According to eMarketer, mobile now accounts for 23% of the time spent with digital media. That’s up from just 4% four years ago. By 2016 45% of the world population would have owned a smartphone.
2013 was an important year for
content marketers. They’ve recognized the newly-founded popularity of mobiles
in the digital world when they were asked to start designing content for
mobiles and using marketing tactics that catered to mobile users. It is true.
Most of us are only parted from our mobiles for the time we sleep, or a few
hours we can’t technically use a mobile. Whenever we can, we do tend to be with
our mobile – be it in public transit, during lunch breaks, while gobbling down
that burger, on treadmill, in grocery store or driving, and what for - using whatsapp,
FB, Twitter, clicking pictures on Instagram, listening to music, watching a
film, the uses are endless!
However a study indicates that 60% of the time spent on mobiles accounts for games
and social media with Facebook accounting for the biggest chunk of time and
attention. People are sending millions of text messages using apps like
Whatsapp across the world rather than using telecom-operated text messaging.
Smartphones are making it easier for people to communicate be it using an app
or facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram, to name a few.
If users are spending all that time
on their mobile, do they really read what they see? Yes, but the attention span
has reduced greatly. Users love new information but in bite-sizes. Info-snacking is the new trend, or unless it is
collaborative information.
Another important fact to be taken
into consideration is that with all these social platforms and increasing
usage, people are no more anonymous as they used to be a few years ago. There
is so much personal information available on a multitude of these platforms
that connecting the dots is not an issue any more.
What's in for Content Marketing?
This extraordinary social usage presents
an excellent opportunity for content marketers to reach out to consumers in new
ways, and to get to know their consumers much better than before. So, what are
the points to be considered when including mobiles and social media to manage
your consumer relationships?
- Content is what creates brand. Content is what is mostly being searched on Google. Consumers are always looking for content, and if your site or social platform has useful and original content, it will drive traffic.
- Content must be driven by context, or else it will be of no use
- Content marketing for mobiles is not the same as content marketing for websites. The design element is very important. Mobile-friendly sites are a top priority. Every page on a corporate website must be optimized for mobile users.
- Social platforms are mostly accessed on mobiles which means that less content meets the eye than before. Marketers must create shorter content, but increased frequencies of messaging from different platforms/ channels.
- Home page is losing relevance. Social feeds will bring your consumer directly to the post/linked page. Home page is skipped unless someone is accessing the website directly. This means, each page needs to have the pertinent information to make the visitor stay longer.
Do not underestimate the important
of content and the way mobiles are taking over the consumers` lives. With social media now primarily being accessed on
mobile, it becomes all the more important to drive brand-related conversations
that can get consumer attention. This is possible through extraordinary and
relevant content; content that makes the brand a leader in the marketplace!
