile ads and search results can increase click-through rates up to 200%. (Source: ThinkNear) Tweet This Stat!
Mobile Commerce
10) Only 19% of US
retailers have an M-Commerce app. (Source: eMarketer) Tweet This Stat!11) That might be okay, since only 4% of consumers prefer to shop via an app. (Source: eMarketer) Tweet This Stat!
12) 24% of US tablet owners use their tablets to shop 2-3 times per month; 20% use them to shop more than once per week; and 12% use them to shop every day! (Source: eMarketer) Tweet This Stat!
13) 29% of mobile users are open to scanning a mobile tag to get coupons. (Source: Microsoft Tag) Tweet This Stat!
14) 1 in 5 smartphone users scan product barcodes, and nearly 1 in 8 compare prices on their phone while in a store. (Source: comScore) Tweet This Stat!
15) 39% of instances where a consumer walks out of a store without buying were influenced by smartphones. (Source: Motorola Solutions) Tweet This Stat!
Mobile Social Media
16) 91% of mobile internet
access is for social activities, versus just 79% on desktops. (Source: Microsoft Tag) Tweet This Stat!17) Over 1/3 of Facebook's users access Facebook Mobile; 50% of Twitter's users use Twitter Mobile. (Source: Microsoft Tag) Tweet This Stat!
18) QR code scans increased 300% in 2011 compared to 2010. (Source: ScanLife) Tweet This Stat!
Mobile Email Marketing
19) If all US mobile internet time was condensed into an hour, 25 minutes of it would be spent on email. (Source: Return Path) Tweet This Stat!
20) The entertainment, finance, publishing, and social networking industries see above average mobile email views compared to other industries. (Source: Return Path) Tweet This Stat!
21) From April to September in 2011, mobile email opens increased 34%, while webmail and PC opens decreased by 11% and 9.5%, respectively. (Source: Return Path) Tweet This Stat!
22) iPad users are loving it for email -- there's been a 73% increase in opens on those skinny little things. (Source: Return Path) Tweet This Stat!
23) Mobile email readership is at its peak on Saturday, and at its lowest on Monday. (Source: Marketing Technology Blog) Tweet This Stat!
Has the growth of mobile caused you to invest more in your mobile marketing strategy yet?
Image credit: Rhys Asplundh
Original Article...
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Mobile Facebook Ads Generate 13X More Clicks Than Desktop Ads
Pamela Vaughan | HubSpot | June 19, 2012
A couple of weeks ago, we reported on Facebook's launch of mobile-only ads, allowing marketers to test the effectiveness of desktop ads vs. their mobile counterparts, and optimize their ad spend for a particularly mobile -- or immobile? -- audience. But you're a time-strapped marketer, right? Wouldn't it be great if someone could just tell you whether mobile ads are or are not effective? Do you see where we're going with this?
According to new data from 3 of Facebook’s biggest ads API partners (who help companies purchase ads) mobile Sponsored Stories are generating more than 13 times the click-through rates of all Facebook desktop ads. This is data from the last two weeks, ever since Facebook allowed advertisers to purchase mobile ads separately from desktop ads.
Keep in mind, however, that
Sponsored Stories are the only Facebook ad type shown on mobile devices,
whereas on desktops, other types of ads (think sidebar ads) are in the picture
as well. But if you narrow the comparison down to more accurately compare
apples to apples (mobile Sponsored Stories vs. desktop Sponsored Stories), the
results are still pretty compelling.
Just take a look at the chart below. In the study by TBG Digital, which was based on 278,389,453 Sponsored Story ad impressions across 17 clients, mobile Sponsored Stories generated an impressive click-through rate of 1.14% at $0.86 CPC. Now take a look at the data for desktop Sponsored Stories, which generate a 0.588% CTR at $0.63 CPC. This translates to 1.93x the CTR for mobile Sponsored Stories than desktop Sponsored Stories -- and not at a huge cost.
As a side note, TechCrunch also reports on the news that these mobile ads are not only great news for marketers, but they're also a potential game-changer for Facebook, since they earn 11.2x more money for Facebook than all of Facebook's desktop ad offerings combined.
Additional Studies Supporting the Success of Mobile Ads
Don't take TBG Digital's
word for it. Here are a couple of other studies from Facebook ads API partners
that make the case for mobile Facebook ads:
Okay, So You Really Should
Still Do Some Testing.
While all of this initial
data seems to make a strong case for the effectiveness of Facebook mobile ads,
you really should test it for yourself. After all, if you don't have a
particularly mobile audience, spending money on mobile ads probably isn't the
best use of your marketing dollars. Although honestly, with mobile internet
users expected to reach 113.9 million in 2012, (up 17.1% from 97.3 million in
2011), the chances of this are getting
slimmer and slimmer.
That being said, if you were hesitant to use mobile ads for fear of Facebook users’ negative reactions to them, it seems like you can put these qualms to rest. This is likely due to the organic feel of Sponsored Stories, and the fact that Facebook is limiting the amount it shows users in their mobile news feeds to prevent feelings of being spammed by ads.
And it seem like there’s more mobile ad functionality to come from Facebook, as this isn't the only ads-related news we've heard from Facebook lately. In fact, just yesterday, we heard some unconfirmed rumors of a highly sensitive, location-based mobile ad targeting feature that would enable local businesses to serve up very relevant ads to Facebook users within close proximity to the business’ brick and mortar location. And just last week, we reported on the testing of a real-time ad targeting feature based on Facebook users’ external web browsing activity. Seems like there could be some very powerful ad features available to Facebook marketers very soon.
Will you start experimenting with Facebook mobile ads now that there’s data to back their effectiveness?
Image Credit: philcampbell
Original Article...
A couple of weeks ago, we reported on Facebook's launch of mobile-only ads, allowing marketers to test the effectiveness of desktop ads vs. their mobile counterparts, and optimize their ad spend for a particularly mobile -- or immobile? -- audience. But you're a time-strapped marketer, right? Wouldn't it be great if someone could just tell you whether mobile ads are or are not effective? Do you see where we're going with this?
According to new data from 3 of Facebook’s biggest ads API partners (who help companies purchase ads) mobile Sponsored Stories are generating more than 13 times the click-through rates of all Facebook desktop ads. This is data from the last two weeks, ever since Facebook allowed advertisers to purchase mobile ads separately from desktop ads.
Mobile Tops Desktop in Ad
Performance
Keep in mind, however, that
Sponsored Stories are the only Facebook ad type shown on mobile devices,
whereas on desktops, other types of ads (think sidebar ads) are in the picture
as well. But if you narrow the comparison down to more accurately compare
apples to apples (mobile Sponsored Stories vs. desktop Sponsored Stories), the
results are still pretty compelling.Just take a look at the chart below. In the study by TBG Digital, which was based on 278,389,453 Sponsored Story ad impressions across 17 clients, mobile Sponsored Stories generated an impressive click-through rate of 1.14% at $0.86 CPC. Now take a look at the data for desktop Sponsored Stories, which generate a 0.588% CTR at $0.63 CPC. This translates to 1.93x the CTR for mobile Sponsored Stories than desktop Sponsored Stories -- and not at a huge cost.
As a side note, TechCrunch also reports on the news that these mobile ads are not only great news for marketers, but they're also a potential game-changer for Facebook, since they earn 11.2x more money for Facebook than all of Facebook's desktop ad offerings combined.
Additional Studies Supporting the Success of Mobile Ads
Don't take TBG Digital's
word for it. Here are a couple of other studies from Facebook ads API partners
that make the case for mobile Facebook ads:- AdParlor
ran a campaign costing tens of thousands of dollars, the goal of which was
to gain new fans for a Facebook page. The results revealed that mobile ads generate a 0.821%
CTR, whereas traditional Facebook ad campaigns that mainly
show up in Facebook's sidebar but have some presence in desktop and mobile
news feeds had a CTR of just
0.032% -- a 25x better CTR on mobile-only. Although
the campaign's click-to-fan conversion rate on mobile-only ads was
slightly poorer (55%) than across all ads (72%), the mobile CTR made up
for it by leaps and bounds.
- Spruce
Media indicated to MediaPost that its testing with mobile-only Sponsored
Stories have generated CTRs
ranging from .8% to 1.7%, similar to what TBG Digital and
AdParlor have also experienced.
Okay, So You Really Should
Still Do Some Testing.
While all of this initial
data seems to make a strong case for the effectiveness of Facebook mobile ads,
you really should test it for yourself. After all, if you don't have a
particularly mobile audience, spending money on mobile ads probably isn't the
best use of your marketing dollars. Although honestly, with mobile internet
users expected to reach 113.9 million in 2012, (up 17.1% from 97.3 million in
2011), the chances of this are getting
slimmer and slimmer.That being said, if you were hesitant to use mobile ads for fear of Facebook users’ negative reactions to them, it seems like you can put these qualms to rest. This is likely due to the organic feel of Sponsored Stories, and the fact that Facebook is limiting the amount it shows users in their mobile news feeds to prevent feelings of being spammed by ads.
And it seem like there’s more mobile ad functionality to come from Facebook, as this isn't the only ads-related news we've heard from Facebook lately. In fact, just yesterday, we heard some unconfirmed rumors of a highly sensitive, location-based mobile ad targeting feature that would enable local businesses to serve up very relevant ads to Facebook users within close proximity to the business’ brick and mortar location. And just last week, we reported on the testing of a real-time ad targeting feature based on Facebook users’ external web browsing activity. Seems like there could be some very powerful ad features available to Facebook marketers very soon.
Will you start experimenting with Facebook mobile ads now that there’s data to back their effectiveness?
Image Credit: philcampbell
Original Article...
Monday, June 11, 2012
Email As a Mobile Call to Action
By: Jack Aaronson | ClickZ | June 8, 2012
With so many more interesting ways to communicate with customers, I honestly never thought I'd be excited to write a column about email. Sorry to email lovers out there, but it's true. However, as we've been designing user experiences centered around mobile devices, email has reared its aging head and has become a viable, and extremely interesting call to action. To be clear, I'm not talking about outbound email from your company, but inbound email from users.
To set the stage, let's identify the problem we were trying to solve. On a desktop or laptop, it's a trivial idea to see a link on a website or in a PDF, click it, and put the resulting browser window or tab in the background so you can look at it later. It's also very easy to fill out forms on the PC because of the existence of a keyboard.
On mobile devices, however, typing is always a pain, and there's no simple way of saving a URL for later reading. On the iPhone and iPad (sorry Android folks, you'll have to write in and let me know how things work in your world), once you click on a link, you're escorted to a new tab in Safari. This is a disruptive user experience, especially if your intent is to keep the user doing whatever they were doing before clicking the link. If the link was on a web page, it's fairly easy for the user to return to the original site because they're already in the web browser and can just switch tabs. But if the link was in an iBook, a PDF, an application, or anywhere else, the user is whisked away, out of that program and into the web browser, with no simple way to get back.
Enter email. Last time I wrote about using iBooks in your business. Each link in an iBook, however, takes the user out of the iBook and into Safari. But we can use a part of the native iOS user experience to help us here.
Remember, computers know how to respond to an anchor tag that is a "mailto" instead of an "http" URL.
On a computer, if a link launches a mail message (instead of a URL), the system will open up your default mail program (Outlook, Mail, etc.) and open up a new message. If there's no default mail program (for instance, you only use Gmail via a web browser), the behavior is undefined (it will probably try to open up Outlook and ask you to set it up).
But on mobile devices, there's always a default mail program. When you click on a "mailto" link in iOS, a new email message "slides" over whatever you're currently doing. Once you press "Send," the message slides out and you're left wherever you were when you clicked the link. This user experience is "continuous," as it doesn't break the user away from where she was.
Now, the interesting part. The mailto protocol allows you to prepopulate the To, Subject, and Body fields of an email. Imagine I'm reading your whitepaper. It's a PDF and I'm reading it on a mobile device (though reading it on the PC would have a similar effect). There's a link that says "Like this whitepaper? Subscribe to our mailing list today." If the good folks at ClickZ have correctly created the link in the previous sentence, you should be able to click "Subscribe." Go ahead and try it. Better yet, try it on a mobile device.
This test could easily be sent to your newsletter system, which would automatically subscribe the user. Her email is verified, so there's no more verification needed before she can simply be added to the database. It doesn't stop there, however. We've worked with one of our clients to create an email reader that will parse out parts of the email in order to let the user:
In a world of new technologies, it's interesting to rediscover new uses for an old technology. While users on a PC can easily multi-task and type things quickly, using pre-filled emails on mobile devices is a very interesting way to create easier "one-click" calls to action without disturbing the user.
Thoughts, comments? Please leave them below.
Until next time…
Jack
Original Article...
With so many more interesting ways to communicate with customers, I honestly never thought I'd be excited to write a column about email. Sorry to email lovers out there, but it's true. However, as we've been designing user experiences centered around mobile devices, email has reared its aging head and has become a viable, and extremely interesting call to action. To be clear, I'm not talking about outbound email from your company, but inbound email from users.
To set the stage, let's identify the problem we were trying to solve. On a desktop or laptop, it's a trivial idea to see a link on a website or in a PDF, click it, and put the resulting browser window or tab in the background so you can look at it later. It's also very easy to fill out forms on the PC because of the existence of a keyboard.
On mobile devices, however, typing is always a pain, and there's no simple way of saving a URL for later reading. On the iPhone and iPad (sorry Android folks, you'll have to write in and let me know how things work in your world), once you click on a link, you're escorted to a new tab in Safari. This is a disruptive user experience, especially if your intent is to keep the user doing whatever they were doing before clicking the link. If the link was on a web page, it's fairly easy for the user to return to the original site because they're already in the web browser and can just switch tabs. But if the link was in an iBook, a PDF, an application, or anywhere else, the user is whisked away, out of that program and into the web browser, with no simple way to get back.
Enter email. Last time I wrote about using iBooks in your business. Each link in an iBook, however, takes the user out of the iBook and into Safari. But we can use a part of the native iOS user experience to help us here.
Remember, computers know how to respond to an anchor tag that is a "mailto" instead of an "http" URL.
On a computer, if a link launches a mail message (instead of a URL), the system will open up your default mail program (Outlook, Mail, etc.) and open up a new message. If there's no default mail program (for instance, you only use Gmail via a web browser), the behavior is undefined (it will probably try to open up Outlook and ask you to set it up).
But on mobile devices, there's always a default mail program. When you click on a "mailto" link in iOS, a new email message "slides" over whatever you're currently doing. Once you press "Send," the message slides out and you're left wherever you were when you clicked the link. This user experience is "continuous," as it doesn't break the user away from where she was.
Now, the interesting part. The mailto protocol allows you to prepopulate the To, Subject, and Body fields of an email. Imagine I'm reading your whitepaper. It's a PDF and I'm reading it on a mobile device (though reading it on the PC would have a similar effect). There's a link that says "Like this whitepaper? Subscribe to our mailing list today." If the good folks at ClickZ have correctly created the link in the previous sentence, you should be able to click "Subscribe." Go ahead and try it. Better yet, try it on a mobile device.
This test could easily be sent to your newsletter system, which would automatically subscribe the user. Her email is verified, so there's no more verification needed before she can simply be added to the database. It doesn't stop there, however. We've worked with one of our clients to create an email reader that will parse out parts of the email in order to let the user:
- Subscribe to a mailing test
- Get a coupon code emailed to her for products
- Enter a sweepstakes
- Send to a colleague (from within an iBook or PDF)
- Respond to a survey
- Get a free trial account created for her (she is emailed a temporary password and her email address is her username)
In a world of new technologies, it's interesting to rediscover new uses for an old technology. While users on a PC can easily multi-task and type things quickly, using pre-filled emails on mobile devices is a very interesting way to create easier "one-click" calls to action without disturbing the user.
Thoughts, comments? Please leave them below.
Until next time…
Jack
Original Article...
Friday, June 1, 2012
29% of Businesses Have Increased Email Subscribers via Mobile Marketing
By: Jason Hahn | DM Confidential May 30, 2012
A recent StrongMail survey conducted with Zoomerang in April took the pulse of 802 business leaders regarding “mobile marketing adoption, budgets, techniques, challenges, benefits and integration with other channels.” Among the findings is that nearly 3 out of 10 businesses have been able to increase their email subscriber base with the help of mobile marketing.
According to the “Mobile Marketing Survey 2012,” 45 percent of respondents are using mobile as a marketing channel. Twenty-six percent said they have been using mobile marketing for six months or less, while 31 percent said they have been using it for 6-12 months, 29 percent said they have been using it for 1-2 years and 14 percent said they have been using it for 3+ years.
For the 55 percent of respondents who haven’t yet leveraged mobile marketing, 37 percent said that while they see the value in mobile, they haven’t determined the right strategy yet. Meanwhile, 22 percent pointed to a lack of resources/staff, 19 percent said it’s not an appropriate fit for their business, 12 percent pointed to lack of funding/budget and 3 percent said they don’t see any value in mobile marketing.
The survey also found that 43 percent of businesses using mobile marketing have integrated their email marketing and mobile marketing programs. Of this group, 32 percent have used mobile-optimized landing pages or websites, while 25 percent have captured mobile numbers during email signups, 22 percent have used mobile-optimized templates, and 21 percent have used cross-channel email/SMS campaigns.
Twenty-nine percent of businesses using mobile marketing said they have been able to increase email subscribers using the channel, while 27 percent said they have not.
Meanwhile, 37 percent of respondents said mobile marketing is managed by the online/interactive marketing department, followed by 14 percent that said it was managed by the email marketing department, 7 percent that said it was managed by a dedicated mobile marketing department and 6 percent that said it was managed by the direct marketing department.
Of businesses who partake in mobile marketing, 13 percent said 20 percent or more of their email subscribers access their email messages on mobile devices, while 11 percent said 5 percent or less do, 11 percent said 5-10 percent do, 10 percent said 10-15 percent do, and 8 percent said 15-20 percent do. Forty-six percent of these respondents said they don’t know this percentage.
Fifty-eight percent of respondents said they have optimized their email marketing templates for mobile viewing, while 31 percent said they have not. Of the latter segment, 77 percent said they plan to optimize their email marketing templates for mobile viewing in the next 12 months.
Original Article...
A recent StrongMail survey conducted with Zoomerang in April took the pulse of 802 business leaders regarding “mobile marketing adoption, budgets, techniques, challenges, benefits and integration with other channels.” Among the findings is that nearly 3 out of 10 businesses have been able to increase their email subscriber base with the help of mobile marketing.
According to the “Mobile Marketing Survey 2012,” 45 percent of respondents are using mobile as a marketing channel. Twenty-six percent said they have been using mobile marketing for six months or less, while 31 percent said they have been using it for 6-12 months, 29 percent said they have been using it for 1-2 years and 14 percent said they have been using it for 3+ years.
For the 55 percent of respondents who haven’t yet leveraged mobile marketing, 37 percent said that while they see the value in mobile, they haven’t determined the right strategy yet. Meanwhile, 22 percent pointed to a lack of resources/staff, 19 percent said it’s not an appropriate fit for their business, 12 percent pointed to lack of funding/budget and 3 percent said they don’t see any value in mobile marketing.
The survey also found that 43 percent of businesses using mobile marketing have integrated their email marketing and mobile marketing programs. Of this group, 32 percent have used mobile-optimized landing pages or websites, while 25 percent have captured mobile numbers during email signups, 22 percent have used mobile-optimized templates, and 21 percent have used cross-channel email/SMS campaigns.
Twenty-nine percent of businesses using mobile marketing said they have been able to increase email subscribers using the channel, while 27 percent said they have not.
Meanwhile, 37 percent of respondents said mobile marketing is managed by the online/interactive marketing department, followed by 14 percent that said it was managed by the email marketing department, 7 percent that said it was managed by a dedicated mobile marketing department and 6 percent that said it was managed by the direct marketing department.
Of businesses who partake in mobile marketing, 13 percent said 20 percent or more of their email subscribers access their email messages on mobile devices, while 11 percent said 5 percent or less do, 11 percent said 5-10 percent do, 10 percent said 10-15 percent do, and 8 percent said 15-20 percent do. Forty-six percent of these respondents said they don’t know this percentage.
Fifty-eight percent of respondents said they have optimized their email marketing templates for mobile viewing, while 31 percent said they have not. Of the latter segment, 77 percent said they plan to optimize their email marketing templates for mobile viewing in the next 12 months.
Original Article...
64% of Small Businesses Will Spend More on Mobile Marketing This Year
By: Jason Hahn | DM Confidential May 30, 2012
According to Web.com, only 14 percent of small-business owners have a stand-alone mobile website, though this segment has experienced a boost in new business activity because of their mobile marketing efforts. Small-business owners’ marketing budgets are expected to shift toward mobile this year.
Web.com’s study, which was aided by Lab42 Market Research, surveyed 500 small-business owners (those with 100 or fewer employees). Of this pool of respondents, 60 percent said they have a website, while 26 percent said they have a mobile-friendly website. However, just 14 percent said they have a stand-alone mobile website (i.e., a site with a layout specifically for mobile phones).
Of that last group, 84 percent said they saw an increase in new business activity due to their mobile marketing efforts, while 69 percent said they somewhat or strongly agreed that mobile marketing is key to the growth of their business in the next five years.
The No. 1 motivation for investing in a mobile presence is providing better service to existing customers, followed by attracting more local customers, gaining a competitive advantage and using an additional marketing channel.
The biggest hurdle in leveraging mobile marketing is time and resources, which received a 35.7 percent response. It was followed by budget (31.4 percent), lack of understanding of mobile marketing (15.7 percent) and uncertainty about ROI (14.3 percent).
According to the survey, 64.3 percent of respondents say they’ll spend more on mobile marketing this year than they did last year, while 32.9 percent said they’ll spend the same and 2.9 percent said they’ll spend less.
The survey also found that 61 percent of small businesses are not promoting their businesses via mobile search. This year, 15.2 percent said they are very unlikely to invest in mobile search, 13.3 percent said they are somewhat unlikely and 27.6 percent said they are neutral.
Meanwhile, 31.2 percent said they are somewhat likely to invest in mobile search this year, while 12.7 percent said they are very likely.
Web.com cited Google, which found that 1 in 5 U.S. smartphone Internet users who searched for a local business made an in-store purchase, while more than half called a business and 49 percent looked up a business on a map.
Separate figures from Nielsen found that in the first quarter of 2012, 50.4 percent of U.S. mobile subscribers owned smartphones, up from 47.8 percent in December 2011. Android claimed 48.5 percent of smartphone owners, followed by iOS with 32.0 percent and RIM BlackBerry with 11.6 percent.
Original Article...
According to Web.com, only 14 percent of small-business owners have a stand-alone mobile website, though this segment has experienced a boost in new business activity because of their mobile marketing efforts. Small-business owners’ marketing budgets are expected to shift toward mobile this year.
Web.com’s study, which was aided by Lab42 Market Research, surveyed 500 small-business owners (those with 100 or fewer employees). Of this pool of respondents, 60 percent said they have a website, while 26 percent said they have a mobile-friendly website. However, just 14 percent said they have a stand-alone mobile website (i.e., a site with a layout specifically for mobile phones).
Of that last group, 84 percent said they saw an increase in new business activity due to their mobile marketing efforts, while 69 percent said they somewhat or strongly agreed that mobile marketing is key to the growth of their business in the next five years.
The No. 1 motivation for investing in a mobile presence is providing better service to existing customers, followed by attracting more local customers, gaining a competitive advantage and using an additional marketing channel.
The biggest hurdle in leveraging mobile marketing is time and resources, which received a 35.7 percent response. It was followed by budget (31.4 percent), lack of understanding of mobile marketing (15.7 percent) and uncertainty about ROI (14.3 percent).
According to the survey, 64.3 percent of respondents say they’ll spend more on mobile marketing this year than they did last year, while 32.9 percent said they’ll spend the same and 2.9 percent said they’ll spend less.
The survey also found that 61 percent of small businesses are not promoting their businesses via mobile search. This year, 15.2 percent said they are very unlikely to invest in mobile search, 13.3 percent said they are somewhat unlikely and 27.6 percent said they are neutral.
Meanwhile, 31.2 percent said they are somewhat likely to invest in mobile search this year, while 12.7 percent said they are very likely.
Web.com cited Google, which found that 1 in 5 U.S. smartphone Internet users who searched for a local business made an in-store purchase, while more than half called a business and 49 percent looked up a business on a map.
Separate figures from Nielsen found that in the first quarter of 2012, 50.4 percent of U.S. mobile subscribers owned smartphones, up from 47.8 percent in December 2011. Android claimed 48.5 percent of smartphone owners, followed by iOS with 32.0 percent and RIM BlackBerry with 11.6 percent.
Original Article...
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
5 Trends Shaping the Mobile Market
5 Trends Shaping the Mobile Market
Article Written By: Jeremy Lockhorn on February 7, 2012 at ClickZ
"The explosive growth of smartphones and the resulting tectonic shifts in consumer behavior continue to demonstrate the need for big marketers to pay attention and find ways to connect with their audiences on mobile devices (as if you haven't heard that before).
Here's a look at five important trends that will continue to shape this space - and the corresponding opportunities for marketers - in 2012."
Read Article...
Article Written By: Jeremy Lockhorn on February 7, 2012 at ClickZ
"The explosive growth of smartphones and the resulting tectonic shifts in consumer behavior continue to demonstrate the need for big marketers to pay attention and find ways to connect with their audiences on mobile devices (as if you haven't heard that before).
Here's a look at five important trends that will continue to shape this space - and the corresponding opportunities for marketers - in 2012."
Read Article...
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