1. Mobile Phones: No One Leaves Home Without It
Mobile Web Applications
Any guess as to what the most common item left behind in a hotel room is? According to hotels, it’s a cell phone charger. Simply put, no self respecting mobile phone owner would dream of going on vacation without it.
And the mobile phone hold-outs are in the minority. According to the telecom industry, 91% of Americans own cell phones and by the end of 2011, it is predicted that the number of “smart,” web-enabled mobile phones will have surpassed the number of traditional cell phones. That means 45% of all Americans are expected to be carrying smart phones with them on vacation by the end of 2011.
In a 2011 survey by GSM Arena that asked readers what they use their mobile phones for, the top responses included:
- Alarm clock
- Weather
- Accessing web content
- GPS and Digital Maps
- Taking photos
- Social Media
Apparently people are using their phones to wake up, check the weather, search the web for something fun to do nearby, get directions, take some photos, and then post them on Facebook to prove to their friends that they are having a good time.
If your destination doesn’t currently have a mobile website, that doesn’t mean visitors aren’t looking you up on their phones. In fact, if you check your Google Analytics reports you will probably see a graph that looks something like this:
Mobile Website Visits are Rising
Mobile access to your website is increasing daily. This graph shows the mobile traffic for a destination that doesn’t have a mobile website yet. As smart phones have penetrated the market, consumers are increasingly using them to access web content.
What’s the point of all this? Simply that you can no longer justify putting off developing a mobile strategy as part of your marketing plan. Your visitors are using their phones to access mobile content while on vacation at your destination and if you aren’t serving them mobile content, your competitors are.
2. Mobile Sites vs. Mobile Apps
You have two options for delivering mobile content to your visitors, through a mobile website or through a mobile application or “app”. The choice depends on your goals and objectives and how best to serve your visitors. Each has strengths and weaknesses but there are some important facts to consider in choosing how and when to incorporate each into your mobile strategy.
| Mobile Sites | Mobile Apps | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Pro | Less costly to develop | Can make data available offline | |
| Universally available on all smart phones | Can work with other apps like the camera, gps, and address book | ||
| No downloading or installing required | |||
| Changes to the site are immediate | |||
| Con | Flash multi-media NOT supported | Requires a separate app for each mobile phone platform | |
| Performance depends on Internet quality | Requires more development time and cost | ||
| Subject to app store rules and revenue sharing |
For most destinations that do not yet have a mobile strategy, starting with a well designed mobile website makes the most sense.
Mobile websites will require less upfront investment, less effort on your visitors to use it, and typically integrates with your main website to share data.
3. Mobile Destination Websites Shouldn’t Be Mini Desktop Websites
Travelers don’t use mobile websites and desktop sites for the same purposes. This might sound obvious but I see mobile sites all the time that are designed simply as shrunken down versions of a destination’s main website. There are two simple reasons why consumers use mobile and desktop sites differently: screen size and context.
Consumers do travel research when they have time and where it is most convenient. It is much easier to read articles, print out information, and research more efficiently on a desktop computer where the screen size doesn’t leave you feeling like your eyes have been to the gym.
Consumers use mobile devices to access information about a destination while at the destination. If you think of your desktop website as an interactive brochure, think of a destination mobile website as a personal interactive concierge. Travelers use their phone to lookup directions, find local restaurants and nightlife, and look for special deals as they need the information.
Your mobile content strategy needs to take this into consideration. With limited screen real estate and even shorter attention spans, it is critical to develop a mobile content strategy independently from your main website content strategy. Cater to your visitor’s needs by making it easy for them to access information relevant to where they are within your destination. Make it easy for them to search your destination database for things to do, events, dining, shopping, and deals. And most importantly make it easy on your visitors to view all of this information on an interactive map. Improving your visitor’s experience at your destination will have a positive impact on your brand loyalty.
Conclusion
Mobile searches are predicted to outnumber desktop searches by 2013. If you don’t yet have a mobile site, take a look at your website analytics data for mobile visits and you will get a sense of the numbers of visitors you are potentially missing.
Don’t delay, now is the time to develop a mobile strategy if you haven’t done so already. Educate yourself about the pros and cons of mobile apps and mobile websites and how each may play a part in your strategy. If you want your mobile site to be a success and help build your brand loyalty, make sure your strategy takes into consideration that your visitor’s needs for information are different once they arrive at the destination.
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