How many times a day to you look up something on your mobile device? Ten times? Twenty?  Do you ever put it away?  Or are you one of those people who don’t have a smartphone who longs to be part of the information super highway?  I admittedly used to be one of those people, but no longer!  In addition to using my smartphone to upload adorable photos of my child to Facebook, I have also joined the 38 percent of smartphone users who have made some sort of purchase with their device according to a recent Comscore survey.  Mobile pay per click campaigns for e-commerce clients are a must in this day and age.  And here is the low-down…

So you don’t have mobile campaigns? And you are e-commerce business?  Tisk, tisk!  If you have never looked at your data in AdWords and segmented the information by device, you should.  This will be your first clue as to why separate mobile campaigns are needed.  The proof really is in the data.  If you segment your mobile from desktop users, you can actually market to them a bit differently and capture people in a different stage of the buying cycle.  Here are the top three benefits of mobile campaigns according to Google:

1. You can utilize powerful mobile-specific features like click-to-call and location-based services, which offers not only more convenience, but also more relevance to mobile users.
2. Mobile-specific campaigns have seen a 12% increase in average click-through rates and a 29% increase in clicks over hybrid campaigns.  “Hybrid” campaigns are those opted into both mobile device and desktop computers.
3. You have greater control over budgets, keywords, bids and ad creative, as well as more insight into mobile performance via different reporting options.

Mobile users consume information very quickly. When they are on the go, the make decisions fast without much time for research.  A lady on her lunch hour sees another lady walking down the street in an amazing pair of boots.  She wants them immediately so she whips out her mobile device and buys.  Her sale is among the 37% of purchases for clothing or accessories directly from a retailer that were all made from a mobile device in 2011.  Consider this information: In September 2011, two-thirds of smartphone users compared prices and products, searched for coupons, took product pictures or located a retail store.  What does this do for your sales funnel?  It can help insert people in the middle of the funnel for sure, but if you don’t have a well developed mobile site or a great campaign to get shoppers there, you will be missing out on a tremendous opportunity.  If you can capture their attention with great ad copy that appeals to their needs and the site is easy to maneuver with their mobile device, you will see your conversions and your revenue increase!   Now that I am sure you are convinced, here are some quick best practices for your mobile campaigns:

1. Use smaller more general keyword lists.
2. Whittle down the information you want to give them. Get straight to the point and show them what the want and need!
3. Consider different Geo Targeting options for targeting metro areas, states or cities.
4. Try using promotional language in your ad copy.  Like I mentioned before, people on their phones want information fast when they are on the go.  You can also write mobile specific copy tailored to the mobile user such as, “Book A Flight Today From Your Android.”
5. Make sure you optimize your mobile landing pages!  Make sure that your buttons are easily clickable and that the options are well labeled and can be clicked with ease without clicking on something else unintentionally.  Also, make sure that the landing page is easy to navigate.

Some of you may say, “I don’t have the money or time or resources to create mobile landing pages.” No excuses.  There are ways around that.  Google released a very cool tool in June 2011 for the non-programming inclined folks to create their own simple, professional landing pages for FREE!  The other option is to try sending people directly to the app store for their mobile device.  Encourage buyers to download the app for free, which would then be tied to your up sell strategy leading to a conversion via mobile!

With the world wanting information at their fingertips, they should have your products there too.  Create your mobile pages with our best practices and watch the sales role in.  There is only one thing left to say… In the immortal words of Nike, “Just do it!”

If you want to know more about Mobile for Lead Generation, be sure to read Kayla’s article HERE!  Let us know how mobile campaigns have worked for you and your business.  Thanks, as always, for reading PPC Hero!