Marketing Strategies to Boost Mobile Social Media

Just adding the Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn icons to a website for consumers to Like, Tweet and Connect with a company isn't enough to compete with the overall growth of social media. Consider the fact that mobile social networking is predicted to more than double between the years of 2011 and 2015.  Think outside the box and in the tiny Smartphone to market to consumers.

Time to optimize:
Companies have to optimize sites to be functional with mobile phones. Consumers are always on the go and if a company wants to be right in the palm of consumers hands, providing them with convenience is the best option. Once consumers realize how easy it is to interact and connect with a company through their mobile device due to companies reflecting off the reality of their always on the go life, they will share more information with you, suggest your company to friends, and help promote the brand through social media. Need to hear some reasons to optimize sites for mobile social media? Well because social networking numbers skyrocketed this year, that's why! According to www.comscore.com social networking represents about one of every six minutes spent online in the US. Facebook had 157.2 million visitors last month, up 3.2 million visitors from the month prior. LinkedIn is up 58% in visitors, receiving 33.4 million visitors in the past year and Twitter grew 13% gaining 27 million visitors this year alone.

4 Things to Consider When Optimizing:

Keep them coming back!
Being socially mobile may be a great convenience for most consumers but a company just being formatted for mobile devices won't keep consumers interested in the product forever. There are certain marketing techniques that a company must follow and maintain to keep the consumers they already have as well as draw in new ones to return to their mobile site. Offering mobile discounts, coupons and buyer rewards for purchasing specific products or for downloading mobile applications can show appreciation that consumers will notice. Sending SMS (text) alerts for daily deals, weekly or monthly sales shows consumers that the company appreciates their business and time spent with their products.  Incentives for frequent check-in to the mobile site or a discount for 'Liking' the site are good marketing techniques that will have consumers returning and suggesting the mobile site to other consumers. Including consumers in poling or voting for certain changes or enhancements in the mobile site will keep a consumers interest in the site.

The future isn't here yet!
Remember that it's not the end of the world. This is just the beginning of the mobile social networking era. Not everyone has jumped on the bandwagon to optimize all of their ways to socialize, but you should. If you panic and put too much into the optimization of a site, it could possibly draw consumers away from the mobile sector of the company. So take your time, figure out what consumers want and go from there.

It pays to be simple
Consumers are living in a world where they are constantly bombarded with information over and over again; adding too much information cluttered on a small mobile device can be a distraction for consumers. Simple is nearly always better, a clear site makes a clear mind and all the more reason to feel more comfortable with buying from the mobile site and interacting with it. Building a mobile site to fit mobile screens or for specific phones for a more simplified, user-friendly appearance can be a breath of fresh air for consumers.

Less is more
Please don't clutter the tiny mobile screen! Being too complicated will make anyone deter away from a site. Material through mobile sites should be easy to read at a glance and go perspective. This way it is much easier for the consumer to pick out something specific that they like and comment on it, buy it, or promote it.