We’ve reached a tipping point now that more people use their mobile devices to access the web than their desktops or laptops, and yet many lead generation tactics still seem mired in the old desktop era.
Take the example of whitepapers. OK, yes, whitepapers are extremely informative and can help to outline the value proposition of a product. But how many people are going to read a whitepaper on a tiny mobile screen? It’s just so much easier to read a whitepaper on a big desktop screen.
Which brings us to the first tip for better mobile lead generation – make sure that your website and website content is optimized for mobile. According to Google, 61 percent of users are unlikely to return to a mobile site if they had trouble with it. And, in fact, 40 percent said they’d be tempted to visit a competitor’s site instead. Ouch.
The best way to optimize for mobile is via responsive design, which basically means that your website will look the same, regardless of which screen is being used to view it. And it means that any content that’s downloadable also looks great on a tiny mobile screen. If you’ve ever wondered why the “infinite scroll” became so popular, just study a bunch of people using their mobile phones – they’re either swiping right and left or they’re swiping up and down. If you’re forcing people to “pinch and zoom,” you’re doing it all wrong.
Better mobile lead generation also means tapping into the full power of text messaging. When you send out an email blast, ask people if they’d like to sign up for an SMS messaging list. Once they’ve opted in, then you’re free to send out texts with new deals, offers or tips. Of course, nobody likes to get mobile spam that’s masquerading as some kind of tip, but sending out a text can be a very useful way to re-engage with a dormant account or former customer.
Finally, consider how you can leverage your company’s mobile app for lead generation. In the B2C world, one way to activate consumers is via a loyalty program, which requires consumers to use the app a certain number of times before they are rewarded with some kind of in-store promotion. It’s a bit harder to pull this off in the B2B world, of course, but one way to leverage an app is to create certain indispensable tools that can live within the app. For example, you might create an ROI calculator. Getting people into the app can be a great way to remind users about special offers or new products.
Another step you can take for better mobile lead generation is to think about the search terms that people are using to find your site. As a rule of thumb, people use different search terms on the desktop than they do on mobile. What Google has found is that people tend to use terms like “Why,” “Who,” “Where” and “How” in their mobile searches. The “Where” term is particularly interesting is because the mobile phone is a gateway to all kinds of location-based searches. In short, people are not just searching for a type of business – they are searching for a type of business “near me.”
Keeping in mind the above tips can help set you on the way to better mobile lead generation.
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Dane
Dane Cobain is a published author, freelance writer, book blogger, poet and (occasional) musician from High Wycombe, UK. Before going freelance, he worked as a social media marker, now specialising in writing about publishing, technology and marketing.