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The world is witnessing an ever-growing dependency on mobile phones. For businesses, this mandates a strong mobile presence to keep existing customers engaged and attractnew prospects. In order to mobilize your business, it is important to be aware of the do's and don'ts of the industry and select solutions that will best align with your business needs and growth objectives. The following are a few points to considerin a plan to mobilize business:
Empower the Small Screen
There are generally two ways mobile users approach the “small screen:”1) Some prefer downloading mobile apps; 2) Others find accessing websites through their mobile browsers more convenient. In order to capture the attention of your entire mobile audience,it is best to have both a mobile optimized website and a native mobile app. This being said, budgets and resources many times prevent businesses from building both a mobile app and mobile optimized website. In such cases, it is important to prioritize development based on business needs and goals and on consumer demand.To assist you in your decision, below are some things to consider about mobile optimized websites vs. native mobile apps:
Mobile Optimized Websitesvs. Native Mobile Apps
· A mobile optimized website is a more cost effective solution than a mobile app, since a mobile app needs to be developed for different mobile platforms separately and has to be pushed to the app store. Amobile website on the other hand, is universally accessible through mobile browsers.
· If your strategy depends heavily upon SEO and search engine visibility to direct traffic to your business, then a mobile optimized website is probably the way to go. A mobile applives in a more isolatedenvironment which would need alternate methods to drive traffic towards it.
· A mobile website can often cater to a wider audience. It can be made available immediately whereas a mobile app would have to be made available through app stores.
· A mobile optimized website often takes far less time to create than a full-fledged mobile app.
· A mobile app has the advantage of providing mobile specific functionality and speed that cannot be matched by a mobile website. The experience provided by a mobile app is governed by the operating system it is designed for.
· A mobile app is more suited for apps that require sending and receiving large amounts of data as the app leverages the functionality of the operating system to carry out such tasks efficaciously.
· A mobile app is also the right solution when targeting a specific group of people such as the employees of your business where a more personalized experience may be desired.
Focus on User Experience
A mobile website should ideally be crafted using theresponsive web design (RWD) approach. This approach makes the website compatible for viewing on most mobile platforms, facilitating easy reading and navigation with minimum resizing, panning and scrolling. Such a website is called a responsive website.
Use of heavy graphics such as Flash during software development, increases the page loading time of the website. Hence, it is nest to abstain from adding too much dynamic content to the website as it hampers both the speed and the user experience.
Make yourMobile Presence Felt
Online marketing is the most pervasive and quickest marketing technique for promoting your mobile presence. It can reach diverse audiences across the globe in no time. Go social! Harness the abundant power of the social media to keep mobile audiences engaged in your business activities such as promotions, discounts and much more. Share relevant content, images and promotions on social websites such as LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Google+ and more.You can also make use of Google Mobile Ads to help youpush your ads to smartphone users.
A bonus step is to exploit the Facebook check-in feature for mobile. If your business has a physical location that customers can visit, they can check-in to your store/location using their mobile phones, thereby promoting your business online.
Secure your Mobile Website and App
The popularity of smartphones makes them an attractive target for hackers. It is of extreme importance to ensure that security measures are in place to earn customer's trust and satisfaction. To achieve this, it is imperative to choose a highly secure SSL connection andselect a payment gateway that complies with required mobile PCI security standards.It is recommended to formulate a clear policy for mobile security and abide bythe industry standards that govern transaction security and encryption.
Today, consumers are glued to their smart phones in ways never thought of a few years ago. As a result, mobilization of businesses is of utmost importance to outpace the competition and stay ahead in the game. At the same time, it is advisable that businesses evaluate new technologies and strategies diligently to analyze the best fit in accordance with their business goals and their customers’ needs.
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