Mobile: The Next Great Lead Gen Frontier

Mobile: The Next Great Lead Gen Frontier
About every 18 months or so, my world gets turned upside down. Not by a new baby, winning the lottery or finally finding the right haircut. No, it’s usually Google that decides to grab the rug and pull it out from under my feet.
Now, they’re doing it again.  This time with mobile phone advertising. And it’s already having a real effect on home improvement lead generation.
To be fair, this isn’t really Google’s fault.  Consumers and homeowners are in the throes of a massive shift in online behavior.  They are spending more time doing searches and research for everything on their mobile phone, rather than on a desktop or laptop device.
This has happened with blinding speed.
Now, more people are using Google for searches on their smartphones than on their desktops.  In fact, desktop Google searches have actually dropped a couple of percentage points last year.  More significantly, over 25 percent of home improvement leads that we generate are coming from mobile.
The question you have to ask yourself is: “Is my company prepared to get leads originating from those mobile phones?”
If you’re not sure of the answer, you need to ensure their online marketing programs are mobile-friendly.  So how can you do that?
This Small Space is Really Small
It’s no secret that the amount of space on a smartphone is limited.  If you do a Google search on your phone, you will typically only see paid search advertising on the first page of results.
Think about that. If the first screen only has paid search ads on it, you probably want to be there.
With instant gratification more important than ever, being on the first screen is key.
 
 
As you can see, there are only two companies to choose from – and both are paid-for.  And if you’re not there, your competitors will be.
Grab ‘Em, or They Will GO
Now, once homeowners have found your website on their phone, you need to make it as easy as possible for them to find what they are specifically looking for.
You may have heard of responsive design, which enables the creation of web pages that can detect a visitor’s screen size and orientation and change the layout accordingly.  That is all well and good, but it takes more than responsive design to capture – and keep – a homeowner’s interest via mobile.
With room for only 4-5 options on the smartphone screen, you need to show your key products, contact information and promotional offer right on your mobile home page.  That’s typically what a homeowner who finds your website wants to see.  If they don’t see what they are looking for, you may have just lost them.
Time is money – grab their attention quickly with what they need, or they will move on to someone else.  The world is moving again, this time towards mobile… and you need to take advantage. Don’t get frustrated, take advantage.