Virtual Reality: Is Coming To Your Business?

Marketing Mobile Marketing
Pokemon Go Virtual Reality Game
Virtual Reality has now arrived!

The Smartphone has shifted the way advertisers market towards consumers.  I’ve never seen anything more powerful than a device that seems to be permanently attached to our lives. If you ask anyone these days their smart device is never more than 4 feet from them, 24/7 and many say they cannot survive without it.  The best part about the Smartphone technology is that it can target specific mobile users.  It makes it easy for online advertisers to reach their desired target markets and locations.  Virtual Reality technology is now making that possible.

The newest app, Pokemon Go, only released on July 6th of this year, has placed the power of marketing into the hands of the local business owner. While many larger corporations are waiting to cash in on sponsored advertising through the apps PokéStops, small business owners are not waiting.  Many businesses are by simply applying guerrilla tactics to lure and profit off of their existing customers as well as attracting new ones by inserting themselves into the game.

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What does Google’s ‘Mobile-friendly’ tag mean for you?

Marketing Mobile Marketing Our Blog

As a marketer- I lo(athe)ve Google. You see, marketers live and die by a site’s Google search rank… And so do you, you just might not realize it.

Back in November 2014, Google announced they would be launching a new method affecting mobile SERP (search engine results page) – the mobile-friendly tag; a great feature for anyone who has ever found themselves Googling an obscure topic to settle a dinner argument. April 21st marked a day which will live in digital infamy (at least for all us SEO nerds); Google now penalizes your site for not being mobile-friendly.

Google’s Webmaster page has lots of goodies for anyone who wants to attack the whole enchilada, but for those of you who are busy and want to make sure your site is compliant and move on with your life here is a list of three things you can to do make sure you aren’t falling victim to a Google rank penalty.

To preface these tips- this change does not currently affect the SERP for desktop searches, only searches done from mobile devices (i.e. smartphones-not tablets).

1- Google your website on your phone.
Check your site’s SERP location by doing a quick Google search on your own mobile device. If your site is mobile friendly you will see a mobile-friendly tag beneath the site title. If you do- you can stop there, but if you want to ensure your site is indexed by Google as mobile-friendly proceed to Step Two.

2- Check to make sure your site is indexed as mobile-friendly.
If you are slightly paranoid (like me) you should check out this mobile friendly test to verify your site is being indexed by Google as mobile-friendly. If it is- way to go! You’re done- for now. If your site fails this test don’t panic- we can fix it!

3- Choose a mobile-friendly template.
If your site doesn’t pass the mobile friendly test, it’s time to think about an upgrade… sooner rather than later- as in now. Upgrading your site might sound like a daunting task and it could be if you were all alone. Thankfully there are plenty of experts out there to help you make a fairly seamless transition to a new site without causing a whole lot of disruption all while improving your organic search rank.

Once you have upgraded your site to a mobile friendly template you will need to resubmit to Google so it can be crawled and indexed- which sounds absolutely disgusting but it’s actually a good thing.

So, why does this all matter? Why should you care? No one looks at your site anyway…

With the entire landscape of digital media, advertising and research turning to a vastly mobile-centric world it is paramount that all websites are completely responsive and mobile-friendly. This means ensuring that you are not using any software that is not compatible with mobile devices (we’re looking at you, Adobe Flash). End users need to be able to check your site and click on links easily- this means spacing out links, using a site template that will respond well to mobile devices (WordPress is great for these) and generating content that is easily consumed for those users accessing your site on the go.

Did your site fail the mobile-friendly test? Are you filled with questions, comments, concerns or really cute dog pictures? Drop me a line at Cornerstone Media Group and be prepared to be amazed! Laine@CSMediaGroup.com

Is Your Online Store Mobile?

Ecommerce Mobile Marketing

If you sell a product, you’d be crazy not to focus your e-commerce on mobile and tablet apps.  This chart pretty much speaks for itself: By 2012, about a quarter of all Internet shopping traffic on Black Friday were made on either mobile or a tablet.

Mobile Ecommerce Sales

Making your online store mobile friendly is not an option any more.  Heading into this years holiday season more people will shop online via their mobile device than ever before.  The solutions are simple and not complicated. Stay tuned as we cover the How-To in the next few blog posts.

Our Po!nt: It now time to do it before your competition does!  Welcome your comments and thoughts

Is Mobile Marketing On Your Radar For 2013?

Mobile Marketing

It needs to be as some amazing things are starting to happen in mobile.  In 2008, only about $0.7 billion was made on mobile. By the end of 2012, the mobile marketing will have ballooned to a staggering $19 billion, split 67 percent between apps and 33 percent ads.

According to Meeker, when looking at the average time users spend on on media, people spend about ten percent of their “media time” on mobile–but just 1 percent of ad spend is spent on mobile. In other words, despite current user adoption, there’s still plenty of room for growth. Another fact to note: In India, mobile Internet traffic surpassed desktop Internet traffic in May, 2012.  That sort of activity is heading West!

Mobile Trending Stats

Our Po!nt: If  mobile is not even on your radar in 2013 it needs to be!  The first thing to tackle is making sure your website can be seen correctly on smartphones and tablets.  We welcome your comments and thoughts on what trends you are seeing.

Do Your Customers Have “Thumb” Access To Your Company?

Ecommerce Marketing Mobile Marketing

Thumb Access to Your BusinessAs a small business owner you keep hearing of your big-brand competitors going beyond the familiar confines of radio, television, magazines and newspapers and onto the Internet, smartphones, game consoles and tablets and you keep wondering how I can afford to do it.  Believe me digital marketing not only is significantly cheaper than traditional marketing it levels the playing field with your competition.  Moving to giving mobile access or “thumb” access to your business is the key in the coming months of out pacing your competition.  I assure you they haven’t even considered it.

With more than 42% of the country’s TV homes equipped with digital video recorders, which allow users to fast-forward through commercials, and some younger viewers leaving TV altogether, advertisers are rushing to build Internet infrastructures, create Web videos and funnel content to social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.  All of which are virtually free bring to life but take time to create and develop.It’s not that advertisers are abandoning TV. Last year they spent $68 billion on television commercials, and in two weeks last month they placed orders for $9.1 billion worth of prime-time network spots. But marketers recognize that affluent and younger consumers are as likely to be found glued to their cellphones or the Internet as the TV screen.  It boils down to targeting your ideal client and meeting them where they are at and that is they are now mobile more than ever.

Even the U.S. Army, which needed a new way to inspire potential recruits. In 2001, create “America’s Army,” an Internet video game that turned the adrenaline rush of simulated combat into a recruitment tool. The game was downloaded 12 million times.  No matter how you feel about the Army you have to give them credit for being innovative in meeting their potential clients right where they like to play.

Does it make sense to go digital as well as mobile with your marketing?  You bet!  More and more people are using smart devices such as smartphones and tablets to interact and react with their world that you need to be planning for it if you haven’t already done so.  Making sure that your website is mobile or “thumb”  compatible is the first step!

To check right now to make sure  your customers have thumb access to your website on any mobile device take your smartphone and go to its preferred web browser and type in your website address.  If what you see is only a tiny version of your current website your site is not mobile or  your company is not “thumb” ready to meet your customers needs 24/7!  The next time you redesign, upgrade or changing your current site plan on giving you customers and prospects “thumb” access to your company so you can be within reach of them constantly!

Our Po!nt:  With the way things are going online and prices are getting more and more reasonable for digital marketing services your need to make plans to do it now.  Make that first step by getting your site mobile friendly.  Let us know if you have any questions and we will try and answer them for you.