The Importance Of Structuring Your Content Strategy For Mobile Users

In 2016, for the first time, the number of mobile users surpassed the number of desktop users. Three years later, the number of mobile users is forecast to pass the 5 billion mark, currently resting at 4.68 billion.

Image Source: Statista

It is safe to say, mobile is a thing. It is well and truly time to give significant consideration to all aspects of your mobile content marketing strategy. As of 2018, 52.2% of all website traffic worldwide was generated through mobile phones.

Since so many people are using their mobiles to go online, poorly structured mobile content marketing is equivalent to overlooking a large amount of your target market. It should be noted that a well-structured content marketing strategy for mobile users, means more than generating content that fits a particular screen. Essentially, it is creating new content and adapting existing content to meet the demands of mobile users.

But first, let's explore what content marketing means exactly. Content marketing is the promotion and distribution of valuable content to a specified audience. Content comes in many different formats.

Here’re some with the tools to use for each one:

• Blog Posts & Articles - the traditional type of content
• Infographics - visualising data with graphs and images. Tools live Canva allows you to create these easily.
• Interactive Charts & Visualised Data - turning raw data into engaging content. Tools like Infogram, Tableau and ChartBlocks can help.
• Slides - turning text and images into slides. Tools like PoweredTemplate to create presentations easily and efficiently.
• Video - millions of hours of YouTube videos are watched daily. Tools like PowToon enable to create animated videos.

What is content marketing strategy for mobile users?

In short, mobile marketing is the sharing and promotion of a brand or business in a way that is optimized for smartphones and other mobile devices. Content distributed through apps, social media and websites all constitute channels of mobile marketing.

When done right, mobile content marketing should provide customers and prospects using smartphones and tablets, personalised, location and time-sensitive content. Users who consume mobile content marketing should get what they want, when they want, even if they’re on the go.

Mobile blogs and websites should be ‘responsive’ to the device on which they are consumed. Little else frustrates a mobile user more than having to expand a website for readability. Most readers will give up and move on. Good mobile content marketing strategy would ensure at the very least, responsive and readable content.

Another highly held component of mobile content marketing is the effective use of apps. They are becoming an increasingly important source of content for brands and businesses. Apps constitute an indispensable content marketing strategy that:

• Builds brand awareness
• Pushes content out - option to receive notifications
• Sells products and services
• Builds email list

Less is more when it comes to mobile content marketing. The small screen constraints, require an adaptation of existing content. Upon structuring your content marketing for mobile users, be sure to distil your message into succinct content appropriate for the device, and the user. Text blocks, images, headlines, and video lengths must all be the appropriate length and form depending on the device and the content.

Video content is often wildly neglected when it comes to mobile content marketing. Those who have grown up knowing nothing but the web, consume more online video than TV. Featuring videos within mobile content has never been more essential. They are sharable and can generate more traffic to your site. The use of mobile video allows the inclusion of detailed and explained information. It has come to be a go-to platform for content to market complex information in a simplified way.

Furthermore, a recent survey of 300,000 podcast listeners insisted that around 63% of people bought something a host had promoted. With nearly 6 million people tuned into a podcast each week, in the UK alone; neglecting this area of mobile content marketing could affect your sales. Further, 71% said they visited a sponsors site. By failing to incorporate podcasts into your mobile content marketing strategy, you are potentially directing traffic to your competitor’s website.  

The importance of headlines in content marketing dominates on every platform; from desktop to print to discourse. It’s no different for mobile content marketing. Headlines become even more important for two reasons. The size constraints of mobile devices warrant shorter, snappier headlines. Second, mobile devices seem to have shortened our attention spans. New research suggests that whilst we can not process information at greater speeds, due to constant switches between information on different devices. A counter-theme has revealed that the older generation is more inclined to focus and retrain attention for longer on a particular piece of information. Given that most internet users are of the internet generation- which will continue to grow- adapting mobile content to accommodate for short attention spans seems appropriately strategic.  

Successful mobile content marketing

The proof is in the pudding. Structuring your content marketing strategy for mobile users really is important, and is demonstrated by the success of those who implement it well.

With tablets having become an important part of the TV watching experience, National Geographic created a mobile marketing campaign that was aimed at tablet users connected to home wifi networks. It created a co-viewing experience which provided relevant information on the program played on their television. “...the tablet was a perfect environment for showcasing rich and visually appealing content when people are in the mindset to engage"- Laurel Boyd, vice president and digital media director.

In 2013, Coca Cola launched The Ahh Effect. It created a series of digital games that catered primarily to mobile users. They were promoted by marketing them through sites such as BuzzFeed and Twitter. It also challenged people to create their own mini-games to be included in the Ahh Effect domain. Overall it proved a successful way to reach and engage with their mobile-centric audience.

The success of GoPro in encouraging its audience to take over its promotional strategy was made possible because of mobile devices. GoPro has taken User Generated Content to a whole new level. Users post videos of their own experiences and GoPro buys the rights to unique and inspiring user content, polishes them and distributes them on its owned channels.