(Newswire.net — December 16, 2013) Melbourne, VIC, Australia —
61% of local searches on a mobile phone result in a phone call, according to Google in 2012. And according to a study by Compuware, 46% of consumers are unlikely to return to a mobile site if it didn’t work properly during the last visit. With these and many similar statistics about the development and use of mobile phones, the mobile optimised website becomes one of the most critical assets in the marketing efforts of businesses and services. This is true for large and small businesses and very much for coaches – life coaches, business coaches or career coaches.
The work of a coach is a very personalised service – so most of the work happens face-to-face or over the phone. But according to Michael Alf, Director totalu Pty Ltd., “It is highly important to give a professional first impression when potential customers are looking for you as a coach.”
Alf continues saying that it is critical to make this first interaction as easy as possible for the potential customer. The main purpose – especially of a mobile website – is to lead to an interaction. The aim is that the website visitor either calls, sends an email or leaves name and email in exchange of valuable free information, for example an eBook. This allows the website owner to follow up and actively communicate with the prospect.
Mobile optimised websites – in comparison to mobile friendly or mobile responsive sites – are providing some distinct advantages.
The main advantage is that such a website is specifically put together for a smart phone and focusses on key essential information. A coach does not want to put all her information and her blogs out when prospects look for her on a smart phone. Instead the coach wants to initiate a phone call which allows a personal interaction with the future customer.
Mobile browsing is different to desktop browsing because it happens by using the finger – usually the thumb. Therefore the site layout needs to take this into account and reflect the typical behaviour.
Another advantage is that mobile optimised websites are typically faster than responsive sites because they don’t need to convert anything and only show the relevant key information.
In addition to those advantages mobile optimised websites also support new ways of marketing like use of coupons or text messaging. A great application for coaches could be an automated text message confirmation for the next appointment.
Other valuable elements are a Google Maps integration which makes it very easy for a new customer to find the coach’s office or the place where the coaching session occurs. Another great feature is an integration of an online booking tool which takes a lot of the administrative work away and leaves more time to focus on clients.
And according to Alf the investment into a mobile optimised website is quite limited. If somebody is just starting out and does not have a website yet, Alf’s recommendation is to start with a mobile optimised website first to keep the investment low and appeal to the majority of surfers – the mobile optimised site looks even good on a desktop.
To find out more about mobile optimised websites go here.
About totalu Pty Ltd.
totalu Pty Ltd. is a Melbourne, Australia, based provider of digital marketing services. This includes publishing of digital magazines, mobile marketing, social media management and webinar management. For more information go to http://www.totalu.com.au