Mobile communication has seen a path breaking success in the last decade which has gone by. Come 2015 and the trends seen in the last decade do not seem to be reversing. Now that smart phones are becoming more and more affordable and platforms like Android being open source offer free app downloads, a mobile phone is now the first choice when it comes to browsing the internet.
Today mobile marketing is the most talked about topic everywhere you go and thereby the need has arose to create epic and path breaking content to make it more adaptable to mobile phones. So people associated with mobile marketing and content writers need to devise a strategy for creating mobile friendly content as mobile is the key to the future. Here are a few things you should consider before devising the right strategy.
- Mobile first strategy
Websites are no longer created for desktops. There are at least 3 times more mobile internet users than desktop users. Desktops are now only confined to offices and some homes for professional work. Otherwise, internet browsing is done mostly through smart phones. Similarly, with the changing trends in internet usage, content should be created with such an approach to allow accommodation of a fairly large content on the mobile screen. Making the text smaller to fit a small mobile screen cannot be considered as an option anymore.
- Thinking beyond the device strategy
A clear strategy should be adopted to design the content thinking beyond the device. Many content developers make this mistake and get totally engrossed in keeping the device in mind and designing specifically for the device. It is true that the content should look good across all devices, but this cannot be the only approach. Human behavioural patterns should also be kept in mind while designing mobile friendly content. How the users use their device, whether they use it while travelling etc. are a few questions which should be addressed while designing mobile content.
- Images downsizing strategy
It is very true that a good picture speaks a thousand words, but images are heavy and take up a considerable amount of bandwidth. With slow and stop-start mobile internet connections the problem gets compounded. Impatient mobile internet users give up opening the site, if it takes too much time to open. High resolution images do look good and increase the visual experience, but they come at a heavy price which you can ill-afford. It is idealistic to use fewer images, decrease their resolution and also to reduce their size to make your content more mobile friendly. Keep in mind the mobile first approach.
- Adopting HTML 5 strategy
It is always a smart idea to move ahead with time and adapt to new technology. HTML 5 is the perfect new tool to start with. Gone are the days of using animated GIF’s and Flash for creating slideshows and animations. Opt for HTML 5 for creating animations. An HTML 5 animation is 10% the size of an animated GIF or a Flash animation and requires a lesser download time on a smart phone. Apple does not even provide Flash compatibility now and Flash has also been removed from Google’s Android operating system.
- Focus on Text strategy
Text is the main part on any content. Text based information is what drives in users towards your website. The basic approach towards writing a mobile friendly text or content should be to make it short, precise and to the point. Text should be divided into small paragraphs to enable users to completely digest it and ensure that they are not put off to sleep with boredom. Important titles, sub-titles and important information should be well highlighted to catch user attention despite a small screen size.
It is needless to mention that if a site is non-responsive or non-mobile friendly then its future is bound to be bleak. Adopting these strategies will surely make a mobile friendly content. The bottom line is that it is impossible to create a mobile friendly site without a mobile friendly content.