Mobile Marketing: Search Engines, Proximity, and Immediacy Influence Purchase Decisions

Mobile Marketing: Search Engines, Proximity, and Immediacy Influence Purchase Decisions

 The Mobile Revolution is Upon Us!


Just like technology, the modern customers are evolving and have very high expectations coupled with short attention spans. Mobile optimized websites used to be a nice perk, but have become a necessity.

Responsive web development means that your site will change it’s layout automatically based on the size of the viewer’s screen. This allows you to have one website that will work on all platforms, with updates being made to a single content management system. Some sites have advanced functionality and do not lend themselves to responsive design, but in those scenarios other mobile development techniques can be used.

Use this site as an example of responsive design by making the window smaller.

Mobile customers expect your site to be quick, easy to navigate, and most importantly near their current location. This article covers insights discovered by Google where they found that 93% of people who use mobile to research go on to complete a purchase, most happening in physical stores.

People are searching and buying locally. Are your pages optimized for local buyers?

Search is the most common starting point for mobile research with 48% beginning their quest through a search engine. The report also finds that 69% expect businesses to be within 5 miles of their location. It is important to note that only 17% actually purchased on their mobile device.

Customers demand that their searches be local and Google is catering to their needs. Updating Google+ pages is extremely important for local search engine marketing and is growing in importance as new Google software updates are released.

These customers are on the go and ready to make a purchase, they are not researching for the future, they are researching for NOW.

Google Insights on the Future of Mobile Technology:


  1. Consumers spend time researching on mobile – Consumers spend 15+ hours per week researching on their smartphone and on average visit mobile websites 6 times.
  2. Mobile research starts with search – More smartphone users start researching about products or services on a search engine vs. a branded mobile site or app.
  3. Location proximity matters to mobile consumers – 69% of consumers expect businesses to be within 5 miles or less of their location.
  4. Purchase immediacy is key – Over half of consumers want to make a purchase within an hour of conducting research on their smartphone.
  5. Mobile influences purchases across channels – 93% of people who use mobile to research go on to complete a purchase of a product or service. Most purchases happen in physical stores.

Source: Mobile Path to Purchase: Five Key Findings Nov. 2013

Ready to join the revolution?


There are a few things to know while developing your mobile marketing strategy.

  1. Consider the Platform – Content must be easy to consume. Bite-sized information served in a concise and relevant way will be consumed more immediately. Understand which platforms speak best to your ideal audience, not just which one may be the newest trend.
  2. Use Smart Distribution – Small businesses now have access to the latest tools for monitoring consumer behavior, location, and trends. Break down big data into small and actionable information. Implement your thought leader’s expertise in a quick and timely manner.
  3. Embrace Dynamic Content – Dramatically speed up your sales cycle and funnel by tailoring content to an individual user’s past behavior. Find a customer pain point and ease their troubles, or outline a new product usage. Either way, make it timely and relevant.

There is nothing more frustrating than viewing a zoomed-out, small text website on a mobile device.

In fact, most users will bounce off the site quickly if it is too difficult to read and not mobile optimized.

Our Marketing Agents develop websites with WordPress templates that are responsive, clean, and engaging. Using a theme that satisfies all browser sizes makes it easy to update content across all platforms. We find WordPress themes have great search engine optimization and are generally easy to navigate for the user.

Contact us for more information on how to properly optimize your website for mobile and implement long term content marketing strategies.

About 

Digital marketing agent by day and amateur crime fighter by night. This ninja ginja writes about technology trends, social media advancements, and light commentary on our digital culture. Founder of Tower Agency, Roger can be found working hard in the office or playing hard outside.

Positivity is a virtue and there is no shortage with this young entrepreneur.

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