Mobile marketers will drive 80% of engagements through Mobile Sites

The importance of mobile — especially mobile as the primary or only device used to connect to a brand — continues to grow, making a mobile-optimized website an essential requirement for all brands.

To successfully create a results-driven mobile website, Gartner has identified three essential elements that marketing leaders must address:

1.     Determine the why, what, how and where — Customer behavior, needs and motivations on mobile devices differ from those on desktops. Marketing leaders should determine what role their mobile site serves for their customers and prospects, what they want to accomplish and how they use their mobile site. Mobile sites that translate this knowledge into focused, validated mobile experiences have high adoption and customer satisfaction levels, and deliver conversions.

2.     Make data-driven content choices — A mobile site should never be a condensed version of a desktop site. Marketers must take a data-driven assessment of content to ensure that their mobile site has the amount and type of content and functionality their customers need to accomplish their goals.

3.     Research and test beyond speed and performance — Many organizations test their mobile site’s speed and performance but stop their testing efforts after that. Marketing leaders must conduct user research and testing on mobile sites before, during and after development. This will reveal where interactions are confusing, where customer journeys are prolonged or get interrupted by environmental as well as design elements, and where content gaps exist.

“As mobile usage continues to grow, so does the importance of mobile websites. Marketers must understand why customers are visiting their organization’s site and what content they need to accomplish their goals,” added Ms. Mennella. “It is only by putting the customer first that going mobile will work.”