Author: Holly Miller Anderson

Holly is passionate about helping brands become better digital storytellers. She educates marketers, guides junior SEO's, and advises businesses on how to be successful online in the face of a changing digital landscape with practical SEO and marketing advice. Holly also documents her lifestyle from travel adventures, fitness, to every-day fashion inspiration. She has dedicated herself to a few key sports over the years that have shaped her agility and performance capabilities. From her early start as a martial artist (8 years) in the style of Kenpo to her hobby of 10+ years as a competitive ballroom dancer in the American Standard style 5-dance category dancing the Waltz, Foxtrot, Tango, Viennese Waltz and Quickstep. Holly has and continues to lead an active lifestyle. Currently, she enjoys training in the sport of Olympic Weightlifting and being an avid CrossFit'er and enjoys getting her hands dirty at the occasional Spartan Race.

As Joe DeMike, Principal Marketing Consultant at Google explained at IMPACT14 this September, there is an inversion point that’s coming with regard to mobile devices. Simply put, there will come a point in the very near future where traffic from mobile devices to your company website will overtake that of traffic from desktop (and we’re talking organic traffic). Companies need to be ready and they need to be able to provide a seamless, frictionless experience on the customer path to purchase.

Case in point, I used two types of car services to get me to and from the airport while traveling to the Impact14 conference in Las Vegas this year. I booked an Uber from my office to the airport and I took a cab from LAX back to my office.

Here’s the key difference in my choice of words which, I’ll explain, simultaneously illustrates the difference between companies that are optimizing for mobile experiences versus those that are not: I booked the Uber—implying preference in my transportation arrangements whereas I had to “take” a cab from the airport because Uber drivers are no longer allowed to pick up from the airport…Lame.

Read on and see which seamless and frictionless experience you would prefer:

The Uber

Exiting my office building, I open the Uber app and use the pinpoint location to alert a nearby driver I would like to be picked up.
Moments later, I get a text message saying my driver is en route and the expected wait time is less than 5 minutes.
The driver pleasantly greeted me. He offered me bottled water and gum upon getting settled inside his clean, well-kept vehicle.
The driver used the company-provided smartphone to input my desired location.
We chatted back and forth during the entire ride to the airport.
Since my payment details are on file with Uber, there was no swiping of my credit card or fishing through my purse for cash—even tip is factored into the Uber rides.
In short, I arrived at my destination and left the car feeling happy and knowing that I would use Uber’s services again.

The Cab

Exited baggage claim at LAX and climbed into the cab giving the driver the exact office address for my destination. He did nothing with the information except nod, start the meter and shift the car into drive.
We spend the next minute debating the state of traffic conditions on the freeway versus side streets. When it becomes apparent to me that the cab driver does not know which route is faster, I pull out my smart phone. A quick look on sigalert.com ends the discussion; we will take the freeway (where is his smartphone?).
No conversation.
I advise the cab driver to exit the freeway and proceed to Pico to make a quick left and then right using back roads to the office (seriously, where is his smart phone?). He is flustered saying “but you said it was on Olympic?…” I say, “this method takes the back roads, it’s OK.”
The cab pulls up outside the office. This being the part where we exchange money for his service, I tell the cab driver I will be paying with a credit card and would like a receipt. His reaction is one of visible displeasure that I don’t have cash to give him.
I swipe my card into the machine and tip him 20% (since I’m such an inconvenience). The machine doesn’t work and I have to repeat the process again (seriously?!). Finally, receipt in hand, I silently vow not to take a cab again unless I absolutely have to.

These two experiences are night and day and, to a large degree, illuminate the disparity between companies that have optimized their websites to handle mobile engagement and transactions versus those that have yet to. A snippet from DeMike’s presentation, “mobile users will notice and be delighted by the small things you do for them to enhance their experience.” Some of the unique user needs (Read: mobile optimization principles) included:

Optimize your entire site for mobile
Don’t make users pinch-to-zoom
Make product images expandable
Tell users which screen orientation works best (if applicable)
Keep your user in a single browser window
Be clear why you need a user’s location

As it stands, there is a big disparity between the companies that are ahead of the game and those still thinking of getting on board the mobile bandwagon. The time for thinking has past. It’s time for action. I agree, the inversion point will happen and when it does, upon finishing an experience with a brand on a mobile device, marketers will want their customers feeling happy and knowing they’ll use the brand’s services again.

For your viewing pleasure, here are a few snapshots of what this years presenters had to say on mobile. The IMPACT14 conference is an annual event hosted by the Internet Marketing Association.

Please visit the event photo gallery for more photos of the event.

While having dinner a few nights ago with family friends, I took the golden opportunity to chat up their 15 year old son on his preference for social networking sites. Sure, he has a MySpace and Facebook page.

“Do you tweet?” I asked him. He stopped a moment, “do I what?” Now I was puzzled and tried to explain the recent phenomenon (known as Twitter). “Do you, you know, ‘tweet’? It’s a micro blog on this site called Twitter…” I could see he had no clue as to what I was talking about. His preference was, in fact, Facebook.

Moving up into the next target market, personal friends of mine roughly ages 24-29 who have otherwise abandoned their MySpace sites in favor of communicating on Facebook. Is it for the cleaner interface? Or the ability to network amongst a foundation of college-based individuals? Whatever the reason, it seems the grass is looking greener on the other side.

As for me, I maintain a presence amongst these popular social sites, but have recently tailored my postings. For example, I wiped out all profile information on my MySpace page in favor of creating a profile full of photos highlighting the places I’ve traveled and exciting things I’ve done. I communicate with many of my real friends through Facebook where my profile page reflects a slightly more intimate “me” yet still simplified with pictures, info and posts on my wall. As for LinkedIn, I’m all about it. I recently added my blog to my page and included a handful of great books I’ve read.

For anyone reading this from a branding perspective and wondering, “where should I be?” or “what social networking site is best for my brand?” Think about your target market first. Think about why they would be on a particular social networking site (consider the values, activities and benefits offered) and then find a creative, constructive and intuitive way for consumers to interact with your brand. But don’t think you have to “tweet” just because everyone else is doing it. Because news flash: your target market may not even be participating on that social platform!