Here are five essential elements for your mobile website:

Content

If you are at all experienced in web design, then you’ve most likely heard the phrase, “content is king.”  Mobile web design relegates content to a new level, underneath navigability.  Sure, it is still important that your content is accurate, relevant, informative, and easy to understand.  However, the most important thing is that your content is short, concise, and free of any unnecessary verbiage.  A good rule of thumb is that it should all fit on one page (and on a tiny mobile device screen, at that).

Graphics and navigation buttons

Keep the touch screen in mind when designing a mobile website.  Any good mobile site should have thumb-friendly navigation buttons.  Additionally, other graphics should be kept to a minimum.

Single column layout

You don’t want your site visitors to have to work to view your page.  It should not be necessary to zoom or scroll to fit your site’s content on the screen.  The most effective way to display your mobile website is in a single column, which will be compatible with most smart phone screens.

Use the mobile device’s inbuilt functionality

This refers to all of those things a mobile device can do that a desktop or laptop can’t do – phone calls and GPS, for example.  To aid the user experience, provide a way to access these features so that your site visitors can call or locate your business with just the touch of a button.

Navigation layout

In addition to having simple, large-scale navigation buttons and search boxes, you should also arrange your site’s navigation tools in a way that integrates well into the column format.  You may opt to stack them, put them in a drop-down menu at the top or bottom of the page, or present them as the home page.

As you can see, mobile web design is a whole new ballgame.  It is important to keep all of these factors in mind if you are to build an effective mobile website.  To get the most out of your mobile design, contact the professionals, Clark Web Design.  I can be reached by phone, at 321-805-0588, or by email: rick@clarkwebdesign.com.

1. Aesthetic appeal.  You may wonder why people can’t just view your existing traditional website on their mobile devices.  The truth is, they can.  The other truth is that your traditional website simply doesn’t look very good on a mobile device.  Do this: shrink the view on your web browser by zooming out until you have to squint to read the text.  Not a good viewing experience, right?
2. The statistics. You can’t argue with numbers.  Basically, more people today use their mobile devices to access the Internet than they do their desktop or laptop computers.  As a matter of fact, many people accessing the web today ONLY do so through their mobile devices.  Can you afford not to cater to this considerably large market sector?
3. Data transfer costs. Many mobile users must pay data transfer fees.  Traditional websites have much more data than mobile websites, and therefore can cost a lot of people a lot of money to view.  How often are customers willing to pay you to market to them?  Enough said.
4. Navigation. As previously mentioned, traditional sites are much smaller on those tiny mobile device screens.  That means site visitors must do an awful lot of scrolling to take the whole site in . . . and let’s face it, web surfers don’t want to have to work to read a web page.  Also, it can be nearly impossible to hit navigation buttons on such a tiny screen when the website hasn’t been optimized for mobile devices.
5. Today’s web audience. The fact that most people access the Internet via mobile device also means that most people use their mobile devices for any of a wide variety of things – shopping, searching, entertainment, and more – and these are all aspects you could add to your mobile website to increase your reach and broaden your customer base.

As you can see, there are a number of very good reasons to build a mobile website for your business, and as soon as possible.  Enlist the help of professionals like Clark Web Design to get started today.  I can be reached by email, rick@clarkwebdesign.com , or by phone, at 321-805-0588.

1. Be Creative

QR codes open doors that were not available just a few years ago. The status quo of taking your viewer to a website has become passé. Companies are employing very novel approaches to their mobile marketing with QR codes. In fact, Tesco Home Plus is a supermarket chain in Korea that wanted to become No. 1 without building more stores. It is said that Koreans are the second hardest working people in the world. So, time IS money.

So how did Tesco decide to increase sales?  Spending an hour a week grocery shopping was a major issue, so Tesco decided to bring the store to their consumers. They set up virtual grocery stores in subway stations so that people could do their grocery shopping while they waited for the train.

The walls were plastered with back-lit posters that resembled the aisles and shelves of a supermarket. The waiting subway riders were able to view products lined from top to bottom that you would normally see while grocery shopping. The groceries each had a QR code which the shopper would scan with a smartphone camera, adding to their shopping list. When the shopper had completed scanning all of the QR codes for the groceries they needed, they would pay using their phones and the groceries would then be delivered to their home.

There are so many ways that you can use QR codes to promote your business/product. Just apply a little creativity and follow the follow tips to successfully launch your next campaign

2. Place it everywhere

Incorporate mobile QR codes into all of your marketing media, whether it is digital or traditional,   so the consumer has complete exposure to your mobile marketing campaign. This will also guarantee that consumer experience and interactivity are at the heart of your campaign and not simply an afterthought.

3. Create exceptional value

Giveaways, discounts, free tickets and exclusive access will induce consumers to interact with and scan your code. If your code simply offers the consumer a chance to link to your website, you are wasting both their time and yours. Scanning a QR code should provide the consumer with a brand experience that is exclusive, dynamic and interactive.

4. Keep it Simple

Custom QR codes are certainly attracting a lot of attention, but it’s also important to create a code everyone can recognize. Producing your QR code in black and white will increase the number QR code readers that can scan it.

Take into account where your QR code is located. Consumers must be able to find it easily and scan it quickly. For outdoor ads, place the code at eye or arm-level. In any printed material, make sure the QR code does not fall over a fold as this will impede scanning. To scan better make sure there is white space around the QR code. For best scanning of printed materials, make sure your QR code is a minimum of 1-inch square. For scanning outside, a 12-inch square QR code can be scanned from approximately 10 feet away. For video, your QR code should remain viewable long enough for the viewer to open their QR code scanning app and scan your QR code.

5. Build Customer Loyalty

Remember that the smartphone user who has just scanned your code is on the move. They will be viewing your message on their mobile phone and are expecting instant results. Make sure the QR code opens a mobile-optimized site rather than exposing your viewer to a typical desktop monitor-sized website. It gets very frustrating trying to navigate a website that was created for the larger monitor screen.  If you create a bad experience for your consumer, they will leave quickly and not return.

Remember that “dead links” (codes that go nowhere or deliver the wrong information) are the equivalent of a slammed door — the consumer will not try again. It’s important to create the appropriate message in a format that is easy to navigate.  Smartphone users are usually tech-savvy and vocal. They consult their friends when they are making decisions. Create a positive experience for your viewer and they will share that experience with their friends.

6. Account for Objectives and Analytics

Whatever your objective is, increasing sales, increasing customer engagement, building brand loyalty, or educating your audience, be sure to define your goals before creating a mobile marketing campaign. Consider monitoring the campaign via an analytics platform. You will be able assess your campaign’s effectiveness and evaluate its real-time success.

Are you currently using QR codes in your marketing campaign? How well is it working?

Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner is a controversial 1967 American film classic dealing with an unlikely dinner guest. Fast forward to 2012 and the Mobile World Congress 2012 and you will find some unlikely dinner guests bringing their products to the table.

I have been quoting the experts who are saying that mobile growth will pass pc use by the year 2013; that mobile marketing should be a part of your marketing strategy. These statistics are easier to comprehend when you see major players jumping on board the mobile scene.

The Mobile World Congress 2012 in Barcelona kicked off this week with the introduction of a variety of mobile devices that tout computing power that rivals many of the personal PCs we find in our offices. What really caught my attention though, were two major players introducing products in the mobile market that you would not have found here a few years ago.

Ford Launches B-Max
On Monday Ford launched its newest B-Max compact at Mobile World Congress — a phone industry gathering in Barcelona — rather than a motor show.

“The B-Max is the first car in Europe to feature SYNC, a voice-recognition system developed by Ford and already available in some U.S. cars. The system links audio, phone and GPS systems and will also call emergency services in the event of a crash.”

Microsoft Reveals Windows 8
Microsoft, one of the major players who has changed the lives of so many people with its PC operating system, is betting on the Mobile World Congress to help reestablish itself with the launch of the new Windows 8 operating system.

What makes the timing and location of Microsoft’s event so curious?

You would think that Microsoft would have unveiled more details about Windows 8 at CES last month. The Consumer Electronics Association is the world’s largest consumer technology tradeshow, featuring over 2700 exhibitors. Or they could also have simply scheduled its own launch event in Redmond, or New York, or Silicon Valley, or held off a while and used its own Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference in Toronto in July.

It is not by accident that it happens to have chosen MWC 2012 as the launch pad. “Using MWC sends a clear message that Microsoft is betting heavy on Windows 8 on ARM (WOA) and Windows 8 tablets in general. It is a show of force for mobile device vendors and suppliers to demonstrate Microsoft’s commitment to the tablet and mobile market, and garner support from the mobile ecosystem.”

With such major players as Ford and Microsoft committing to the mobile platform the mobile user can only come out a winner in the mobile computing scene. Is your company currently marketing to the mobile market?  If not, when?

I was on board for this revolution.  I remember having to install windows 30.0 from 3 ½” floppy disks. Anybody remember those? It was an all day event just to install the simple operating system. Heaven help you if something went south along the way and it usually did.

But we were undertaking an incredible journey into the digital era. And through it all Microsoft blossomed, even through such catastrophes as Windows Me, Windows Vista and a downturn in our economy. Microsoft was the big kid on the block as Apple was trying to find its identity.

Chikita, a data analytics company, has reported that the Windows operating system’s web browsing market share has dropped by nearly 7% in the last six months. In August of 2011 Microsoft’s web browsing market share was 78.3%. As of February it has dropped to 71.4%.

To see a decline in Microsoft’s PC market was a little troubling. However, a report on WebPorNews.com has shed a little light onto this dilemma. In fact the report goes on to tell us that even Mac has suffered a downturn in their PC sales as well.

What has caused such a downturn in a product that has revolutionized our lifestyles?

You guessed it. If you leave home without your wallet you will leave it at home and continue on to work. If you leave this product at home you will turn around and go home to get it….your cellphone.

It is reported that Apple earnings has blossomed to 46.33 billion in sales and over half came from the iPhone. All by itself, the iPhone generated $24.4 billion in revenue, beating all the rest of Apple’s business combined by $2.47 billion, and beating all of Microsoft by over $3 billion.

Apple’s iOS platform is not the only mobile culprit.  Google’s Android OS currently holds half of the global smartphone market, and recently overtook iOS to become the most popular smartphone platform in the UK.

What does all this mean? We are witnessing the next evolution in our personal lifestyles again.

Analysts predict that smartphones and other browser-equipped phones are expected to grow to1.82 billion by 2013, compared to 1.78 billion PCs.

Yet, Fewer than 6% of businesses are doing any type of mobile marketing and the percentage drops to less than .05% for companies doing less than $10 million per year

Now is the time to plan out your mobile marketing strategy. What are you doing to take advantage of this new trend in lifestyles? If you are not sure where to begin give us a call and see how we can help map out a strategy for you mobile marketing needs.

To benchmark, 11mark surveyed 1,000 Americans with mobile phones to learn what they are doing with their phones…in the bathroom.

75% of Americans with mobile phones have used their phones in the bathroom. Approximately the same number of men and women have used the phone in the bathroom, but men are more attached: 30% of men vs. 20% of women report, “I don’t go to the bathroom without my mobile phone.”

Have you used your phone in the bathroom? Click on the PDF link below to see what others have said.

9-11mark_IT_in_the_Toilet_Infographic

What is NFC?

NFC, Near Filed Communications technology, is a wireless technology which allows two-way communication between two nearby devices. NFC can be applied in paying for goods and services, ticketing, or information sharing between devices, based on Radio Frequency  Identification RFID technology.

What does this mean to you?

The NFC chips allow users to make mobile payments using their handsets. A key advantage of NFC lies in the security benefits. Data exchanged between two NFC-enabled devices can be encrypted using Advanced Encryption Standards (AES). This is especially important in terms of a mobile wallet, due to the exchange of personal financial information. Many NFC systems also use time-based tokens for security, meaning that the credit card number changes every few seconds.

This form of technology makes it much safer to use your handset over your credit cards in your wallet. We’ve all seen reports where unscrupulous employees slide unsuspecting customer’s credit cards in sliders that record the information from their credit card and use this information to create counterfeit cards.

There have also been reports of how the credit cards in your wallet can be scanned just by walking close to an individual.

Though the overall mobile payments eco-system is still in its early stages in the U.S., we are already seeing the first signs of adoption of payment technologies and networks. AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon recently announced the creation of ISIS, a national commerce network, and Verifone, a worldwide provider of POS products has publicized plans to include NFC technology in all terminals later this year

Who Are the Players?

Apple

Apple is widely rumored to include the technology in the next version of its iPhone smartphone. The rumors started circulating after Forbes tech reporter Elizabeth Woyke said that the new iPhone will feature a NFC chip.

Google

Google introduced Wallet in September 2011, which allows people to tap or swipe their phones to pay for things. Google has built the NFC chip into the Samsung Nexus S offered on Sprint Nextel.

While several other companies, including credit card giants Visa and American Express, as well as mobile wireless carriers, have also announced plans to launch their own digital wallets, Google is the first to take its digital wallet to market.

Citibank, MasterCard, and Sprint are the initial launch partners for the service. What this means for users is that, initially, virtually the only credit cards that will work with Google Wallet are Citibank MasterCards.

Visa

Visa has teamed up with ANZ Bank to try NFC based mobile payment system. The system to be named, VISA payWave was integrated with a secure MicroSD card in an iPhone case and distributed among a number of employees in its offices in Australia.

Microsoft

Microsoft plans to include mobile-payment technology in new versions of its operating system for smartphones as part of an effort to narrow Google’s lead in handset software.

The integration of the new technology will bring together banks, credit card providers, telecom companies as well as phone manufacturers.

Too many people have lost their dreams this year. And the remaining few still standing hear more chatter coming out of Washington about taking away more of our freedoms through more regulations and taxes.

Yet we press on.

For me, this has been the year of living in survival mode.  Like the pioneers of the west, when danger threatened they would circle the wagons and stubbornly fight to protect their families and friends. I keep saying to those who struggle that when the economy turns around those of us still standing will be leaner and meaner with an efficient business model.

Even during these struggles there is still hope, which brings me back to Christmas.  The underlying theme of Christmas is the birth of Jesus Christ who brings us renewed hope of new beginnings.

Christmas is a time when we leave behind our differences; unite in a single purpose and share hope and joy. We set aside our internal struggles and look outwardly at those around us. It’s a time of year when we renew old friendships and build new ones. We extend our hand to those who need it.

We gather together with our families and friends and share our sense of well-being, success, or good fortune, forming deeper relations.  We live this occasion through the eyes of the children and friends as they excitedly open their Christmas presents.

For a brief moment in time, humanity seems to be a better place.

As we shed off 2011 and look forward to 2012 the heralded exchange, “Merry Christmas” has special meaning for each of us. For me, it means I hope you have a great time with your family and friends and may your new year be blessed with success in all of your ventures, personally and business related.

Merry Christmas!!

Those things are called a “Quick Response” code, or QR code. It is a two-dimensional bar code that was first introduced in 1994 by the Nippondenso Company of Japan. It was developed with the major objective of making the process of reading codes easier by scanner equipment.

The QR Code carries information in both vertical and horizontal direction, thus allowing the QR Code to carry a considerable amount of information compared to the ordinary bar codes. In fact, each QR code can hold up to over 7000 characters or about 4300 letters/numbers. The typical one dimension barcode get wider as more data it has to encoded.

Due to its unique structure, QR-Codes can store many different types of data, such as a website address, contact information, videos, phone number dialing, sending SMS, bookmarks, and much more.

This ability makes QR codes an easy and affordable way to create an affordable online marketing campaign for your products and websites. Many of today’s brick and mortar stores are using these codes inside their stores to drive traffic to their online presence maximizing their marketing strategies and creating a positive interactive experience.

QR codes are scanned by smartphones, such as iPhones, android phones or Blackberry phones. To “read” a QR code one must have a QR code reader installed in your smartphone. As of yet, QR readers do not come preinstalled. However, there are several apps out there that can be downloaded for free. Pick a QR barcode reader that works best for your needs. To find a reader for your phone, check out the list compiled by mobile-barcodes.com

Check the compatibility between your phone and the reader. Not all phones are compatible with this technology so be sure to check your phone manual as well. Pay particular attention to the download instructions. There are various methods of delivery to your phone, some require you to download to your computer then transfer the app to your phone using either a Bluetooth connection or USB connection. Others download directly to your phone.

Once the QR reader has been installed, open the app and find a QR code that interests you. They are everywhere, from store products to newspapers to magazines. Even Home Depot takes advantage of QR codes’ ability to inform you about their products.

Hold the device with the camera pointed toward the QR code. To assist in reading the QR code, your app will display either four corners in your viewer or an actual frame. Make sure the QR code is aligned within these guides. Follow any and all onscreen instructions. Some cameras may require you press the photo capture button or other feature to begin scanning.

It does not matter from which angle you take the picture. The software will automatically read the code and open the information on your phone.

Enjoy.

If you would like help in developing a QR code campaign, please feel free to contact us for more information.

For more on QR Codes, read:

1. Using QR Codes in your Internet Marketing
2. 5 Tips for Effective Marketing with QR Codes and Mobile Landing Pages
3. QR Codes and Mobile Marketing: What you Need to Know

If you still have questions, we can help you establish your online marketing campaigns using QR codes.

During this progression I have spent most of my time educating others as to what these new technologies have to offer and how it can benefit them.  Some people have a difficult time envisioning new concepts and how it can apply to them. Others catch the vision and passionately run with it.

QR Codes are not just a fad.

Consequently, any chance I get to address an audience I try to educate them about one of the latest technologies to hit the U.S., QR Codes.  Just as social media has developed into a viable medium, QR Codes are at that infancy stage. Given time and appropriate planning QR Codes will become a fantastic tool for mobile marketing.

When the first wave of social media hit the scene, people were clamoring about social media being the next “End all to be all.”  Every search about “social media” would bring up a list of so called experts that were more than willing to show you how to capitalize on this new medium.

As social media began to mature we have figured out how to benefit from this new medium. In fact, my background has been in the printing business. I was a firm practitioner in traditional marketing practices. Since I started developing my own social media strategy, I no longer promote traditional methods, but use this new social medium exclusively to promote my business.

I believe we are on the same path with QR Codes that social media went down and its development will be even bigger than the meteoric rise of social media. What do I base this on? Smart phones and tablets use QR Codes to access online content.

Smartphones to Outpace PCs

Studies have shown that Smartphones and other browser-equipped phones are expected to grow to 1.82 billion by 2013, compared to 1.78 billion PCs. Currently Mobile devices share of overall web browsing is 4.36%,  which is a 430% increase over the last two years.

Mobile payments for digital and physical goods, money transfers and NFC contact-less transactions will reach $670 billion by 2015; nearly triple the current value of $240 billion.

With the rapid proliferation of the mobile market one would think that businesses would be climbing over their competition to take advantage of the benefits that QR Codes have to offer. But, surprisingly, less than 6% of businesses are doing any type of mobile marketing at all. The percentage drops to less than .05% for companies doing less than $10 million per year. *

Now Is the time to set aside our preconceived notions that QR Codes are just another passing fad and jump on the band wagon while it is still in its infancy. Look around, QR Codes are everywhere.  Even Home Depot is using them. Pick up a plant and try to find directions or more information. What you will find is a QR Code that will take you to a website with more information on the plant.

Even museums are using QR Codes. You will find them conveniently placed next to a painting, giving you more information on the painting and artist.

The psyche of a Mobile User

Have I piqued your interest? Before you run with this new found vision, careful consideration must be given to applying this new technology. For example, the surfing habits of a mobile user differ from that of a Pc user.  Whereas a PC user will surf for information, following a trail until they find what they are looking for, mobile users search the internet with a degree of urgency. They are action-oriented searchers. 9 out of 10 mobile searchers have taken action as a result of a smartphone search. They want results now and if you can’t give it to them, they will go somewhere else.

Additionally, the screen resolution must be taken into consideration. Currently, a typical PC monitor has a screen resolution of 1024 pixels wide. As the prices of monitors continue to drop, screen sizes continue to grow.  I have a Mac and a PC with 27” monitors at 1920 pixels wide.

In contrast, a typical mobile phone’s screen resolution ranges from 320 x 480 pixels to 480 x 800 pixels. So, a typical website can be difficult, if not impossible to view on a mobile phone.  To create a favorable viewer experience both mobile displays and PC displays care must be planned out.

To learn more, view the following:
5 Tips for Effective Marketing with QR Codes and Mobile Landing Pages

Questions, comments, do you agree or disagree?

*Marketing in the Moment: The Practical Guide to Using Web 3.0 Marketing to reach Your Customers First by Michael Tasner