How paid search can improve the mobile journey
A marketing strategy for mobile needs to realise that the route to purchase is often multichannel and based on a series of moments.
With the UK now spending more time online on smartphones than any other device, according to UKOM data, brands that haven’t considered a separate mobile marketing strategy are putting their business growth at risk. User behaviour on mobile differs so drastically from that on desktop, that we, as marketers, have seen a huge shift in the way we create our strategies.
Creating a marketing strategy for mobile requires an in-depth understanding of where your audience is using their mobile and what for, and an understanding that the path to purchase on mobile is often multichannel and based on a series of moments.
Marketing for mobile therefore focuses on being truly useful, relevant and valuable to your audience within these moments. So how can you ensure your brand is visible in the moments when users are searching?
Impact of local
The mobile user journey differs from that on desktop in that it is very local by nature, with Google stating that 88% of local searches are carried out on mobile. For brands, it is crucial to be aware of how their audience’s journey differs on mobile devices and what their motivations are; they might just want to find your store address, or telephone number, or ask a customer services related question.
More than half of mobile searches are local, so it’s a good idea to set up location extensions on your PPC ads to promote your business locally, giving mobile users the option to visit your local store.
Given the portable nature of mobile devices and what they’re used for, it is likely that users would search for their nearest store while out and about.
Simplifying the user journey
The difference in user behaviour on mobile has led to new paid ad format options from Google. These ad extensions help to make the user’s mobile journey quicker and easier:
Call extensions: If mobile users are less likely to convert online, consider using a mobile-preferred call extension. This allows your customers to call directly from the search engine results page (SERP) and eliminates the step of going to the website.
App extensions: Brands can promote their apps directly through the SERP with app extensions, clicking directly through to the app download page, improving awareness of the app and increasing the number of app downloads.
The more downloads the app receives, the better the app will organically rank in the app store, too. AdWords can also find the customers who are most likely to download your app and target these, making for an efficient ad campaign.
Message extensions: Give users the option of communicating directly to your business through message extensions that allow customers to send your business a text message. This enables people to book an appointment, request a quote or request information and avoid the ‘on-hold’ loop. Message extensions can be scheduled to appear at certain times of the day – perhaps when you’re aware that phone lines are busy or maybe after working hours.
Call-only campaigns: These provide a call-only option in ads on mobile devices, which drives calls and doesn’t give the option of a website visit. These campaigns can be activated only when a company’s call centre is open, and the calls can be counted as conversions within AdWords.
Measurement is Key
A successful mobile strategy goes hand-in-hand with an attribution solution that awards mobile fairly. Avoid discrediting the value of mobile by optimising to a dated ‘last click wins’ attribution model. This fails to pass conversion value to the devices that contribute to a conversion in the path, and therefore discredits the research phase of the customer journey, which often takes place on mobile devices.
Measurement solutions such as AdWords’ cross-device conversions can help in conjunction with a data-driven attribution model that can effectively measure this. Plus, as a free solution, this should be considered as an initial starting point for effective mobile performance measurement.
By Epiphany
www.epiphany.co.uk