One in five emails is read on a mobile device. Mobile devices make up 8.2 percent of all Web browsing. If you still aren’t thinking mobile for public relations, advertising, email campaigns or Websites, think again.
David Greiner at Campaign Monitor recently reported on data generated from activity across more than 3 billion emails. He found that one in five is read on a mobile device. In Greiner’s research, the iPhone and iPad had the lion’s share of use across various email clients.
- Lesson 1: Design email with mobile in mind. Optimize graphics for the new platforms and remember to include a text call to action and link for people whose systems don’t automatically open graphics.
Mobile is climbing in popularity for browsing the Web, too. Jeffrey Van Camp at Digital Trends reports that “in July 2009, mobile phones made up only .89 percent of Web traffic, but two years later, that number has more than quintupled, now reaching more than 5 percent, according to NetMarketShare. In the United States, this trend is greater, with the iPhone, Android, iPad, and BlackBerry making up 8.2 percent of all Web browsing.”
- Lesson 2: Is your Website still in the Dark Ages of mobile optimization? Check out your site from various devices and make sure the navigation and main messages come through.
Guess what? Mobile may be more effective for delivering advertising than desktop computers. MediaMind Technologies Inc. released a new study showing mobile devices outstrip PCs in Click Through Rates (CTR) and the iPhone delivers higher CTR than devices with other operating systems
According to a news release, MediaMind reviewed more than 230 million mobile impressions in Q4 2010 and Q1 2011 and discovered that "devices based on Apple’s iOS operating system achieved twice the performance of phones based on Google’s Android operating system, and five times the performance of BlackBerry phones. In addition, mobile ads achieved an impressive CTR of 0.61%, while standard display banners for PCs recorded a CTR of 0.07%.
"An analysis of the browsing habits of mobile users revealed surprising results. While PC browsing peaks during business hours between 9 am and 5 pm, mobile browsing soars during the evenings. Mobile CTR also reaches its peak during the evening, but still maintains a higher CTR than PC at any time of the day."
- Lesson 3: See Lessons 1 and 2.
Once your business is mobile phone-friendly, turn your attention to the tablet. According to NetMarketShare, the iPad now exceeds 1 percent of all browsing on the Internet, and over 2.1 percent in the United States – after only one year on the market.
- Lesson 4: The desktop certainly isn’t dead, but optimizing your business for mobile phones and tablets is not an option.