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.

Excellent usability is the key to achieving your ecommerce website’s profitability goals.  While there are a set of standard elements that apply to all websites, such as easy navigation, an attractive layout and optimised content, there are special usability factors for ecommerce websites to take in account.

It boils down to the kind of experience the website can give its visitors, based on what they are looking for. Potential customers typically browse several websites before they decide to buy, and to ensure that the sale happens on your website, there are some specific ecommerce website usability tips to consider.

“Check out now” button

The moment a visitor decides to buy can be very exciting for them, and this is the right time to encourage them to complete their purchase before they change their minds and start wondering if they really need the product. Having a check out now button right in front of them can make them take action.

It is also important to make the checkout process as easy as possible. If there is an information overload, they are likely to back out and go elsewhere. If your visitor has to log in or sign up for a membership before buying, rethink this process to make your website more user-friendly.

Let your visitors know where they are

This means easy navigation and a step-by-step update on which stage of the purchase process they are at, as they are checking out. Show them the number of steps in the check out process and make them feel as though they are progressing. Nobody likes long procedures.

Auto-fill forms when registered visitors log in

When people who have registered on your website log in and decide to make a purchase, auto complete the information that is already available through the registration data like name, street address, email address, phone numbers and so on.  Don’t make them type it all again. The more effort a visitor has to put in, the less inclined she is to complete the purchase process.

It is a good idea to only collect information that relates to the purchase. Otherwise, the visitor is likely to get distracted from the purchase. Eliminate all extraneous buttons and widgets from the check out page that can divert the visitor’s attention. This includes listings for other products that the visitor might decide to go look at and never come back. Keep the elements related to the goal of that page.

Make the check out simple

Streamline the check out process, and make it intuitive so that your visitor does not have to think. On this page, all they need to do is follow the instructions, make their payment and go.

Contact information

Ensure that your contact information is prominently visible on each page of your website so that if visitors have questions they know how to reach you.

Fast loading website

There is fierce competition out there and it is unfair to expect a visitor to wait patiently for a slow loading website. Improve page loading speeds.

Include thumbnail images of products

Offer different viewing options for products and make it easy to search. Categorise products properly with images for easy browsing.

Add a call to action

Create solid calls to action to keep your customers on the website and do what you want them to do.

Recommendations

Improve your visitor’s shopping experience by creating lists of recommendations based on what they are interested in – this can encourage impulse purchases.

Include a search button on the website and make sure all links work. Don’t forget to actually use your website to get an idea of what your visitors experience when they browse your website. Is it easy to navigate? Can visitors easily figure out what to do next? Are there distractions that divert them from buying?

The above are just a few ways you can increase your ecommerce website’s usability. The mantra is to keep it simple and short.

Convert website visitors into customers

Website copy writing can be challenging because it has to accomplish the following objectives:

• Highlight the business’ unique selling proposition, and tell the visitors why they must buy products from you or make use of your services
• Give the visitors what they are looking for, answering their search query
• Offer information and establish you as an expert so they come back often
• Increase the business’ visibility online
• Convert visitors to customers
• Build a relationship with the visitor

Most websites focus on increasing their website’s visitor-to-buyer conversion rate. In fact, each page of a website has a goal, and together these contribute to achieving the website’s return on investment.  This can be done by writing optimised content, which has rightly been dubbed “King”. Here are some quick pointers:

• Effective web copy must start with a clear understanding of the website’s goals. Some examples of these are getting visitors to buy, having them sign up for a newsletter, ask for a quote, product demo or a software download and so on. Write down the purpose of each page on your website and decide what you want your visitors to do on each page.
• Draw your visitors’ attention to the important parts of your web copy. This means catchy headlines that grab their eye and inspire them to read the rest of the page. Follow this up with content that is crisp and includes the keywords your visitors used to find your website.
• Present your message in a clear and brief manner. Simple is always best while writing web copy. Avoid jargon, acronyms and lengthy sentences. Your content must convey your message to your readers in an easy-to-understand manner without ambiguity.
• Emphasise the benefits, as in what is in it for them. Visitors prefer to know how your products and services can benefit them, rather than simply read product descriptions. Their response to your call to action will be a result of how they perceive your product and what difference it will make in their lives. If you want them to take action, give them a very good reason to act.
• Write your web copy in a way that makes your visitors want to take action right away. Let them know clearly what you expect them to do on each web page. As soon as they arrive on a page, they must be able to grasp what is expected of them.
• Ensure that your web copy is consistent on all pages of your website. Optimise your content with relevant keywords so that the search engines can direct visitors to your site.
• Make sure your targeted keywords are included in your website’s meta tags, links and file names.
• Do not make false promises just to make your products sound better. Doing so can be a shortcut to disaster.
• Focus your copy on your business’ target audience with the appropriate phrases, language and writing style so it appeals to them. Your visitors must be able to identify with your words in order to convert into customers.
• Split your optimised copy into interesting titles, sub headings and bulleted list to make it easy on the visitor’s eye. No one enjoys reading yards of uninterrupted text. If relevant, include images.

Finally, ensure that you proofread your web copy, and check to see that all links lead to the right pages. There is nothing more annoying that links that don’t work and grammatical and spelling errors on a web page. Monitor your web copy on a regular basis and tweak it based on the results you achieve.