As a content creator in my organization, my goals are like those of other B2B companies:
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Understand what content is effective (and less so)
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Increase our volume of visual content
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Identify ways to repurpose content
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Optimize all our content
In addition to those goals, it’s important to see how content should change across formats and channels.
That’s because content created for one channel, like a website or blog, doesn’t necessarily fit other content formats, like email or social media. Nor can you copy and paste it into your mobile content marketing strategy. If you want to reach your target audience in today’s environment, you need to understand that it’s a mobile world—and you need a separate content marketing plan for this channel.
Not convinced it’s actually a mobile world? The stats speak for themselves. In November 2018, Statista reported that mobile devices (excluding tablets) accounted for 48 percent of website traffic worldwide. That means you have a better chance of reaching your intended audience if you craft content that works within this mobile environment.
Numerous Mobile Content Tips Already in Use
Mobile marketing has been around a few years now, with numerous experts already offering valuable tips that have become proven best practices. These include making your mobile content easier to read and optimizing imagery for the greatest impact.
It also involves building on existing content marketing tactics, including continuing to use email because so many people like to read their email on their smartphones.
Mobile Use Trends Impact Content Marketing Needs
Because mobile devices are becoming the go-to way to locate information, content marketing must do more than be concise and visual. It also must also address current usage trends.
Here are some of the reasons why mobile content marketing is different, along with best practices that I’ve discovered have worked effectively within my own organization:
Video Ads
Video ads are growing by leaps and bounds as more people spend time on their phones watching this type of content. According to eMarketer, advertisers could spend $16 billion on mobile video in 2019, which is up from the $2 billion spent in 2015. In 2018, reports stated that 66 percent of ad impressions on Instagram related to video content.
That means that marketers will need to focus on creating video content for ads, live video, and video content campaigns that they can use on social media and other channels commonly accessed through mobile devices.
Voice-Activated Search
Another mobile trend to consider is voice-activated search. That’s because voice commerce sales may climb to $40 billion by 2022. This is due, in part, to more options for voice search beyond Alexa and Siri.
With the increase in voice search platforms, search engines will have to become more sensitive to what users want. That means mobile marketing content will need more image and video tags, along with greater meta descriptions and alt text.
Therefore, your mobile website content needs to change as well — it’s not about keywords anymore, thanks to the semantic-based processes used by voice-activated searches.
You’ll now need to write content in a more conversational tone that answers the specific questions your audience members are most likely going to ask their mobile voice assistants. While you can still use keyword lists, the focus needs to be on longer-tail keyword phrases that address intent at all steps of the purchase journey.
Messenger and In-App Ads
It’s also important to prepare mobile content marketing tactics that address other mobile trends, like messenger ads and in-app ads. These are becoming increasingly accepted among various audience segments. To illustrate the potential opportunity of getting in front of your audience, Statista noted that 2.01 billion mobile phone users accessed messaging apps in 2018, which could grow to 2.48 billion users by 2021.
Individual apps are thriving in this environment, with 450 million people using WhatsApp Messenger on a daily basis. Facebook Messenger enjoys 1.3 billion users. Also, AppAnnie predicts that 2019 will be the year that the number of apps using in-app advertising will grow by 60 percent.
For marketers, that means exploring the use of chatbots to provide inspiring content through conversations with app and mobile messenger users, as well as carefully crafted mobile ads that work with these formats in an engaging way.
Mobile Tools and Formats
There are numerous tools that address the growing mobile formats in use that can impact your mobile content tactics. For example, numerous plug-ins are available that optimize mobile content, as well as automate the mobile content delivery process.
Other tools to consider include AI-enabled solutions so you can deliver more personalized mobile content at any time of the day.
Measure and Tweak
As with all content marketing, mobile content marketing requires regular measurement and assessment to determine what’s creating a positive impact and what needs tweaking to become more engaging for your audience.
Over time, the mobile messaging and tactics will change, along with these mobile usage trends. In leveraging the power of analytics, you’ll be able to see these trends evolve, helping to speed up the evolution of your own mobile content marketing strategy.
What does a mobile strategy look like? Find out with “Go Further with Mobile Marketing.”