Get moving. Get mobile.

In April 2015, Google launched a mobile-friendly algorithm designed to provide mobile search engine users with better results, effectively cementing – and legitimizing – the trend towards increased mobility for customers and businesses alike. Time spent on mobile media has already surpassed time spent using a laptop or computer. Frankly, if you haven’t already taken your business mobile, you’re probably already behind your competition. The good news? It’s not too late to catch up. Let’s explore just what the surge in mobility means for your brand.

Potential Increase in Traffic and Business
One of the biggest benefits associated with the recent algorithm change is that if your company’s website features responsive web design (seamless adaptation to phone and tablet screens), you’re likely to see a boost in organic traffic. With so much search activity coming via mobile devices, your mobile-optimized site will provide convenience for your customers – and that added convenience may just lead to more conversions for your organization.

Reaching More Customers
Using mobile advertisements to promote your brand can inform current (and future) customers about the products or services that you offer. Instead of relying on tactics that have worked well on desktop computers, be sure that you are utilizing new marketing strategies that will hold the attention of mobile users. Forget about the banner ads of the past, and consider interactive ads that will engage those who are viewing them on touch screens. Professionals who specialize in custom website and application design services can help you to make this transition seamlessly.

Increased Customer Engagement
If you already have a mobile website in place, you may want to consider taking your mobile capabilities a step further by developing a great mobile app to complement your business. Mobile apps account for over half of our time spent on digital media as a whole, and make up 89% of our time spent on a smartphone. Many brand leaders work closely alongside an IT solutions company or web design professional to see if an application is right for them, and if so, to keep their company’s core values aligned with their potential app’s performance capabilities and features.

Once your business has the added benefits of a mobile app in its tool belt, you can focus on launching a whole new world of marketing techniques and campaigns through features like push notifications. Push notifications are possibly the most important and the most delicate tool to keep users engaged with your application. Although valuable, they can be dangerous to simply throw into your app because “everyone does it.” Useless or overly frequent notifications can quickly doom your app to collect dust in an unused folder – or worse yet, to be uninstalled.

There are no hard and fast rules about how to use notifications to interact with your user base; rather, each app requires its own carefully crafted strategy in order to earn and maintain that everyday utility status. When thinking about how to craft your notification strategy, think about how you interact with your favorite (and least favorite) apps and what you’d like to accomplish with yours. Global “broadcast” notifications are great for apps that want their users to stay current on a topic, while other apps are better off using personalized, individual notifications for timely reminders and motivation. Your notification strategy should reflect the attitude and purpose of your app, as well as empathize with the type of users you will be attracting.

Converting Desktop Fans Into Mobile Users
Future algorithms could very well involve more mobile-friendly changes and requirements, so you may want to think now about ways to capture your current desktop customers and convert them into mobile users. Encouraging your customer community to download a new app helps build better brand recognition, and can even lead to an increase in engagement through real-time feedback loops, surveys and improving the moment of purchase.

Mobile is now, and we can help. OpenArc’s mobile app developers and web development team take the time to understand and align your business needs with your customer needs, leading to powerful, measurable results. Let us work with you to foster new ideas that give your business a competitive edge.