3 Points a B2B Should Consider Before Developing a Mobile Marketing Strategy

You may not have noticed, but our world is growing more and more mobile. As technologies develop and devices shrink, for better or worse, the way we communicate and interact continues to change. Keeping someone’s undivided attention for more than sixty seconds is now considered a small victory by even the most engaging personalities.

Despite technology’s well-documented shift of focus into the mobile space, not all B2B marketers have begun to adapt.  A recent Chief Marketing Officer Council study, “found that 16% of B2B marketers now have a formal strategy for using mobile as a significant channel of customer engagement and 54% are developing such a strategy.”  If your company is a part of the 84% without a formal strategy, there are a few important points to consider when asking, “Why and how should we be conducting mobile marketing?”

1. People access the web from mobile devices. A lot. : While this is a seemingly obvious point to make, the level of devotion, teetering on dependence, that many people (myself included) have to their smartphones is astounding.  The results of a recent survey of mobile workers found that many respondents, “would be emotional (59%), disoriented (40%) or distraught (34%) if they worked without a smartphone for a week.”  In addition, “ComScore reported 8.2% of US traffic in 2012 was from mobile devices,” a number that will surely continue to grow.
2. Your Site Is Going To Need An Update: HubSpot cites “Relying on Your Traditional PC-Based Website for Marketing Efforts” as the number one biggest mistake a B2B mobile marketer can make.  It is easy to see why.  If your site is difficult to navigate or filled with content that is incompatible with mobile devices, you are going to have a tough time retaining visitors.  According to a 2011 MarketingProfs article, 64% of decision-makers read their email on a mobile device.  Having that many potential purchasers tune you out because your company’s site wasn’t optimized for mobile will not be good for business.
3. Developing Mobile Content Won’t Be As Time-Consuming As It Sounds: While creating new content specifically geared towards mobile may seem like a daunting task, there is great potential for content overlap and repurposing between your mobile and traditional marketing materials.  For instance, you can record a short podcast or video blog detailing a recent product launch or summarizing your latest whitepaper.  Not only will this content be mobile-friendly, it will hopefully further engage your audience with what your business has to offer.  Using resources such as QR Codes can be another way to integrate mobile marketing into your traditional trade conference materials.

All in all, I believe that ignoring the cultural impact that mobile devices have on the way we communicate and conduct business will prove to be a shortsighted decision.  Smartphones and tablets have immersed themselves in our day-to-day lives, and you would be hard pressed to find someone who believes that trend will cease.

What measures has your company taken to better reach its mobile audience? Have you seen any B2B’s with particularly well-done mobile campaigns?