Go Mobile or Go Home

Today’s modern consumers are changing the way they interact with brands. They are changing the way they do business, and they are changing the way they obtain and process information. Is your company hearing what they are saying?

The Modern Consumer

As a business owner, understanding who your target audience is may only be half of the battle. According to emerging trends for 2013, it is predicted that consumers will look to their mobile devices increasingly – to maximize their lives, every single moment of their lives. This means that when it comes to searching for products and services, information, and even forming relationships on a personal and professional level, the Smartphone revolution is here to stay. But what is it about mobile technology that makes the modern consumer so excited? The instant gratification. Today’s society demands that individuals remain “on at all times” and in order to do so, they must remain connected. In order to get things done, information must be available at the drop of a hat and each moment spent searching is valuable. This means that when it comes to accessing information, instantaneous gratification is imperative. If you want your brand to be seen and heard, you must cater to the needs of the consumer – the instantaneous needs, especially. With digital technologies being the new source of information for consumers – with apps being developed for every question or concern a person may have – it is imperative that your company stays on the right path. Is your company part of this new revolution of consumer needs?

The Mobile Revolution

At this point, you may be wondering how you can do that. You are likely doing everything you need to be doing already:

• Top-notch service
• Expertise in your field
• Impeccable customer service
• Attention to detail
• Superior products and services
• Customer relationships

But are you providing all of those things, seamlessly, across mobile platforms? Many companies have developed websites in response to the Internet revolution. No longer can a brand get by successfully with a telephone number and office location. Companies must be accessible via the World Wide Web because consumers demand it. But what else are consumers demanding? 24/7 access, on the go, and any time they need it. With Smartphones and instant gratification as the standard for consumer engagement, it only makes sense that your mobile site should be “going digital”. Obviously, websites are accessible on any device that has access to WiFi or 4G technology, but when it comes to mobile sites, there are standards. Consumers do not like bad mobile sites. Since the modern consumer is task-oriented, he wants to be able to navigate through a mobile site with ease and obtain information seamlessly. According to a recent survey, without that ability, 79% of consumers will double-back to the search engine if a site is not mobile friendly.

• 67% of consumers are more likely to make a purchase from a mobile-friendly brand
• 61% of consumers are more likely to move their attention elsewhere from a NON mobile-friendly brand
• 65% of consumers will actually develop a negative opinion of a brand based on a poor mobile-site

What’s a company to do?

Responsive Web Design

As a way to combat the potential negatives of a poor mobile site, web developers have implemented a strategy for companies: responsive web design. Responsive web design: the process of creating a website that is accessible on all devices. The design of the website alters itself depending on the size of the screen being used to view the mobile site. Since user behavior changes depending on the device or platform, a website that can accurately respond to the needs of the consumer is imperative for businesses in this generation. Imagine this… Susan is looking for an Italian restaurant in the area as she is traveling for business and unfamiliar. She jumps on her Tablet in the airport and types into a Google search and ends up clicking your restaurant. However, she quickly doubles back to the search engine since your website will not load and she cannot quickly note the location or menu. You certainly do NOT want this to happen! You do not want you potential customer to have to zoom and scroll from side to side to find information, or worse, leave the site because the information will not load quickly. With responsive web design, the consumer is not prompted to do anything. Everyone saves time. Your mobile site is developed in a way that can respond to the size of the screen and speed of the connection. Imagery and text can be altered to best suit the needs of the consumer at that specific moment. With responsive design, a website can:

• Recognize the user’s device
• Deliver relevant information in an order that works with the device
• Determine the amount of viewable screen size to alter images and text
• Reposition relevant information and content
• Shorten “dead time”
• Eliminate or lessen “bounce rates”

Join The Revolution

Are you wondering how you can get on board and upgrade to a responsive design? Many web developers can make the change for you. And once you’ve joined the revolution, you’re joining with forces such as The Boston Globe – one of the largest responsive web-design projects to date. A final piece of advice: Start small, go mobile first and get your mobile site live. Consumers have made it clear a company without a mobile site will not earn their trust nor their business. After that, go responsive and get yourself up to speed with the world of instantaneous, responsively designed gratification. You won’t regret it! John Boudreau, COO and Co-Founder of Astonish, has been in the insurance marketing and technology business for nearly 10 years. He works closely with local insurance agencies across the country to understand what works and what doesn’t in an attempt to increase their share of the digital landscape through online marketing tactics and a robust customer relationship marketing tool. Clients of the Astonish digital marketing system often have outstanding results as described in this Astonish results review.  Image Credit: www.speedofcreativity.org