PHP.Web.FTP – Page 3

Including mobile access in your web design and development plan is not just an option these days: it is a necessity, and hence the need for mobile web design tips. Millions of people are browsing the web, shopping and spending money, via their mobile devices so not carefully considering this as you design or redevelop your site means that money is being left on the table.

1. Know What Devices Are Being Used

Unless you know how your users are browsing your site, it is difficult to target them. Are they mostly using larger mobile devices like iPads, or are they predominately smartphone users (which involve much smaller screens and a more thoughtful design solution to cater to it). Using analytics and research you can build quite a detailed profile of the operating systems and potential devices that your website visitors are using.

2. Maintain The Same Message In Your Content

A mobile version of a website should not provide a completely different feel and experience just because someone is not browsing on their computer. The overall feel and purpose of the site should remain the same, along with the core content which people should feel is not wildly different based on how they are accessing your website. In many cases, you may have to eliminate some content or features on the mobile design to cater to the capability or aesthetics of the device. However, your core content, branding and website purpose should absolutely remain the same throughout.

Social Media is a hot topic in marketing, almost every conversation I have about digital turns into a social media discussion these days. I also find that while a large number of companies have started social media marketing, many companies don’t know where to start. I’ve had many discussions in the last few months where senior executives admit they know they need to do something but they don’t know what.

I firmly believe that social media is what the web will become and in most ways what the web was designed to be. The web is still in it’s infancy and the how we connect online with the real world will continue to develop. Companies need an integrated digital strategy that includes social media as a central component to ensure they meet the developing needs and behaviours of the modern customer.

The various discussions about social media have led me to outline the key items every company should consider when defining their social media strategy.

1. Set your objectives
The biggest mistake organisations make is not knowing what they are trying to achieve with social media. They do it because they see other companies doing it or because they want to be the first in their sector or niche to use social media. Social Media can be used for a multitude of reasons including positioning, lead generation, sales, customer service and marketing (in the fullest sense), amongst others. But if you don’t know where you’re going, you’ll never get there. Make sure your social media objectives align with your business objectives before you set off on your exciting new journey.

2. Define what success looks like
I can’t overstate the importance of defining success, it’s the only way to understand whether you are achieving your desired objectives. You must set targets for each of your business objectives and then set the metrics that you will use to measure these targets. A customer service cost reduction objective may have metrics such as the volume of queries resolved through social media, the reduction in queries offline and net cost reduction. All of which will show whether you are moving towards your overall target.