5 Reasons B2B Companies Need A Mobile Website Today!
May 1, 2012
It’s totally clear to every businessperson today that mobile websites are the way of the future.
In fact, they are here TODAY for leading companies in every market. Sales between businesses will be no different in the era of mobile computing; in fact B2B sales and advertising via mobile websites will usher in a dimension of one-on-one sales interaction that has never been seen before. Here are five major reasons why B2B companies need a mobile website TODAY.
- Smartphones are increasing in popularity daily. In our B2B circles, Forbes and Google report that at least 82% of executives are using a smartphone as a key part of their workday. That’s second in computing only to their laptops at 87%. The average CEO has 4.21 devices and the decision-making CFOs have 4.22 devices. If half of these are mobile devices (smartphones and tablets), isn’t it time to have your website show well on those platforms?
- Over half of senior executives see smartphones as their primary communications tool, 73% for those under age 40. Landlines are on the way out in B2B just as they are in homes. Also, smartphones are being used for an increasing number of tasks that have previously been only available to those who have access to a laptop or desktop computer. Where people are interacting with you is now just as important as your web properties and all your social media work. Executives want to start communicating with you via their smartphone, is your company ready?
- Mobile websites offer a personal “one-on-one” marketing experience which until recently only a PC could provide. Today, when many of us have down time, it is spent on our phones. QR codes are scanned in the most unusual places. Your print ad or paper brochure can now be an interactive mobile landing page or a hot video to connect with your potential customer. When a person searches for your company on their smartphone, they are literally holding you in their hands. How much more personal can you get?
- By using a mobile website you can make sure that the first time a new potential customer finds you on the Internet from their mobile device, you are immediately recognized as a mobile-friendly company. It’s reassuring that you actually care about their experience with your brand. If you create a device-optimized experience that highlights your products and services in a quick and easy way on their smartphone, you get instant credibility as a company that’s looking forward not backwards. That first impression on their mobile device is your handshake with them. Do you want it to be a great first impression or not?
- You are out of time to build your first “mobile-friendly” website. Four years ago, companies were scrambling to get beyond either not having a website or having a couple of pages copied from their brochure. That same Forbes and Google survey found that 45% of executives believe a smartphone or a tablet will be their primary device for business interaction within 3 years. I’m betting it comes even before that. Are you ready? Have you looked at your website analytics to see how much traffic is from mobile devices? Have you looked at your website on an iPhone to test how easy it is to use? Are you happy with that?
Here’s a BONUS REASON: If you are starting to integrate your Internet marketing with your traditional offline marketing using QR Codes and custom landing pages, best practices in our industry, then being “mobile friendly” is a MUST. Those people getting your offline marketing material are not usually sitting at their desk or in their hotel room on their laptop. What good is having a nice looking PC-based landing page if the potential customer finds it from your poster at a trade show? Wouldn’t it be better to have your landing page “mobile friendly” so the message is instantly delivered?
