Change Agent

If you want your customers to access your web site via their mobile phone, you may want to scan a blog post titled “10 Biggest Mistakes in Mobile Marketing.” The author talks about the problems with viewing web sites on mobile browsers.  He ends the post by saying, “To solve the last mistake – not taking into account how every phone is different and needs customization – buy a Device Atlas from us so you’ll know exactly what work needs to be done.”

I’d end the post by saying, “Don’t use a web browser in the first place; instead use……a mobile application that delivers to your customer exactly the info they want in a format that is mobile-phone-friendly.”  But nobody’s asking me!

There are a three ‘nuggets’ in the post:

1.  Do not treat mobile USERS like PC users.  Think about how their needs are different – the user is on the go; they have different things that they want to do; they have different constraints.

2.  Do not treat mobile DEVICES like PCs.  Think about the numerous differences between mobiles and PCs:  screen size, lack of a mouse (and printer), smaller keyboard, limited bandwidth, pricing for megabyte usage, etc.

3.  Do remember to exploit the capabilities of the phone.  To satisfy the customer’s needs, use the capabilities that ARE in a phone (but NOT in a PC) like the ability to make a call!  Or to send a text, take a picture / video.  Or to be aware of the device’s location, etc.

In my view, the combination of these three things -– the different needs and constraints of the user, the constraints of a mobile device vis-à-vis a PC, and the extended capabilities of a mobile device vis-à-vis a PC –- this combination is the reason why, for most situations, a mobile application — and not a mobile browser — is the way to go.

If you decide to read the post, the key meat can be found in Mistakes 1, 2, 3, and 10.