Does Your Website Have a Mobile Edition?

With the iPhone being one of the most popular cell phones in the world, and the recent launch of the new Droid phones for Verizon, smart phones are most certainly poised to see a tremendous amount of growth in terms of online web browsing and internet usage.

In fact, after owning only a small percentage of the market share in early 2008, smartphones now account for a quarter or more of all mobile web traffic, which is a trend that is sure to continue.

So what does this mean for you or your business? Should you care if people are using their phones to visit your website?

Well, the short answer is: you should. This is obvious to many companies, which is why we’re seeing the rise of the .mobi domain and why so many companies have already created mobile versions of their websites.

Some companies might argue that there’s no money in mobile versions because most consumers don’t buy online via mobile phones, but I would argue that this is a trend we’re going to see changing very soon.

Make it Easy for the Customer

In fact, if your mobile website makes it easy for customers to buy from you, then why would they avoid doing so? The truth is, consumers buy on emotion…when our hot switch is activated. If you can capture the sale while a consumer is eager to buy, rather then when they’ve arrived home and have cooled down, then you might be able to change buying behaviors almost overnight.

The Amazon Example

Look at the way that Amazon has done it, which is by creating an Amazon and Kindle apps for the iPhone. If I am in a bookstore that sells books at cover price, I can switch to my iPhone and buy the book for 9.99, save money, and get it instantly. Although your product might not be digital in this sense, you can still empower your customers to buy on the go, such as when your store doesn’t have it in stock or their price is too high.

Aside from the ability to buy online, consumers are usually on their phones when they are trying to find a way to kill time. If navigating your blog or website on a smartphone is a pain in the ass, then consumers are going to find another that isn’t. If your site takes ages to load because it is image heavy or if we can’t navigate because the menus don’t work, then sorry, but we’re moving on.

Become an Early Adopter

There are already half a dozen easy ways to create mobile versions of your website, some of which we’ll feature in tomorrow’s post, but the point of the story is that you have a perfect opportunity to become an early adopter and capture more of the market share in your niche. Even if you come late to the party, it does you more harm than good to stay home.

It really doesn’t matter if you run a blog, an e-commerce website, or any other type of platform. You need a mobile edition as part of your social media plan. Because people will be looking to you to help them kill time or take that money that’s burning a hole in their pocket. If you can’t be there to help them, then I promise you that they’ll turn to someone else. At that point, “I told you so” won’t do a damn bit of good.

If you are one of those people that get it, but need help implementing a social strategy, let us know. We’ll get you squared away in no time.

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