Mobile devices, especially those with Web capabilities, are continuing to grow in popularity across the globe. In fact, at the beginning of 2012, there were more iPhones sold on average each day than people born on average each day. So, how does this surge in mobile device usage affect your local business? The continued growth of mobile device ownership highlights the significant shift from traditional desktop browsing to a mobile lifestyle that creates tremendous opportunity for local information.
Here are a few mobile statistics from our new ebook: “150 Smart Stats: Online Marketing Trends Every Business Needs to Know” that demonstrate why building and managing a mobile Web presence can help consumers find your local business when they are searching on the go for products and services like yours.
With the number of people own smartphones in the U.S. constantly growing, now is the time to make sure your Web presence is optimized for mobile. Having a mobile-optimized presence will help you stay ahead of the curve as more people use the mobile Web to look for local products and services.
Tablet usage is quickly growing among current Internet users. With tablets being lightweight and portable mobile devices, they give consumers more of an opportunity to engage with your business. And because they have larger screens than smartphones, tablets make it easy for consumers to view your videos and content. 85% of People Use a Tablet or Smartphone While Watching TV. And what’s even more surprising is that 66% of people use a tablet or phone while on a computer while watching TV. So, because consumers are spending a large percentage of time multitasking across various devices at the same time, it is essential for your business to market to people on all of the places they access the Web. It’s also critical to make your messaging consistent across all of your marketing, both online and offline, in order to effectively build your brand with consumers. By the Year 2016, Mobile will Overtake PC for Local Searches. Today, three out of five consumers use a smartphone to search for a local business.
By developing a mobile marketing strategy now, you can ensure that potential customers can find you when they search via mobile today, and help your business prepare for when mobile becomes even more prominent in the search for local business.
(Marketwire) — 03/26/12 — The rapid adoption of smart mobile devices, such as the iPhone and the iPad, is changing how consumers interact with search engines, and advertisers are paying attention. According to a report released today by Marin Software, the leading online advertising management platform for advertisers and agencies, smartphones and tablets will account for 25% of Google’s U.S. paid search clicks by December 2012, up from 5% in January 2011. A comparison of click through rates show that consumers are far more likely to engage with search engine ads on smart mobile devices compared to desktop computers.
The popularity of these mobile devices coupled with their ad performance will result in a surge of new ad dollars for Google in 2012.
News Facts
Another great article on the effects that technology on online marketing.
The number of paid search clicks being made by tablet and smartphone users has soared over the last six months, new figures show. Mobile and tablet users accounted for ten per cent of all US search ad clicks in the fourth quarter of last year, representing a doubling in click share since Q3.
Furthermore, the research from Marin Software, shows the click through rate (CTR) of search ads served on tablets was 38 per cent higher than the CTR of ads on desktops. The US Online Advertising Report is made of key findings from the firm’s Global Online Advertising Index, which is itself comprised of data from more than 1,000 large advertisers and agencies.
“In Q4 2011, we saw paid search marketers allocate a larger portion of budgets to mobile devices than ever before,” said Matt Lawson, vice-president of marketing and partnerships at Marin Software.
“Given the favourable performance characteristics of mobile advertising today, we expect this trend to continue as advertising dollars begin to chase consumer behaviour.”
However, research from Econsultancy has shown that 70 per cent of firms have not optimised their website for tablet and smartphone use, while 84 per cent are not designing marketing emails for mobile.
The Marin Software report also found that across Google, Yahoo! and Bing, paid search spend increased 35 per cent, while click volume increased 56 per cent. Most importantly for brands using mobile advertising, CTR increased 23 per cent and cost per click (CPC) decreased 14 per cent during Q4 2011 compared to the same period a year ago.
According to the authors: “The combination of improving CTRs and declining CPC, point to significant efficiency gains for advertisers over the past year.”
In addition, search advertisers on Google saw a 48 per cent increase in clicks compared to last year, without an accompanying increase in impressions. CTR on Google also increased 48 per cent, while CPC decreased seven per cent. The authors say this suggests large-scale advertisers were able to realise “efficiency gains through improved matching and more effective bidding”.
Another great article from Search Engine Watch, about the use of tablets. If you are considering online marketing, or are currently involved in online marketing, think about the platforms that you need consider in your online marketing program.
New data suggests that tablet computers are changing the way we search, shop, and play online. If you advertise on AdWords, more and more of your prospects will be finding you via iPads and other tablets. To reach and influence these prospects, you need to understand when, where and how they use the Internet – and adjust your advertising strategies to accommodate them.
Google search data released in September, 2011 shows that search volume on smartphones, tablets, and desktop computers varies by time of day. As tablets gain in popularity to become our “third screen”, our browsing habits on smartphones and desktops shifts to accommodate the new medium.
Desktops are used predominantly during business hours. Usage rises at 9am and falls at 6pm, with a small spike around 8pm. Smartphone usage increases throughout the day, spiking during the morning and evening commute and in the evening. Tablets get a rest during the day, but are used intensively in the evening.
The Google Mobile Ads team then conducted and reported the results of a 2-week-long diary study that explored how, when, and where users interacted with their tablets. The unsurprising punch line: tablets are overwhelmingly for for personal use.
But that’s not the only difference. Tablets appear to be the ultimate multi-task device, with over 40% of tablet use coinciding with some other activity like watching TV, cooking, eating, and even getting dressed (thankfully, the published study did not get into personal hygiene or amorous activities).
During the week, tablet use tends to be “short burst”; checking email, playing a game, and watching YouTube “video snacks”, to borrow Vidsense.com CEO Jaffer Ali’s memorable phrase. On weekends, the activities expand to fit the larger chunks of free time: watching whole movies and TV shows.
Tablets are not as mobile as mobile phones outside the home; most respondents report leaving their tablets at home when they go to work (tablets do go on vacations and business trips, however).
Within the home, tablets seem to follow us everywhere; the couch, the kitchen, the table, the bedroom. Respondents listen to music and search (for recipes?) in the kitchen. They check email on the couch and in bed, and Facebook everywhere but the kitchen.
More and more consumers are using tablets as “real world interface devices”; browsing and shopping online, searching for local businesses, and managing finances. Almost 20% of tablet-based activities are also carried out on desktops and smartphones, suggesting that the search funnel has just become hyper-dimensional. A consumer might begin browsing on their desktop and complete the purchase on their tablet in the privacy and convenience of their living room.
If you advertise on Google, assume that your prospects are seeing your ads on tablets as well as desktops and phones. If you’re running campaigns according to Google’s default settings, you’re already showing ads on all three devices so you can see actual data for each device.
From the All Campaigns view in AdWords, click the Segment button and select Device from the drop-down list:
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Research on tablet usage has found, since the iPad first made its way into the hands of millions in 2010, that they are primarily used for entertainment, and the availability of media content on the devices is still driving purchase intent. A March 2011 survey from mobile ad network AdMob amplifies those findings further, showing that for many owners tablets are fast becoming a primary source of entertainment.
Nearly seven in 10 tablet owners reported spending at least 1 hour per day using the device, including 38% who spent over 2 hours on it. And while just 28% consider it their primary computer, 77% are spending less time on desktop or laptop PCs since they got a tablet.
More than two in five respondents now spend more time each day with their tablet than with a traditional computer or with a smartphone, and a third use tablets more than they watch TV.
