5 Ways Mobile Marketers Can Hold Consumers' Attention

No one pays attention anymore. And it's no wonder. According to Google, 81 percent of consumers use multiple devices simultaneously. So, how do you capture people's attention and imagination?

Here are five simple but powerful suggestions for mobile marketers:

1. Engage customers everywhere. Don't divert consumers to another website to engage them. Create a connection at every place and moment they come across your brand. Customers don't like ads that send them to another site. So, don't waste your customer's enthusiasm with links. Get them involved and active where they already are online.

2. Be visually centered. People are inherently visual. Web users rarely read; they skim. So, captivate them with visuals. This is way more effective than text alone because users rarely read much of the text. With the transition to mobile devices and smaller screens for viewing content, this is quickly becoming mandatory and not just priority.

3. Be contextually relevant. Context for mobile means more than simply considering how content connects locally. Consider the customer's journey and serve up a variety of content to supply the right information in the right amount at that specific point in time. Don't try to close customers at the first touchpoint -- that's like asking to get married on the first date. It rarely works and makes you look creepy. Instead, build the relationship over time by providing the right content for the circumstance.

[ Are you using mobile technology to build ties with customers? See From Beer To Bureaucracy, Mobile Strategy Matters. ]

4. Tell more of your story. Don't just limit your engagement to a single media type or single sliver of your message. New technologies such as SYNQY.com and Prezi.com are available that allow you to combine text, visuals, videos, and HTML into bitesized microstorytelling showcases.

5. Be authentic. Don't just stick to flat, stock images. Research shows stock images just don't work. Be authentic by telling your unique story in your own unique way, on any device.

Beware the common traps
There are three fundamental challenges that are causing major behavioral shifts affecting how people connect with content and your brand. Successfully engaging customers requires active awareness and consideration of the following:

1. Keep it short and browsable. People scan for relevant content as a coping mechanism to handle the tsunami of new content being generated every day. According to leading Web usability expert Jakob Nielsen, only 40% of consumers will read this far into an article. So, consider yourself in the minority if you are reading this section. Visuals help, as does focus.

2. Control your distributed content. Most marketers lack the ability to control their message or build engagement when they distribute their content online. That's why marketers have resorted to diverting people to their own websites -- because that's been the only place they've been able to tell their story. Utilize technology to add interactivity in ways you can control and even customize.

3. Grab your real estate now. Historically, getting space or "air time" to get your message across has been at a premium. It's been difficult to tell more than a small portion of the story. Consider: How are you using the digital real estate you acquire through content placement? Make the most of your real estate to create more interactivity and extended engagement with people.

What else works?
Turning to technology can solve the problem with a user experience that is not only seamless, but also captivating. Now that's a better brand experience that pays for everyone.

Among nearly 900 qualified respondents to our 2013 Mobile Commerce Survey, 71% say m-commerce is very or extremely important to the future of their organizations. However, just 26% have comprehensive strategies in place now. That spells opportunity. Find out more in the 2013 Mobile Commerce Survey report. (Free registration required.)