Category Archives: Web/Tech

Web and technology

If You Have a Mobile App, You Still Need a Mobile Website

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ONE_TASTE_outlinedA weekend search on my iPhone for a Dunkin’ Donuts in an Illinois college town brought home to me the need for a robust mobile website EVEN IF you do have a downloadable mobile app. Personally, I don’t like apps. They are hard to find and identify on your smartphone and remember that you have them in the first place. As smartphones become as much a PDA as a phone, people will be looking for ways to simplify what is on their devices so app catalogs will go the way of cable channel directories.

But back to Dunkin Donuts. I searched for a store locator that took me to a mobile-optimized landing page that looked great but basically said “to continue with a mobile experience, you have to download our app.” So I took the road less traveled and chose the button that said “visit our full site” and that is where mobile-friendly ended — just as my mouth began to water at the thought of a french crueller from Dunkin’.

So if I wanted to locate a store, I was now in the land of ‘pinch and zoom” and working up a donut appetite at the same time. For one tenth of what Dunkin’ app cost, they could have had a mobile-optimized site that allowed me to find the store and be done.  They could have thrown in a free donut with a cup of coffee offer for my trouble as well while adding my behavior data to everything they know about customers and more.

Somehow there is a belief that app downloads are like loyalty clubs. That if you download you will return to the brand again and again. Studies show that only one in four app is ever touched again after the initial download. And often the app this is provided only does one thing…find a store, get our newsletter, you get the picture.

So the take away from my donut safari is three things. First, make sure your app if you must have one, ALWAYS take the customer to a mobile-friendly site (not just a landing page) and gives them everything they need and want to make a purchase decision on the go.  Second, give those who do not want to download your app a mobile experience anyway. If they search for you or you some up in a more generic search, having your own mobile website will improve your ranking and you own your brand. You decide what the listing says and doesn’t say.  Third (and tied to number two), consider skipping the app and putting your money into a robust mobile site that includes hours of operation, directions, location info, coupons, sign up for deals and newsletters, videos about your product or even your latest commercial, pictures of product or people if you are in the service business – there is virtually nothing that can not go on a mobile website. But putting it there without thinking about the customer is a definite show-stopper.

All of this anxiety came from wanting a donut. Sure hope anxiety burns calories. Maybe I should have been a police officer?

 

 

What Apple Should Do to Improve Search in iOS Maps for 2013

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Apple iOS 6 MapsA lot of bits and ink were spilled on critiquing Apple iOS 6 Maps and also the return of Google Maps to iOS in 2012. Most focused on the perceived “stumble” Apple map in introducing a solution that may not have been fully ready. Subsequent events, such as the firing by Apple of the iOS chief Scott Forstall and the head of the maps effort, Richard Williamson didn’t help public perception.

Smartphone Maps Apps and Consumer Search
For our customers, location based services on smartphones is a critical matter. Ensuring that a business or location is found and properly marked on a map is essential. In our own experience here at Torsion Mobile, we’ve found Apple Maps to be a mixed bag. Some of the technical underpinnings were – for example the introduction of turn-by-turn directions -  a much-welcomed upgrade over the old Google-derived maps application. However, our success of using Apple iOS 6 Maps to find a location or business was truly a hit-or-miss.

And that is one of the truly challenging aspects for Apple and one where they could do more to improve. Google has a massive advantage (some might even say monopolist position) in having knowledge of where things are. No other single entity save perhaps UPS or FedEx, is likely to have as rich a database of locations.

Many consumers use their maps app on a smartphone as the starting point for discovery. The map app provider which has a rich, accurate database of locations and information associated with them has the lead. It is also a seemingly ignored fact that Google has by far and away the most dominant position in mobile-based search in the US – more than 90% of all searches by most estimates. Their knowledge of places, what happens there, how to contact them – and most important – how consumers interact with them – is massive.

Apple as Underdog
It’s not obvious, but Apple does provide a list of data sources in the iOS 6 Maps acknowledgement page. While comprehensive, business and organization litsings seems to be derived primarily from database-marketing giant Acxiom and ratings-provider Yelp, it is not as wide-reaching as Google’s. How can it be? Google has had years to not only refine listings though products like Google Places, but to also observe consumer behavior and layer in other data sources. This lack of depth is the true Achilles heel of the Apple map application. Since Apple is the clear underdog in this area, we think it’s past time for them to take some aggressive steps to remedy the situation.

Time for Boldness
Apple needs to provide a mechanism for developers and others to submit location based data directly to Apple. Google already has this in the Google Places product. Organizations can submit information directly to Google to enhance or correct all manner of information about their location. This then feeds into all of Google’s search applications – including those on their own smartphone OS as well as their Map app on Apple iOS.

Apple should immediately put up, through their developer network or directly to the public or both, a structured and easy to use mechanism to submit location-based information. This will help fill in the holes in the listings. Apple should not rely solely on location gatekeepers (Acxiom, Yelp, etc.) whose business model acts as a hurdle to building a comprehensive location listing. Engage those partners – yes. Make them the only path – no.

Time for Transparency
Apple should also immediately become more transparent and accessible for those who wish to correct erroneous listings in Apple Maps. The in-app solution is not enough in this regard. We’ve personally submitted corrections to Apple weeks ago for listings that show businesses in the wrong place. As of today, they still are still inaccurate. There is no clear indication from Apple how long (if ever) it takes from reporting to publishing those corrections. For an underdog, this is a mistake. Secrecy and keeping the solution within the family was a hallmark of Steve Jobs. With Tim Cook as leader, it’s not clear that secrecy in all things is necessary or even works.

Mr. Cue Holds the Keys
Undoubtedly, there are those who can list all sorts of reasons why openly engaging the public is difficult for Apple to accomplish. So what? While Eddie Cue is reputed to be Apple’s Mr. Fixit, not all roads to making Apple Maps a premier product lead solely through quietly holding “partners” feet to the fire, as is Mr. Cue’s reputations. It’s time for Apple to engage the developer community and the public, provide wider submission mechanisms and be more transparent about the inner workings to truly bring the competitive heat to Google.

10 Technology Trends for 2013

10 Technology Trends for 2013 and What They Mean for You

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10 Technology Trends for 2013A couple of months ago Forbes.com’s Eric Savitz published a list from Gartner, a technology research firm, that predicted 10 technology trends for 2013. We thought they were interesting, but rather than simply repeat them here, we thought we would share what we thought they meant for you.

  1. Mobile device battles
    This trend is basically where smartphones and tablets replace PCs as the primary device used to access the Internet. It also predicts that smartphones represent 80% of handsets in mature markets.
    Impact For You: We know you’re bombarded by “mobile is everywhere” predictions all the time, but the data is clear and it’s happening now. Do you or your organization have a mobile-centric strategy to service customers, partners and employees?
  2. Mobile applications & HTML 5
    When the Apple enabled creating native applications for the iPhone, it started a revolution that caused businesses and consumers to look at “apps first”. But with the power of mobile browsers and HTML5-driven websites, there are broad categories products where mobile apps may no longer be the best choice.
    Impact For You: See #1 above and add a review for how you deliver mobile experiences. If you’ve invested in mobile apps, is it time to evaluate alternatives? It will be important to understand the differences in time to market, ease of discovery, update cycles and cost.
  3. Personal Cloud
    Consumers are becoming more comfortable with their photos, documents, preferences and more being stored somewhere other than their devices. This means the service becomes more important than the device.
    Impact For You:How can you leverage the cloud for efficiencies in your daily business? How can the services or products you produce add value in the cloud environment?
  4. Internet of Things
    The old joke went “No one knows if you are a dog on the Internet.” Now, no one will know if you’re a refrigerator. This trend builds on the emergence of smart devices which will communicate with other devices and people.
    Impact For You: Will your products be connected to the Internet and if so how will help your customers understand and use this connectivity for their benefit?
  5. Hybrid IT and Cloud Computing
    Part of the overall trend of the breaking apart of traditional centralized IT, this speaks to the notion that other departments within a company can now evaluate, purchase and consume cloud-based services such as analytics, CRM, social networking management and more.
    Impact For You: How will you work collaboratively with IT to ensure that cloud products are not only convenient but secure and meet corporate and government regulations for your business, too?
  6. Strategic Big Data
    All business has the opportunity to harvest data across are variety of networks and interactions. The idea of a single massive data warehouse is no longer practical.
    Impact For You: How will you tie different information and behavior streams together to help serve customers and partners together? And then (see next point)…
  7. Actionable Analytics
    Capturing data from customer and partner interactions leads to huge data sets. We’re confronted with a range of “dashboards” that purport to give us insights – but often just show activity.
    Impact For You: How can you turn raw activity data into intelligence that leads to action? And how do you use a whole new realm of consumer data – their location from their smartphone – into meaningful programs that enable consumers to share this data willingly?
  8. Mainstream In-Memory Computing
    Put on your propellor hat! Simply put, this trend means that data can be processed much faster by being handled outside of the hard-drive.
    Impact For You: Essentially, reports, dashboards and other data-driven artifacts will become more numerous, more in-depth (read “lengthy”) and delivered more frequently. How will you make time or structure your goals to get value out of and not drown in this stream of data?
  9. Integrated Ecosystems
    Not so long ago we had different systems for making phone calls and getting voicemails and these systems required in-house installation of hardware. Now we can completely outsource the switchboard to a virtual telephony company and have calls and voicemails routed to nearly any Internet-connected PC, tablet or even smartphone.
    Impact For You: In what ways can you leverage these systems to reduce costs and improve the customer experience? How does the convenience of having telephony services outside of a single office help improve your team’s output?
  10. Enterprise App Stores
    One of the great innovations in mobile is the public app store for mobile applications. One of the biggest headaches for businesses, organizations and education is the public app store. By having a private app store, organizations can be sure that custom application and device management can be achieved without higher support costs and security risks.
    Impact For You: If your business has it’s own app store, what applications can you think of delivering solely for your workforce? If you work with the K-12 education system, what are the opportunities you can develop if schools have their own distribution systems?

So there is a lot to think about and as usual, trends that might seem to be ready to takeoff may in fact fizzle. But taken as a whole, we can see that mobile and cloud computing are as general categories, inexorable trends. Now is a good time to at least consider their impact on you, your organization and the way you work.

Chad Lio

Going Beyond the Mobile Site

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By Chad Lio

Chad Lio of the Hoffman AgencyGuest Blog by Chad Lio, Digital Marketing Manager for The Hoffman Agency

Digital marketers understand the difference between a mobile app and a mobile site.  (Especially when our client tells us they would like an app and immediately we want to scream).

Mobile search continues to explode year after year, and yet, it’s like pulling teeth to get a client to convert to a mobile site.  In fact, I find it astounding that less than 20 percent of U.S. companies complement their traditional website with a mobile optimized one.

But that means 80 percent of companies will eventually make the move, which means more opportunity.

So — how do we convince the 80-percenters to join the mobile world?

As I continued to experiment with and use Mojaba regularly, I’ve found that to resonate with potential clients, it’s best to think beyond just creating a mobile website.  When you can show a potential client how the mobile site ties to a cleverly designed creative campaign, it’s like money in the bank.

Let’s face it: You’re not the only digital design company or agency offering mobile site development.

Many potential clients have heard the pitch.  They claim to understand why having a mobile site is important.  Yet, so often they never really bother to fully commit.

Why?  Because no matter what price is quoted, they believe the site can be gotten cheaper.  The quality, functionality, depth of information, or value may not be as great, but a lower price sure seems good.

So how do we get around the price issue and really challenge them to integrate mobile within their company?

It’s easy: Be creative and compelling.

When I first started using the Mojaba platform, I was astonished at how easy they make it to design mobile sites. Without knowledge of coding or even something like InDesign, I became intrigued at how creative Mojaba helps me be.

I found that it’s easy to integrate mobile technology in a marketing campaign in a way that directly benefits a client, but also completely challenges what they had been thinking about mobile.  And that opens more doors.

Here’s an example:  Restaurants and bars now rely heavily on mobile connections, especially for reservations, directions, and to showcase menus.  As I worked more in that business category, I found out that many offer comment cards (often dreaded by wait staff) provided to customers after their meals. Some carry incentives to complete the card, such as a discount upon their next visit or coupons for free items.  Each server is accountable to collect comment cards that are then tuned in to management.

So why is this process not digital?

With integrated WuFoo forms on Mojaba, I easily created a mobile comment card that can generate a coupon or success message from either a URL or QR code!

Now that’s added value that fits neatly into a customer retention program.

As marketing communications professionals, we work in a world based on creativity and integration, so why settle for an average sales pitch?

I say that before going into the “mobile website pitch mode,” think about what would be a creative mobile twist to the potential client.  What ties their customers closer to them – and maybe simplifies an operational process?  What creates more opportunity for customer interaction?  What truly adds value?

Find those answers and you’ll see that a mobile site is the threshold to a myriad of new digital opportunities.

QR Codes Aren’t Dead, Just Badly Beaten

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Editor’s note: Torsion Mobile kicks off a daily feature – QR Code Hit or Miss (check it out). We are gathering QR Code uses large and small and analyzing them for effectiveness.  Our goal is learning from both successes and mistakes already made in deploying a key component to the future of mobile marketing. What follows is some observations about QR Code use to date by Torsion Mobile’s Chief Marketing Officer Brooke Benschoter.

After recently spending a few days with some of the best and brightest in the advertising agency world at the BOLO 2012 conference — it dawned on me that QR Codes are getting a bad rap. A few of the folks I was with actually blamed a QR Code for the failure of a campaign they had launched for a client.  Some declared they were giving up QR Codes and would never use them again. All I can say, as the mobile explosion is about to go off, is that is like giving up print or online in the advertising and marketing tool box. And as a fellow marketer, I have to ask — who in their right mind would do that?

The QR Code or the Quick Response Code was invented in 1994 to track the manufacturing process at Toyota – Japan. It wasn’t until about 2009 that anyone thought to use it in marketing or more specifically, to tie the world of print and internet together at time when they were clearly going head to head for a share of the marketing and advertising dollars spent.

Is Slapping a Strategy?
If you look at the use of QR Codes since that time, they are often slapped on materials from t-shirts to freeway billboards (now come on, scanning at 65 mph?) with little thought to the strategy and what experience actually scanning the code delivered to the end user – the customer – the person we are all here to persuade to do something.

Many brands were guinea pigs for the mindset that just using QR Codes was enough to make the brand appear cool. No thought was given to the landing page or website the consumer would be experiencing.  When QR Code-driven campaigns failed, it was the fault of the odd little square rather than the creative and account management people at agencies who made the decision to use the tool in the first place.

Time for Honesty
No marketing executive would use any other tool in his or her toolbox with such lack of regard or gay abandon.  No advertising guru would place a billboard or buy a radio spot without thinking about what exactly the purpose was and what the expected return on investment would be. Perhaps because QR Codes cost little or nothing but ink to deploy, decision makers diminished the investment as well. Using a disruptive technology for the sake of disruption is poor judgment, no matter what business you are in.

QR Codes are finding their way into other areas of life as businesses see them as a strategic way to deliver information, take orders or connect with their target customer on a more operational level. QR Code integration may well be led by the commerce that will be generated as mobile use grows.

If we are honest with ourselves as marketers, we had the first chance and we blew it. To have a “do over,” we need to be educating consumers, telling them what they will get by scanning a QR Code, offering the a url to type in if they prefer and then delivering a quality mobile experience once they get there.

I believe we advertising and marketing people owe the QR Code an apology and more importantly, a second and more strategic thoughtful chance.

Brooke Benschoter, APR has more than 25 years of experience in communications and integrated marketing including award-winning branding, advertising and public relations with organizations such as Pioneer Hi-Bred, Meredith Corporation, ITAGroup, National Pork Board and Drake University.  Her career started in broadcast journalism as a reporter, producer, and anchor and grew to include agency management and consulting experience at what is now Meyocks Group and Strategic America.  Brooke calls herself a branding geek, having worked with brands that include Kraft, Home Depot, Compaq Computer, Better Homes and Gardens, Tone’s, Frito Lay, USS Iowa, and Mary Engelbreit. Most recently, Brooke was Senior Strategic Consultant for Strategic America, a premier channel and field marketing agency.

 

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Smartphones Rapidly Becoming “First Screen” for Internet Users

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With the third quarter earnings release from the nation’s largest mobile phone providers, there’s no doubt that the rise of the smartphone is in line with experts predictions. The data shows that Verizon, the nation’s largest carrier, sold 6.8 million smartphones total in the quarter, with the iPhone accounting for 3.1 million (46%) smartphones and Android accounting for 3.4 million (50%) of that total. Combined, these two devices make up 6.5 million of the 6.8 million total smartphones sold.

So, it’s obvious that the smartphone is rapidly becoming the “first screen” (or only screen) customers use to access Internet content. A whopping 53% of the 90.4 million Verizon subscribers are already smartphone users, and you can expect that number to rise steadily. Its important to keep this in mind, because as prices drop and technological capacity increases, customers are now more than ever upgrading their mobile phones to smartphones. Customers are becoming much more marketable to any business looking to reach out on mobile devices.

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Accenture Study: Era of Hyper-Connected Mobile Users Emerging

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Accenture recently oversaw a Mobile Web Watch survey to determine the marketing implications of a new generation of constantly connected mobile Internet users that primarily access the Internet through mobile devices. Users are now more focused on having a strong Internet connection from their service provider, which will affect consumers’ purchasing power and the type of mobile consumer your company targets. From findings of the study, four key trends stand out among digital consumer’s behavior that players in industries such as telecommunications, media and technology along with those in other industries like retail, utilities or automotive need to pay attention to:

  1. Smartphones are emerging as the most popular mobile device to use Internet among mobile Internet users in the past year.
  2. Emailing, social media and instant messaging is growing rapidly among mobile Internet users.
  3. The consumer is now more willing to both pay for premium mobile services and use their mobile device to pay bills.
  4. Network quality and coverage is significant in how the consumer experiences and utilizes the Internet on their mobile device.

The Accenture Mobile Watch survey, 2012, highlights the need for companies considering taking their marketing message mobile, to focus on development as the mobile Internet market emerges. Remember, the hyper-connected consumer’s preferences and needs are already transforming operating models and IT infrastructure. Such organizations are making use of mobile and cloud-based technologies to keep pace with the demand for new and improved capabilities, as consumers increasingly use smartphones and tablets for online commercial transactions.

Three Steps and Five Minutes to Identifying Top Mobile Prospects

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As a digital marketer serving a range of clients, you typically have access to their website traffic data. We’ll show you how to use Google Analytics and some segmentation filters to identify which of your customers might be receptive to a discussion about mobile solutions in less than five minutes.

This post is an update to one we did in August of 2011 (Using Google Analytics to Understand Smartphone User Behavior) where we looked at some Google filters to identify Bounce Rate differences. Since Google has made some changes, we can accomplish the Bounce comparison and much, much more. You can use this technique with any websites that have Google Analytics. Once you set up the Segmentation filter described below, you can re-use it throughout all the sites – a major time savings.

Step 1 – Log into Google Analytics. Choose a website and elect the Standard View. Ensure that in the left column you have Audience > Overview selected and that you see the Visitors Overview.

Step 1 – Log into Google Analytics and get to the Standard View and the Audience > Overview. The display should look something like this.

Step 2 – Create a Custom Segment that will only show non-mobile traffic. Click the Advanced Segments button (A) and then click the Create Custom Segment button (B). In the Edit window give the Segment a Name (C) (e.g., Non-Mobile). Change the drop-down (D) from “Include” to “Exclude” and then select “Mobile (including Tablet)” from the green drop-down (E). Make sure the drop-down (F) is set to “Containing” and type in the word “Yes” into field (G). Save.

Starting to set up the Custom Segmentation

Setting the detailed parameters to complete the Custom Segementation

Step 3 – Compare desktop and Mobile Traffic. Click Advanced Segments again (H) and select “Mobile Traffic” (I) from the list of Default Segments. Click Apply (J).

Setting up the Segmentation so both filters are applied.

Now you have two segments that enable you to quickly compare desktop to mobile visitor behavior. So what should you look for?

The first stat to look at is the percentage of each traffic type. This is listed for the two segments just under the Visitors Overview. In this example you can see that desktop (non-mobile) traffic makes up 74.45% and mobile is 24.55%

The resulting report clearly shows the difference between Mobile and Non-Mobile visitors to the website.

An 8 point percentage in greater Bounces for Mobile traffic indicates a significantly higher number of visitors are immediately leaving this site.

The second stat to look at is the Bounce Rate. You want to compare the rate between desktop and mobile. At differential beyond 5 percentage points is significant.

Both of these stats give you an idea if the visitor behavior makes this client a good prospect for opening the discussion about a mobile solution. It’s important to look beyond percentages and translate those into actual unique users. For example, ask yourself “Does this client want to turn away 55,000 (the number of unique visitors) customers a month due to a poor mobile web experience?” Expressing the user experience in terms of customer behavior helps make the numbers come to life in terms any client prospect should understand.

Now that you have the filters and know how to interpret the results, it’s really a simple matter to go through client websites and locate the most likely prospects. What’s more, it is a win for them and a win for you.

Restaurant

Eating Immediately & Locally – 64% of the time

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For those of you that enjoy exploring the various culinary creations that your town or city may have to offer, you undoubtedly know what it’s like to read a rave review about a restaurant, only to find dead ends when trying to call or locate their establishment. If you’re a restaurateur, you perhaps know how important a mobile marketing strategy can be in enticing new cuisine enthusiasts.

A new study by xAd and Telmetrics, reports that the restaurant is the fastest growing mobile search category among smartphone owners. It is more local and urgent than categories such as auto and has a nearly 90% conversion rate. This Path-to-Purchase study found that smartphone restaurant searchers have the most urgent opportunities, with 64% converting immediately or within an hour of their mobile search.

Make your restaurant the “local’s spot”.

For those neighborhood consumers looking to grab some grub, there is every indication that mobility, proximity and communication lead to high engagement and conversion rates for local searches. Given the nature of a mobile handheld device and the immediate results it’s capable of producing, it’s reported that 65% of users who search for local restaurants using a smartphone are looking for locations that are within walking or driving distance, while 70% are looking for a business location and just over 50% are looking for a local phone number. From this, perhaps the most important piece of information restaurateurs need to focus on is how easily a smartphone user can call your restaurant, thereby increasing the chance of securing their business.

“Ensuring that consumers have easy access to restaurant phone numbers – whether individually-operated or the local franchise – is key to not only securing the mobile consumer’s business in the last phase of their purchase path but also for advertisers to be able to measure mobile traffic and monetize the leads generated.”
– Bill Dinan, president of Telmetrics

The point is, you don’t want to spend time crafting a meaningful mobile message and website just to have the consumer give up when they can’t find a number, make a call or reach a live person through the telephone. It’s important to maintain your smartphone marketing practices, but realize that consumer habits change across devices.

The purpose of reaching out through mobile.
Underscoring the great opportunity in mobile to acquire new customers by way of effective marketing, the report found that 75% of smartphone users notice mobile ads. These are the customers that are most likely to engage with ads that are related to something they have recently searched for, or with establishments that are within walking or driving distance of their current location. When advertising for mobile, it is important to keep in mind which consumer habits favor the more effective smartphone.

Smartphone owners tend to utilize 3 main functions when deciding where to eat—calling the restaurant, getting directions and looking up locations. A desktop or tablet computer’s large size and lack of data connectivity for example, can interfere with your site’s accessibility. On the other hand, an easy to find phone number or directions on a mobile optimized website can help a potential customer find your restaurant immediately.

Full tables, full stomachs, & full registers.
Whatever your goals may be for drawing in that new appetizer aficionado, 3 course connoisseur or desert disciple, make sure that your mobile web presence is just that—a mobile presence and not a desktop formatted site—and you will see an increase in visitors at your restaurant. At almost a 90% conversion rate among hungry smartphone owners, it confirms that restaurants need to go mobile to maintain full tables, full stomachs, and most importantly, full registers.