5 Tips for Smart Marketing on Smartphones

A few years ago, we witnessed a seismic shift as customers increasingly turned to mobile devices like smartphones and tablets for various activities. Mobile technology changed the way people searched for information, connected with businesses, and even made purchases. Mobile sales outpaced desktop activity, fundamentally altering how sales messages reached targeted audiences.

Fast-forward to today, and the trend is not just continuing—it’s accelerating at an unprecedented pace. Here are some updated statistics that underscore how critical mobile marketing has become in 2024 and beyond, sourced from Statista, Semrush, Tech Jury, and Google:

• 7.7 billion is the projected number of mobile users globally by 2027.
• $474 billion is the forecasted spending in the mobile marketing industry by the end of 2024.
• Over 72% of total digital ad spend worldwide in 2023 was invested in mobile advertising.
• 92.1% of internet users now access the web via their mobile devices.
• 70% of users say non-mobile-optimized websites are a major reason for leaving a platform.

These figures highlight an undeniable reality—people are using their mobile devices to research products, find information, and even make purchases more than ever before. For B2B businesses, the implications are crystal clear. According to recent data from BigCommerce and Forrester:

• 74% of B2B customers now research or finalize purchases using their mobile devices.
• 85% of B2B buyers rely on smartphones as a tool throughout various stages of the purchase process.

The desktop revolution has officially taken a back seat to mobile involvement. For businesses who want to capture prospects’ attention effectively, developing a robust mobile marketing strategy is non-negotiable. Now that we have your full attention, here are our top five tips to ensure your messaging performs well on the small screen.

1. Create a Mobile-Friendly Website

Your website is the foundation of your digital strategy, and mobile-friendliness is no longer a luxury; it’s a necessity. In fact, a study by Google revealed that a mobile website load-time improvement of just 0.1 seconds increased conversion rates by 8% for eCommerce platforms.

Track Google’s Core Web Vitals on mobile, target LCP ≤ 2.5s, CLS ≤ 0.1, and INP ≤ 200 ms for responsive, stable pages. With mobile-first indexing complete, the mobile version drives discovery, so monitor Search Console’s Core Web Vitals report and PageSpeed Insights to catch regressions early.

At ER Marketing, we always stress the importance of having at least a minimal mobile-optimized landing page that includes essential information about your services along with contact details. A mobile-friendly website optimizes your visuals, reduces load times, and offers seamless navigation—resulting in improved customer experiences while reducing bounce rates.

• Serve responsive images with srcset and sizes, and compress for slower cellular networks.
• Use modern formats like WebP or AVIF across supported browsers to cut weight.
• Turn on native image lazy loading with loading=”lazy” for below-the-fold media.
• Preconnect to CDNs and key service APIs to speed DNS, TLS, and handshakes.
• Use font-display: swap and limit custom weights to reduce layout shifts.
• Set long cache lifetimes for static assets, then version files to control updates.

Pro tip 🌟: Ensure all your call-to-action buttons work flawlessly on touchscreens, with plenty of space between clickable elements to avoid frustrating users with “fat finger syndrome.”

2. Optimize Emails for Mobile Readability

Email marketing remains one of the most powerful tools for engaging customers, but if your emails aren’t optimized for smartphones, they could be missing their mark. Research shows that 78% of emails are accessed on mobile devices first, and a poorly formatted email can cause immediate disengagement.

• Use short and engaging subject lines.
• Place your brand’s call-to-action (CTA) prominently within the first few lines of the email.
• Avoid overcrowding the email with unnecessary graphics and maintain concise messaging.

Apple Mail Privacy Protection skews open rates, so judge performance by clicks, conversions, and replies. Use a single-column layout, set body text at least 16px, size CTAs near 44px high, and keep code lean to avoid Gmail’s 102 KB clip limit.

The goal is clear communication that looks awesome on smaller screens.

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.

3. Customers Must Be Able to Find You, Fast

Imagine having a great product but being difficult to contact—it’s the digital equivalent of opening an awesome store and hiding the entrance. Potential clients should be able to locate your contact details with ease on mobile. If they can’t click through to call, email, or even access your address via GPS, you risk losing valuable leads.

Key elements to include for B2B businesses:

• Click-to-call enabled phone numbers.
• Linked Google Maps for physical office locations.
• Clear social media links integrated into your website.
• Complete and maintain your Google Business Profile, categories, hours, services or products, photos, and Q&A, to power click-to-call and directions.
• Google retired Business Profile messaging in July 2024, so highlight phone, website, and directions.
• Keep NAP data consistent across directories and add UTM parameters to profile links for clean attribution.

Not using a social media marketing strategy yet? You should! According to data generator Foundry, platforms like LinkedIn are vital tools for 75% of B2B buyers and 84% of C-suite executives, who actively use social media throughout the decision-making process.

4. Content Still Reigns as King—and It’s Crowned by Mobile Optimization

Great content will always win, but mobile-first content is the true champion in 2024. According to CMI, well-optimized content increases visitor time-on-site significantly and gives you better conversion rates. Focus on providing brilliantly clear and compact messaging.

Quick Content Tips

• Use localized content to target nearby customers, as 42% of mobile searches include local intent.
• Include high-ROI short-form videos, which continue to dominate marketing strategies, as many users prefer video over text.
• Work on responsive designs to fit content across various screen sizes seamlessly.

Leverage tools like a content calendar or specialist to ensure your strategy fits well with how audiences consume information on-the-go.

Use Google Analytics 4 to track mobile actions like click_to_call, generate_lead, view_promotion, and file_download. Mark key events as conversions, link Google Ads, and use enhanced measurement for scrolls, outbound clicks, and downloads.

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.”

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.

5. Empower Your Sales Team with Mobile Tools

Mobile marketing goes hand in hand with modern sales enablement. If your sales team isn’t equipped with mobile devices or applications to assist in closing deals, your competitors likely are. Equip your teams with tools such as CRM apps, sales management software, and interactive product demos designed for tablets or smartphones.

SMS/MMS Compliance for U.S. Outreach

For marketing texts, get prior express consent under the TCPA, identify your business, and include clear opt-out language like STOP or HELP. Register A2P 10DLC numbers and campaigns with carriers to reduce filtering and improve delivery for sales alerts and appointment reminders.

Whether it’s showcasing products in real-time with augmented reality or hosting quick video pitch calls, mobile technology plays a pivotal role in turning prospects into paying customers. iOS 16.4 and Android support Web Push for installed PWAs, so with permission you can re-engage opted-in users with relevant, time-sensitive notifications. Prompt at the right moment and honor browser permission settings to protect trust.

Bonus Tip Touch-Friendly Design

Don’t overlook the power of touch-friendly websites and applications. Clunky interfaces or buttons that are difficult to click on mobile screens can quickly drive users away. Industry pros recommend keeping touchpoints—like buttons and CTA links—at a minimum size of 44px by 44px, as per Apple’s iOS guidelines.

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.

• Keep text contrast at least 4.5:1 for body copy.
• Preserve visible focus states for keyboard and switch users.
• Allow text resizing to 200% without loss of content or functionality.
• Write descriptive link text and alt text for icons and controls.

Final Thoughts

Marketing for mobile devices is no longer just an adaptation of desktop strategies—it’s its own beast that requires careful planning and mobile-first design principles. Ensure every digital touchpoint is optimized to give your prospects a seamless experience, whether they’re browsing your website, reading your emails, or connecting via social media.

Remember: Small screen marketing is smart marketing. Focusing your attention on mobile will inevitably strengthen your brand and boost your business growth.

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