Mobile Search Marketing – Keep it Relevant

by Heather Ryan, Director of Program Management

Mobile search is certainly a topic that is discussed at length, and it seems that every year since 2004 has been dubbed “The Year of Mobile Search”. I won’t declare 2008 “The Year”, but I will share with you some interesting stats and some important and logical things to keep in mind when venturing into a mobile search marketing campaign.

The undeniable fact is that the numbers speak for themselves; according to M:Metrics more than 14.8 million mobile searchers accessed web search over a three-month period ending in February 2008. There is a large and growing audience to be reached and you want to be established in this market before your competition.

To date the Mobile Web has centered around quick, on-the-go information gathering such as weather, sports scores, news, and search, local search in particular. This makes a lot of sense when you look at your “old” mobile phone. How much are you going to read on a 2” x 1.5” screen? The majority of mobile users are still information-based, however as devices such as the iPhone create better user experiences, more and more marketers are finding success connecting mobile searchers with their brand through games, videos and interactive brand engagement. Marketing Sherpa reported that 13.8% of consumer marketers will conduct a mobile campaign or test in 2007.

When venturing into a paid mobile search campaign what should you keep in mind? The answer is easy – user experience and campaign relevance. Remember the majority of mobile users are still looking for fast and relevant answers. Follow these tips:

  • Ensure that you direct mobile search to a mobile friendly site – It may seem basic, but it is important enough to be said
  • Incorporate easy to spot calls to action and technology like click-to-call to drive quick and easy user action
  • Keep your keywords relevant to your service or products – no one wants to find their local pet store when searching for a grill
  • Keep your keywords tight – remember mobile search is about the quick and easy, so there is little to no volume in long-tail terms
  • Start small, test, measure success and make smart expansion and optimization decisions – many of the basic principles of SEM apply to mobile
There may never be a true “Year of Mobile Search”, but as demand increases and technology improves user experiences this may be the year to test the waters. Just keep user experience and campaign relevance in mind as you craft your mobile campaign.

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