Thursday, May 26, 2011

Make Your Content Mobile-Friendly


Make Your Content Mobile-Friendly

Is your content marketing mobile-friendly? Before you answer, look at these five salient mobile marketing drivers.
Smartphone ownership risesU.S. Smartphone ownership is expected to reach a tipping point in the U.S. according to Nielsen.
Mobile changes content consumption
Since the average U.S. adult spends over 10 hours a day consuming content, according toIpsos, content marketers should consider where and how users consume content.  In particular, information snacking (where users consume content during otherwise wasted time) and time shifting (where consumers read or watch content at a different times), are growing trends. For mobile devices, this often translates to information-on-the-go for content consumption in otherwise “wasted” time like commuting.
Mobile Internet users spend their time differently than computer users
Because people use their mobiles to stay connected, reading email accounts for roughly two out of every five minutes users spend on the mobile web, making it the most popular activity according toNielsen. Compare this to computer use where email is the number three activity on computers following social media and games.
Mobile search tends to be localRoughly half of mobile search has local intent versus 20 percent of Web search, according toSearchEngineLand. This means your mobile search strategy must be different to capture on-the-go users who need information where they are.
Mobile goes shopping and brings your competitors with themAccording to ForeSee research, one in three shoppers used their mobile phones to gather information in a retail store, and about half of shoppers checked on competitors.
To reach these mobile consumers, different types of content as well as mobile-friendly formats are needed to provide an optimal experience when and where your users want it. Do you have a plan to make your content mobile-friendly or are you hoping that your web-based content works on other devices?
To help you get your mobile content marketing strategy on track, here are six important elements that require mobile optimization.
Mobile search
Since mobile search helps on-the-go users navigate the mobile web to meet their immediate needs, users have different needs and use different keywords, it’s a good idea to have a separate mobile search budget and plan. You need to think differently about the words used and the content you serve to this audience.
Mobile websiteSince website speed and usage differs on a mobile, a mobile website focused on your users’ primary needs is a high priority for content marketers. Your mobile website must load quickly and should be function-oriented, allowing for easy scanning. On a mobile device, less is more. Also, due to the small screen, use larger buttons.
Text messagesUse this granddaddy of mobile communication that doesn’t require a smart phone for time-sensitive information like alerts and sales as well as reaching teens. This text-only (aka SMS) presentation is limited to 160 characters, so good copywriting is needed to keep your message brief and on target.
EmailSince email can be handled in small chunks of time and allows employees to stay on top of business developments, it tops mobile Internet use. From a content marketing perspective, optimize email copywriting for the small screen by using short, action-oriented headlines.
Mobile appsSince seven out of ten smart phone users have downloaded an app, consider creating an app of your own. The content marketing challenge is how do you provide useful product related content for users on the go? SitorSquat is a great example of how a major brand is providing useful content for consumers who are (quite literally) on the go. Don’t overlook the need to market the app and to get users to continually use it.
QR codesThe pop art squares provide a way to connect offline to online content and communications. For content marketers, QR codes provide an easy solution for linking offline content and buildings to online content, information and/or communications.
To determine which mobile elements are most important for your content marketing, start by looking at how mobile has influenced and changed how we consume content. Assess how these traits apply to your target audience and which forms of your content offering need to be adapted for mobile consumption. In your assessment, don’t overlook the need to be present where your competitors are.
Which aspects of your content marketing have you adapted for mobile consumption and why? Please add your experiences in the comment section below.

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Confab fabulousness

This article contains links to or slideshare presentations of most of the sessions.


CONFAB IS OVER, BUT THE IDEAS LIVE ON

By Clinton Forry on May 18, 2011
Confab has come and gone for 2011. Cake was served. Sessions were attended. Andtornado warnings were endured.
Now, we take to the streets (or our desks) to tackle content with a renewed vigor.

You are a Prodigious Set of Note-Takers

The volume of liveblogs and recaps from Confab is seriously impressive.
We offer our most sincere thanks for sharing your thoughtful notes and summaries. It’s especially satisfying to see Confab presentations distilled into these potent posts. (If this were a college course, we’d proudly be handing out “A” grades right now.)
If you missed a sessions or just want to compare/review notes, check out this list of posts from Confab attendees:

Overall Conference Recaps

Confab: Day 1 and Day 2 
Recaps from Beehive PR by John Schneider and Bridget Monroe Nelson


Session-specific notes and recaps

What Content Creators Want by Confab workshop presenter Ron Ploof *
A series of Simplenote Confab liveblogs have been posted by Brian James Kirk











Learning to Love your CMS
View more presentations from ISITEDesign


Actual downloads of other presentations are on sharepoint.