Today, it seems like every advertiser and organization wants to be on Facebook. They want to reach millions of users with their message. It’s understandable; the investment to create a Facebook page is minimal and the results are easily tracked. You know almost immediately how many people you’ve reached and if they “like” you.  If you are advertising on Facebook, can you convey your brand promise in 135 characters or less with an image the size of a postage stamp?

Recently, I’ve been tasked with creating Facebook ads for several of our clients, and I must say, it’s not a simple task. Fortunately, these ads were in conjunction with a print campaign that allowed space for more than 135 characters and the luxury of large, bold images to create and express our client’s brand promise.

I contend that the relationship a person has with a print piece is different than that of online advertising. Print is a more sensory media. Print can activate each of the five senses; think of a scented perfume ad, die-cuts and varied paper textures and even embedded sound devices. A print piece can be designed to contain as much or as little copy as you require. You can have big bold images and subtle graphics to enhance your message. In short, a print piece can create and embody your brand message.

Now, I’m not saying one medium is better than the other, they are both integral components to an effective campaign. Print is a strong driver of online behavior. It wets the reader’s appetite for a complementary web experience. I believe, the process of engaging a consumer doesn’t start on a mobile device, it starts in print. Electronic media is just another tool to communicate with your audience. Each avenue has its strengths and limitations—but print was the first interactive medium, and is a powerful and effective part of any media mix.

It is no secret that the web has gone mobile. Just looking at the web statistics of client sites we host, there has definitely  been a steady incline in the percentage of users accessing sites via mobile browsers. At Willow we are using this data to determine if the client has a need for a mobile version of their site, ensuring that it is accessible and optimal for the mobile user.

I recently read a great article that explains how mobile web is different, and I have the slightly shortened recap below.

1. Smaller Screens:
User sees less information at once, more page content is “below the fold”.
Solution: Simpler page layout, important content at the top, easy to read fonts, keep content to a minimum.

2. Slower Processors (Processor is the brain of the device)
Small device = Small, slower processor.
Solution: Simpler page layout without things like slideshows and interactive forms.

3. Less Bandwidth (Bandwith is the internet speed)
Slow loading time, limited data plans for some users (if your users have a limited data plan and they know your site uses up a large chunk of it, chances are, they won’t be back).
Solution: On your mobile site, link to video instead of embedding it, use smaller and less images. Optimize your attachments (pdf’s) to be as small as possible.

4. Touch input
No hover overs, less precision (vs a mouse cursor).
Solution: Large touch-friendly buttons, no drop-down menus.

5. Fiddly keyboards
Users hate typing long reams of text on a mobile device.
Solution: Shorter urls, adding an autocomplete function to text fields or search field.

6. No, or limited multitasking
Solution: Include FB/Twitter sharing buttons on every page so users don’t have to copy and paste your page’s url in order to share.

7. Websites are not always viewed in web browsers
A large portion of users view your site within mobile apps such as Twitter and FB. Often there is no URL bar (so user has no idea what the link is). Screen size is reduced even more seeing that the page is being cramped into another screen that already contains that app’s buttons and widgets.
Solution: Again, include your social links on every page to make sharing the URL easy, include useful information such as article dats and breadcrumbs to help users orient themselves.

8. Portrait screens
Desktops generally have a landscape orientation, most mobile users hold their phone upright in a portrait orientation. This gives you fewer columns of content, narrower area for images and navigation along the top rather than the side.
Of course most devices allows you to switch, but just keep in mind that since it’s easier to hold the phone upright, most users will browse that way.
Solution: Design with with portrait orientation in mind.

9. People use mobile devices differently vs a computer
Sitting on the couch, while walking, while waiting, looking for specific information instead of just browsing, easily distracted (especially if they’re driving).
Solution: Make key content easy to find.

10. No, or poor Flash support
No Apple devices run Flash, and they probably never will. Android devices run Flash, but it causes performance and stability issues so most users choose to turn it off.
Solution: Luckily most mobile devices already use HTML5 and CSS3 which has some animation and interactivity capabilities built into it.

Know of any other key tips that make Mobile Web different? Share them with us.

Source: http://www.elated.com/articles/10-ways-the-mobile-web-is-different/

If only we could count the number of times we’ve heard, “We know what our ___(insert target audience)___ wants from us.” Do you? Ever heard that expression, “When you assume, you make an a** out of u and me.”~ Oscar Wilde

Five years ago I didn’t have a facebook or twitter account, Google was not something I visited multiple times a day, and purchasing a smart phone was out of the question.  I thought a phone’s purpose was simply to allow me to chat anytime, any place and my little Samsung with its 12 keys did the job.  Today my iPhone is practically a limb. I text, tweet, mobile upload photos to facebook and occasionally still talk on my “phone”, although it is really a computer the size of a phone.  My point is, you can teach an old dog new tricks and if one were assuming my communication preferences were the same as they were five years ago, because a database indicated that I like to be called, one would be very wrong.  These are just my qualitative observations, but research shows that times are changing.

According to Nielsen, by 2011, US smartphone users will catch and surpass feature phone users. This means that around 50% of current mobile subscribers will shift to smartphones. What does that mean for marketers? It means access to multiple communication channels (text, e-mail, social media, websites, and the good old fashion phone) from one handheld device. But how do you ensure that you reach your target audience through those channels?

Step one in becoming savvier marketers is recognizing and accepting that your target audience is fickle. Their behaviors are ever changing and to remain relevant you’ll continually need to use qualitative and quantitative research to gain insight about your audience, your competitors and the marketplace that we all live in.

Step two in becoming savvier marketers is recognizing that as marketers continually saturate all these channels, consumers will become weary from their methods. For this very reason you need to continually pay attention to your target audience’s preferences, what your competitors are doing and what innovation is available in the marketplace.

Bottom line – don’t assume anything. Testing and research is key.

Since Apple’s launch of the iPad last April, 14.8 million have been sold. Without including the iPhone and other devices, I think it is safe to say there is a need, or an opportunity to use this knowledge in the design world to tailor our delivery of information to reach a wider audience. Other benefits include faster site loading time and content being easier to access due to formatting for the smaller screen of mobile devices. With others recognizing this need or opportunity, there are several tools available to help complete the mobile design websites.  I have found a great article on Mashable listing out eight of these tools for your use. If you have used any of these, let us know how it turned out. If you haven’t, start designing and get your site mobile!

More references:
tech crunch

Apple