8 Smashing Ways to Get Your Blog to the Smartphones

The Pew Research center for mobile Internet usage throws up interesting numbers: 28% of all Internet usage comes from mobile phones by the time 2012 draws to a close. At least 53% of adult smartphone users browse the Internet on their mobile phones.

In developing countries, most of the Internet users are mobile-based. Consider this: 70% of all Internet users in Egypt access Internet from the mobile; 59% of Indians use the Internet from mobile, according to mobithinking.com.

Clearly, the trend has overarching potential for bloggers since it’s the mobile devices that will become the major access points for your blog. How do we get there? What can be done to make sure your blog is readable on the smartphones? What are some ideas that can help you reach out to mobile users on the web? While we are at it, does the mobile provide unique marketing opportunities for bloggers?

blog on mobile

Here are a few tips to get your straight into the hands of your mobile savvy users:

1. Mobile Site: it’s more important than you think

The numbers are clear about the momentum of Internet usage on the smart phones. One look at your own Google Analytics numbers and you’ll see how many attempts originated off a mobile phone or a tablet to access your blog.

As for the number of blogs that are ready for mobile consumption, those numbers are not clear. It doesn’t mean, however, that we wait for statistics to be thrown at us to get the drift. If you are using WordPress, it’s time to revamp your theme. Seek a new WordPress theme that has responsive design – this is the quickest, easiest, and the fastest way to make your blog available for mobile users.

Just like Blogsolute is using one 🙂

2. Mobile App? Does it make sense for a blog?

If your blog is popular enough and if you have valuable, fresh content delivered everyday, a mobile app is a much better way for a smartphone or tablet users to access your content. Mobile apps are designed with simplicity and functionality in mind so that all your advertisements, banners, and anything else other than your content is available on the mobile app (unlike a normal blog or a mobile version of your blog where everything tries to load on the feeble browsers that mobile phones come with, not to mention the teeny-weeny screen sizes compared to laptops and desktops).

By the way, you don’t have to hire full-time vendors or contractors to develop a mobile app for your blog. There are simpler ways to do that by using AppNRG or any of these fantastic 9 tools that Entrepreneur.com recommends that can help you make your own mobile app.

Once your mobile app is ready, get it to the Apple App store and Android app marketplaces and you’ll see your traffic soar.

[alert-note]How to build Android Application for WordPress / Blogger Blogs Sites[/alert-note]

3. Flipboard

Ever heard of this nifty free mobile app (available for download on the Apple app store) that renders readable content from some publications straight to your iPhone in a visually pleasing format. It’s a great way to allow mobile readers to consume content and it’s complete free – to both use it and to make your content available on its blog directory. Flipboard’s allows publishers to make your content available to users via a simple blog search. Before that, however, your publication must follow their specific requirements for optimizing your RSS feed.

Flipboard updates as and when new content is posted on your blog and is rendered specifically for mobile phones.

Users can also share, save, and comment on posts right off their mobile phones.

4. Pulse

While it’s not as visually appealing as FlipBoard is, it’s the old horse that everyone is familiar with. Further, its requirements for getting listed on its blog directory or publication directory aren’t as technical and intensive. Try to get your RSS subscribers to add your blog on their Pulse smartphone app since they might have to do it manually. Once they add your RSS feed into their Pulse Settings, your new blog updates automatically reach the Pulse’s user interface – complete with the images and social sharing options.

5. Mobile Advertisements

Did you ever use a free iPhone or android app and see some advertisements flashing at you? Since mobile advertising is still a growing market for a rather hot marketing channel, you are standing at the edge of a huge, explosive opportunity to promote your blog using paid mobile marketing methods. Networks like Airpush , Vserv.mobi, and mobhero already have everything in place for you to leverage and maximize the reach of your blog.

6. Run Mobile Contests

Contests are fun, they get your community talking, and they are a trusted source for traffic. Contests are also a great engagement tool giving more reasons for your visitors to come back to your blog again. How do you run mobile contests though? Use a service such as Mozeo to get your local and international visitor base get excited. Launch interactive contests, deploy contest specific mobile websites, and use mobile coupons.

Here’s an example of how Ice Hockey just went mobile.

7. Stay active on Social Media

More and more people are getting on to social media networks such as Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, and they remain there for great lengths of time. If you’ve ever been a little apprehensive or unsure about social media, the mobile just gave you even more reasons to fear it, love it, and use it.

Combined with Facebook’s new roll out of Facebook ads and sponsored stories, LinkedIn ads, and Twitter’s Promoted Tweets – all of these can be managed off your phone or tablet –you can now reach out, engage, influence, and connect even while on the move.

8. Create Video for Mobile

Mobile video is highly engaging and many users are already taking to it in droves. Whatever you blog about there is a way to create videos on your topics and deliver them to mobile phones and tablets? All you need is a good camcorder, editing software like Final Cut Pro or Adobe Suite of products and you are good to go. You may also use animated videos to explain concepts or theories on video with links to a blog post that delves much further into your concept.

Keep these videos short. Pick one single task or problem and solve it on video to show to your readers. Try concepts like the 15-second solutions, or 3-second insights – these can be quick view videos and they can keep your users coming back for you.

Alternatively, you can create process related videos such as how to install plugins, how to get blogs listed on popular a blog directory, how to add custom CSS code, etc. `

To conclude:

The mobile is the new laptop; this is where the world is going to be. Your blog ought to get there. How are you going to go about it? What are your next steps? What, if any, are other ideas to take your blog straight to the hands of your readers? Please do share it with us.

Author Bio:

Pratik Dholakiya is a Lead SEO Strategist & VP of Marketing at E2M Solutions, a full service internet marketing company specializing in ethical and advanced SEO services. Pratik has analyzed all the recent Google search algorithm updates very closely and seen success in defining and implementing SEO strategy that works in the current era to see sustainable results that stay last longer and produce high ROI.

Click Here to Leave a Comment Below 5 comments
rakesh - January 25, 2013

We must have mobile compatible website. Otherwise we losing big community.

Reply
Prateek - January 25, 2013

Making app of a bog is a best way to get to the smartphones in my opinion…

Reply
mohd akbar - January 28, 2013

Hey, rohit, These is very useful information for me. I will follow this tips And thanks for sharing this post…!

Reply
Gajizmo - February 2, 2013

This is actually one issue I’ve been having on my site. It has a responsive theme, but it’s absolutely horrible for mobile phones. Still not ready to invest money into a redesign though.

Reply
Alexis Cruz - February 20, 2013

Is not better if i use that feature in Jetpack plugin? Or i have to get a responsive theme?

Reply

Leave a Reply: