A few years ago, we wrote about the ballooning trend of customers using mobile devices, such as smartphones and tablets. Mobile devices were surpassing computers in sales, connecting customers and prospects to businesses, and helping salespeople close deals. As people increasingly used their mobile devices for information on the go, the small screen proved itself bigger than the larger lap or desktop screen when delivering sales messages to targeted audiences.
Well, the trend continues. Consider these stats from Statista, Semrush, Tech Jury and Google:
- 49 billion is the projected number of mobile users worldwide by 2025
- $413B is the projected global mobile marketing industry spend by 2024
- 60% of the total digital advertising spend worldwide in 2022 was on mobile
- 87% of Americans will surf the web on smartphones by 2025
- 1% of web designers think non-responsive design is a top reason why visitors leave a website
These stats, although they’re not B2B specific, show an important trend: People use mobile devices to look for products, services and business information. Let’s go to B2B specifically for a more dialed-down perspective. According to NASDAQ-listed ecommerce platform Big Commerce:
- 72% of B2B buyers place their orders via mobile phone
- 80% of B2B buyers use mobile phones at various points of the buying process
What amount of your attention do we have now? Good, then now is the time to consider our top five insights for what your customers need on the small screen.
Your Website Must Be Mobile-friendly
This is the point people miss the most when they say they are not ready to invest in a new website. At ER Marketing, we recommend at least creating a simple mobile-friendly website landing page with key information about your services and includes contact information. Whatever the case, make sure you incorporate a mobile-friendly website in your sales and marketing strategy. Whether you’re marketing or simply communicating with your customers, you need to think about the small screen, from visual design to load capabilities. (A recent Google study of lead generation brands found, “a mobile speed improvement of just 0.1 second for an informational page decreased bounce rate by 8.3% for 1 in 2 lead generation sites.”)
Make Sure Your Email is Easy to Read on Mobile Devices.
We’ve said it before and it bears repeating: Mobile-friendly email is a key business communication tool. Keep your message’s subject line short. Your brand name and call to action should be high enough on the screen so viewers quickly and easily know what you want them to do.
Customers Want to Find You.
They want to contact you. Make it easy for them by including these key items: a readily available contact page with your address and a map that links to Google Maps, click-to-call enabled phone numbers, easily accessible email addresses and social media links.
If you’re not using a social media strategy, you should be. Let’s talk. Because, according to data generator Foundry, 75% of B2B buyers and 84% of C-suite executives use social media when making a purchase. Also, B2B social media marketing has quirks that B2C doesn’t, including the fact that social is not where you necessarily convert the greatest number of leads, but it may serve as a vital early step in your customers’ buying journey. Also, the longer decision train in B2B needs to be considered.
Content is King
Content should come first in any marketing and sales strategy. Your website should easily describe what you do—but not only what you do, but why it matters and the benefit of your services to the visitor. According to the Content Marketing Institute, “B2B marketers who create content should mobile-optimize their content marketing strategy to extend the time visitors spend engaging with their content and convert more of those mobile visitors into customers.”
A focus on local content (Google found 40+ percent of all mobile searches were performed with a local intent) and video content (short-form video will see the most growth in 2023, as it’s a marketing bonanza with a high ROI) were effective strategies for B2B, according to CMI.
Customers looking at your website or email on a smartphone need to see refined content. Less space to get your message across can be a challenge, but it’s one worth facing. Consider using a content specialist to help you format your story and your message to fit across multiple screens. Also, note that forms and downloads should be mobile friendly if you’re looking to include them on your mobile website.
Mobile Devices and Sales
Your sales teams are using mobile tools to help sell your products and services, yes? If they’re not, know that your competitors use them. These tools can include tablets loaded with online demos, PowerPoint presentations, documents and online brochures—or they can include apps, such as sales management software or even email, to help them close business. This should be part of your strategy to grow your business. It will help make you communicate more efficiently and connect you to your customers.
Bonus Tip:
Although many B2B folks are familiar with the idea of touch-friendly design, we find it’s something not everyone thinks about (but thankfully some do). Clicking precisely on a link or feature on small screen can be tough (everyone understands fat fingers!). Good web developers are adamant about designing for mobile content with increase space between different “touch targets” in the content. Frustrated users, who can’t accurately choose the link they intend, leave your content and website quickly.
According to CMS Report, make it “easier for your users to tap on your calls to action and links to your additional content, to your social media outlets, or to your website.” Many mobile site designers suggest following guidelines provided by different mobile platforms to decide on the size of the touch targets to use, or start with Apple’s iOS Human Interface Guidelines , which recommends a minimum target size of 44 pixels wide 44 pixels tall. Similar Android guidelines can be found here.
To summarize, focus on your website, but make sure that you’re optimizing your mobile message. We believe this to be the center of your business operations, no matter the industry you’re in. Serve up a mobile-friendly website experience that allows customers to find you and contact you. As the smartphone becomes the computer of choice, companies that enable their message for the small screen will be poised to attract new business and strengthen their brand awareness. Small screen marketing is—and continues to be—smart screen marketing.
