With mobile marketing becoming a part of every brand’s promotion strategy, it is only natural to wonder whether mobile SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) is required, particularly when the business’ main website is optimised. The question arises as most marketers offer a mobile version of their websites.

It would be safe to assume that mobile SEO is essential to optimise the website for mobile search, keeping in view usability, relevance to search and marketing. Mobile SEO differs from regular SEO and here are some reasons why:

• For regular websites, SEO focuses on keyword rich content to show the search engine that the pages are relevant to the search. On mobile web pages, it can be tough to stick to the ideal 250-words rule related to content due to the size of the screen and reluctance of the mobile user to scroll.
• Mobile websites obviously have different criteria since the user-experience is very different here.  If one has to follow the regular SEO best practices for site-optimization, implementation will not be easy. Mobile SEO has to be brief and to the point.
• Mobile search is different from desktop search because mobile users do not always use keywords. Thanks to options like Google Goggles, Gesture Search, and Voice Search, a user no longer has to pull up the Google search screen to enter a search phrase. Viewed from the mobile context, this means a significant change in the way user needs are perceived.  The same keyword could mean different things to different users. This calls for mobile keyword research in addition to the regular keyword research.
• To provide a better user experience, mobile search uses different ranking algorithms such as location.
• With mobile phones, there are different levels of brand-user engagement. Whether it is search results or ad positions, businesses must compete for first position on the mobile. In the limited space offered by the mobile screen, brands must find their place and stay visible to keep their click through rates healthy.
• Although a user’s engagement with the mobile screen is much higher than with a desktop, the likelihood of scrolling is much less on the mobile screen.

SEO campaigns must factor in mobile click through rates and search volume, since most users use their mobile phones to browse and search. Understanding and action on the differences between mobile SEO and regular SEO is critical in order to rank in mobile search results.

Mobile marketing has opened up a whole new avenue for businesses to connect and interact with their audience in a targeted manner. This is possible because of the nature of the device, which users are likely to carry with them all the time. This reliance on their mobile phones has paved the way for marketers to communicate with customers and prospects and have meaningful conversations.

Here are some statistics from mobiThinking on mobile phone users

• Many mobile web users are mobile-only, i.e. they do not, or very rarely also use a desktop, laptop or tablet to access the web, according to On Device Research.
• In many developing nations, the majority of mobile web users are mobile-only, highest include Egypt at 70% and India at 59%.
• In developed nations, in the US particularly, many mobile-only web users are older people, and many come from lower income households
• In Africa, the 85% of the mobile-only web users access the web with a feature phone.
• In Africa the top mobile activities for mobile-only users are: downloading games (55%); downloading music (54%); social networking (52%); search (48%); email (46%).
• Many mobile-only web users do not have a bank account, in India this is 57% of the mobile-only.

There is also research to prove that over 40% businesses use mobile marketing currently, and this includes mobile email, mobile web sites and mobile apps. As the number of mobile users continues to grow IBM, in its state of marketing 2011 report reported that another 20% of businesses plan to adopt mobile within the year.  This brings us to the question of whether businesses are using the right mobile strategy to engage their consumers with their brands.

Enter mobile barcodes

Mobile barcodes have the ability to stimulate conventional, as well as digital communication channels by inspiring users to engage on the go. Not only are barcodes interactive, but also measurable, enabling tracking and monitoring for effectiveness, so that businesses can calculate their return on investment from the campaign.

The best thing about mobile barcodes is they are easy to use and can be highly focused on the user while providing a call to action. The user will need a camera phone to scan the mobile barcode, and get directions to the nearest store where they can grab their coupon and use it in a number of ways. The biggest advantage is the opportunity for engaging the user instantly with the brand, leveraging their impulsiveness and converting it into action.

comScore reports that “14 million mobile phone users in America scanned QR or barcodes on their phones in June this year, mostly from newspapers or magazines, and on product packaging both at home and in store.” Although this makes it look as though mobile barcodes are the answer to a mobile marketer’s prayers, they are a new marketing tool and naturally, there are challenges.

For a marketer who plans to use mobile barcodes it is important to consider some best practices before actually designing and implementing the campaign. Here are some basic questions to ask.

• The purpose of your mobile barcode – increase sales, boosts customer engagement, educate the market?
• Is the barcode properly positioned for the consumer to find it easily?
• What is in it for the consumer? Giveaways, discount coupons?
• Does the code lead to the correct link and show the appropriate content?
• Is the content optimized for different mobile screens?
• Is it easy to scan with various devices?
• Is there a call to action?
• Does the code tell the user how to scan?
• Has the barcode been thoroughly tested?
• Is there a solid analytics system in place to measure and monitor the campaign?
• After grabbing the user’s attention, is the marketer clear about the next step?

The answers to these questions will help design a successful mobile barcode campaign that will bring in the expected results.

There was a time when mobile marketing essentially meant phones, but all that has changed. Today, iPads and other tablet devices have joined the fray. A marketer could be promoting a product or service through an app, a QR code, or a Facebook link, or using all three depending on the type of campaign.

Marketing campaigns through iPads and other tablet devices are focused on creating a memorable user experience. Interestingly, there is no standard set of rules for this marketing method yet, and since the technology happens to be open-ended, a marketer is only limited by her imagination.

An example is Realtor Coldwell Banker’s iPad app which was promoted with a new Google ad format termed the “branded video” featuring a clickable video ad.  This ad was first released as a banner, and users could click to see more. Interaction rates were over 7%, compared with the standard 0.01% click-through rate for banners.

Many businesses are either already invested in a mobile marketing campaign or have plans to, considering the rapid increase in the use of smart phones and how people access content and services on the move.  comScore reported, in late October 2011, that smartphones and tablets drive nearly 5% of digital traffic in EU5 and a 45% increase in  mobile banking app usage in the U.S. Q4 2010

Mobile marketing is a unique way to engage and connect with consumers, as it can entertain or offer useful services. Here are some of the top campaigns using iPads and other tablet devices:

• The dual screen ad from Heineken: Heineken, the global brand, realising that people access their mobiles while watching TV, promoted a mobile game called the StarPlayer, around the Champions League. Fans could interact in real time. Around ten minutes before the game, users could unlock this game and answer a bunch of predictive questions related to the game. This was highly successful, as the app got fans engaged with the brand and their favorite football team simultaneously.
• Another example is Wal-Mart, the retailer giant, which is gearing up to connect with millions of customers before the holiday season using the mobile platform.   They will be releasing new mobile apps integrating coupons and voice recognition in the browsing and shopping experience. The iPad and iPhone apps allow online shopping as well as finding out the availability of the product. After ordering via these apps can be shipped or personally collected from the store. Besides mobile coupon access, the new iPhone app shows a shopping list that integrates voice recognition.
• Automobile giant Toyota is using rich animated media banner ads on Yahoo Fantasy Football iPad, iPhone and Android apps to engage its users with its brand.   This interesting campaign has animated banner ads that access Yahoo content feeds and the ad links to the Toyota site.

The growth of smartphones and tablets devices are driving social media campaigns, and Social TV is expected to offer tremendous opportunities for both brands and mobile marketers. On top of the list of beneficiaries are event-based programs like live shows and sports where the level of engagement is highest. Tablets are especially one up on smartphones because of their size, allowing the user a better visual experience. Mobile marketers are naturally quite keen to take advantage of this rapidly growing market by giving the users what they want.