A record number of people are moving towards a mobile-centric usage. Not just people, but companies have begun to use mobiles as a way of working too. For instance, PCs and Macs are gradually being phased out while tablets have taken their place in many companies. This is because of the physical mobility they facilitate. Thus, the content that you publish should be focused more towards a mobile-centric audience.
In the years ahead, we will see a surge of new Internet users from emerging economies that will begin to use the internet only on mobile devices. PCs and Macs will find their place as niche devices used by professionals and those who really need to work hard. In such a circumstance, it only makes sense for you to be prepared for the future and optimize your mobile content.
In this article, let us take a look at why you should be optimizing your mobile content for the year 2016, whether you live in India or elsewhere in the world. After all, Internet is usually the same wherever we live and the larger trends are reflected across the globe.
1. Moving towards an App-only Strategy
It must become clear to you by now that most companies are moving towards a mobile only strategy. This started with Flipkart, an eCommerce giant based in India. Considering their own traffic and user data, they decided to forego their desktop website in favor of mobile application. It seems to be working for them. This is mostly because in poorer countries people cannot afford expensive desktops or laptops. Cellphones are their primary means of accessing the Internet.
If you wish to tap this audience, it becomes clear that you will have to go mobile, along with the content that you publish. This ensures that your content is optimized to be visible and readable across platforms, including mobile. Moreover, this is a good opportunity for you to tap into these emerging user-bases.
2. Emerging Economies Focus on Mobile Internet
Emerging economies such as India, countries in Africa and Latin America, and even Russia are more amenable to use cellphones in place of desktops. This is because, as we previously pointed out, they cannot afford desktops and laptops. This must then indicate that more people currently access the Internet through mobile phones and tablets than through desktops and laptops.
Similarly, companies have begun to ask their employees to bring their own devices to work, without giving them desktops or laptops to work with. This results in a situation where both consumers and decision makers are using mobile devices to access content. If you want to reach this huge audience, you will have to go mobile or make your existing content mobile-centric.
3. Mobile Content is Responsive
Just because you went mobile or you optimized your content for mobile devices does not mean you will have to forego your desktop website, like Flipkart did. Most websites today are responsive. This means, they can adjust to the screen size of the device a user is using. This means, your content will be optimized for mobile devices but will also be available on desktops and laptops for those who choose it.
When you get your website designed, ask for a mobile-first strategy so that your website and content are responsive across devices. You will no longer need to worry about segmenting your audience based on the kind of device they use. All you need to do is to ensure that your content is primarily written for a mobile audience. The rest of them will be taken care of by responsive technology.
4. Mobility Ensure Greater Interaction
Going mobile has its own advantages other than the sheer number of people who use mobile devices. Mobile devices allow for more interaction between you and the user. Moreover, even the user can interact with the application or the website better than he or she can on a desktop website. Of course, Microsoft’s Windows 10 allows touchscreen capabilities on its desktop OS by it is still not enough and not good enough, when compared with mobile applications.
When you write or publish content for mobile devices, you will end up helping your audience to interact with your content in a smoother and clearer manner. It is more instinctive than having to click through websites on a desktop or laptop to reach your content. Certainly, by now we all know that interaction is very important.
5. Better Chances at Sales and Conversions
The most impressive quality about mobile content is that one can see a greater number of conversions. People who browse on apps or mobile websites tend to hit the ‘buy’ button more than those who browse on desktops. This is because, there are less distractions and it is easier to land at the sales page. If you are looking for conversions or sales, a good place to start might be to optimize your content to suit mobile devices.
Chances are, you will see more people purchasing your goods or services, more than you ever did on a desktop website. With more people using cell phones and tablets than legacy devices, it is also sensible to be on mobile platforms and focus your content on mobile platforms.
6. The Deluge of Mobile Devices
There is no doubt that people prefer mobile devices to legacy computers for a variety of reasons. Some of these reasons are economic while a few others are about ease of use, mobility, efficiency and other factors. If you are still wondering why you should go mobile, you only need to look at the total number of mobile devices that are purchased every year.
When we compare the number of iPhones and iMacs sold across the world, it becomes quickly clear to you that there is no comparing the numbers between mobile devices and personal computers. This is the main reason why you should optimize your content to suit a mobile platform.
Beyond 2016
In 2016 and beyond, these trends will continue and rather crystallize. People across the world will shift to mobile devices and your focus will have to veer towards optimizing your content for mobile devices. This will help you to reach a larger target audience and focus on what you really do best: offer great products and services. You need to be where the market is and right now and in future, it happens to be mobile devices. It is as simple as that. If you need help in optimizing your mobile content, do not hesitate to contact us for a quick consultation.
