Think you've got your mobile audience covered with an Apple-focused strategy? Think again - a majority of users are on Android devices.

By now, you’ve probably seen the MorganStanley graphic that shows mobile Internet users surpassing desktop users by 2014. The mobile train has arrived and it’s blowing right through the station, but how much do you actually know about your growing mobile audience?

When it comes to mobile research, one can easily blink and miss the double-digit growth trend of the day. With this in mind, let’s take a look at some current research to get a clearer picture of today’s mobile user.

The basics

Starting with a few things you may already suspect, Pew Internet’s research suggests that a U.S. smartphone owner is most likely male (although the split is pretty close), is under the age of 49, has a household income above $50k, has attended some college and lives in a suburban or urban area.

Minority adoption

The same study found that there wasn’t a statistically significant difference in mobile Internet usage between whites and minorities. On top of that, smartphone penetration was reported to be 49% among African-Americans as well as Latinos, just slightly ahead of the national average of 46%.

They’re not as young (or old) as you think

While U.S. smartphone ownership skews toward the 25-55 age group, eMarketer predicts that more than half of those in the 12-17 and 45-64 age groups will own smartphones by 2014. But are they really using them, you ask? You bet they are – according to Nielsen, data consumption among those in the 65+ age group increased by 133% from Q3 2010 to Q3 2011, while the 13-17 age group saw an enormous gain of 256%!

They’re not all using iPhones

A comScore survey from Q1 2012 found that Google holds a commanding lead among smartphone platforms with a 51% share in the U.S., while Apple came in second at 30.7%. Additionally, Samsung was ranked as the top mobile device manufacturer at 26%, followed by LG at 19.3% and Apple at 14%.

They love games, but social networking has caught up

Mobile app analytics provider Flurry found that in Q1 2012, consumers spent 77 minutes per day with smartphone apps. Since Flurry began tracking, app users have always spent most of their time with games. However, in the last quarter they saw a major upset, with games and social networking in a dead tie at 24 minutes each. This represents a 60% increase for social networking over the year prior!

Mobile is worldwide, baby!

Mobile traffic as a percentage of total worldwide web traffic stands at about 10% according to research conducted by Pingdom earlier this month. However, you may be surprised to learn that the countries with the highest percentage of mobile web traffic are located in Asia and Africa, with over half of the web traffic from Nigeria and Zimbabwe coming from mobile!

Whether you’re preparing to build a mobile web site or launching your 15^th SMS campaign, it’s important that you know your audience well. Have you made any surprising discoveries about your mobile audience? Let us know in the comments!

About the Author: Cory Gaddis is a regular contributor to the 60 Second Marketer and helpsMobilize Worldwide create mobile marketing campaigns for a wide variety of clients.

Online business is all about conversion. Naturally, if your conversion rate is low, it makes no difference how high you’re ranked on Google. Ultimately, your success or failure will be determined by your conversion rate, which means you should focus as much energy on converting your traffic as you do on getting the traffic to your site in the first place.

Here are some simple techniques that can help you improve your conversion rate.

1. Build trust through quick response
You may have your email address and your phone number listed on your website, but how quickly do you respond to an inquiry from a potential customer? People desire a quick response from a real person. A simple prerecorded voice on the telephone is the surest way to put off a potential buyer. An auto generated email response may be quick, but it lacks the human touch. Try to follow-up in person as quickly as you can.

2. Make contact information easy to access
Sometimes your contact information is tucked away in a remote corner of your website. You should make it easy for visitors to see your contact information. Make the phone number and the email address standout on the first page itself. If possible, have a toll free number on your website. This may be expensive, but it will prove a worthwhile investment in the long-run.

3. People hate hidden charges
Don’t surprise people with add-on or hidden charges. If you have international shipping, then you should display clearly the charges a customer will have to pay for delivery. This helps to build trust and confidence which, in turn, helps improve conversion.

A successful e-commerce site is about more than just driving traffic. It's also about converting that traffic into customers.

4. Make your pages easy to read
Make sure your information easy-to-read and error-free. Sloppy work does not inspire confidence. If you display that you are sloppy with your website, you cannot expect people to buy from your website.

5. Include an “about us” page
If you don’t have an “about us” page, then you are never going to improve your rate of conversion. You need to inform people all about who you are and what your company does. If possible, give a brief description and history about your online business since this helps to build trust.

6. Make your website visually appealing
If your website does not have a visual appeal, then your conversion rate is always going to be poor. The first page should always have a few images and, if possible, at least one video. Current data suggests that adding a short video introduction to your website can improve your conversion rate significantly.

7. Offer a freebie
Another great tool for raising the conversion rate is to offer a freebie on the website. If you can offer a free downloadable product such an eBook then you can raise your rate of conversion considerably. Some websites offer free utility software or other premiums. No matter what you offer, research indicates that freebies often pay for themselves by improving conversion rates.

8. Make your website accessible on mobile phones
Gartner predicts that by 2013 the number one way people will access the internet will be via a mobile device. Given that, it’s important that you’ve optimized your website to be mobile-ready. (For tips on how to do this, read “How to Build a Mobile Website” on the 60 Second Marketer blog.)

9. Make certain all links are live and working properly
When was the last time you checked the links on your site? It’s important to have live links that work well on your site. Links that are dead will kill your conversion rate. As time consuming as this may be, it’s worth having someone go through each page of your site to test all the links.

10. Drive your visitors to action
When a visitor lands on your page, he or she should feel compelled to take action. Make certain that you use words and phrases that call a visitor to read on and explore the website further. This will improve the rate of conversion as well. (For more on this topic, read “The 14 Most Powerful and Effective Words in Marketing” on the 60 Second Marketer blog.)

These are just some of the ways you can improve their rate of conversion and become successful on the web. Do you have any tips of your own? If so, share them in the comments section below.

Sam Mauzy is a marketer and blogger who has learned much of what he knows by trial and error while improving his own site’s average conversion rate and sharing his knowledge and tips in marketing forums.

Your company’s online presence begins and ends with your website. However, hiring a design company can be expensive. Fortunately, with do-it-yourself options, it is easier than ever to create a high-impact website without breaking the bank.

Squarespace is just one of many web development tools that can be used to build a website on a budget.

Check out these 8 services to help you create your website at little to no cost:

1. Squarespace: Squarespace has subscription prices ranging from $12 to $36 per month with accounts including hosting, the Squarespace content management system, the visual designer tools, and access to widgets/add-ons to incorporate into your site. You can also use your own domain name with all levels of Squarespace accounts. Larger plans give you room for more pages, more bandwidth, more management staff, and access to advanced features like FAQs, SSL, form builders and member registration.

2. Weebly:  Weebly is an entirely free service that allows you to use your own domain name and choose from more than 100 professional themes, which can then be further customized. Weebly also has gallery/slide show functionality, audio and video players, a custom form builder, and built-in blogging platform.

3. Jigsy: Jigsy’s plans range from free to $30 per month, and all paid plans will let you host multiple websites from the same account. Jigsy also has a blogging platform, handles e-mail hosting, and utilizes a widget-based system. Widgets are available for features like Google maps integration, RSS feeds, and PayPal/eBay selling. Jigsy also offers tools for easily creating photo galleries and slide shows.

4. SnapPages: SnapPages is a drag-and-drop website builder and hosted service provider with plans ranging from free to $30 per month. Features for all plans include a blogging platform, customizable themes, photo galleries, calendars, and basic access control through a “friends” list. With the paid plans, you can host your own domain name, add your own custom HTML and JavaScript code, gain access to powerful analytics, and control various SEO options.

5. Yola: Yola is a website creation service offering free and paid plans from $99 to $499 per year. Yola offers more than 100 themes to choose from and customization options. Other features include analytics and traffic statistics, premium styles and multi-site hosting. Both paid plans include advertising credits on popular ad platforms like Facebook and Google AdWords.

6. Moonfruit: Moonfruit is a free website host and editor with extremely customizable designs and detailed editing options. A site you build in Moonfruit is designed to render in Flash, HTML, or mobile HTML5, depending on how the user is accessing it. Moonfruit’s basic services are free for one website with up to 15 pages, 20MB of online storage, and 1GB of monthly bandwidth. For those who need more, Moonfruit has packages from $6 to $50 per month. Its Business package is $25 per month, offering 15 websites with unlimited pages, 2500MB of storage, and unlimited bandwidth.

7. Qapacity: Qapacity is a business-oriented social networking site and a business directory. Instead of adding your website, you add a “service” to Qapacity’s network of businesses, and then build an associated website to promote your service. Qapacity’s basic features are free, including one website with five pages, 16 images, 1GB of storage, and 500GB of monthly bandwidth. Qapacity also offers packages from $12 to $40 per month.

8. Jimdo: Jimdo is another easy-to-use website designer with integrated e-commerce. Jimdo has three membership tiers: Free, Pro ($5/month), and Business ($15/month). The free membership lets you list up to five items for sale, with Jimdo taking a 10 percent cut. The $15 Business membership lets you list unlimited items and Jimdo takes no cut. The service also optimizes your site for the iPhone and other mobile devices.

The Take-Away: You do need to put something into your site if you expect to get anything in return, but you don’t need to break the bank to create your site or build an online presence. There are great services on the web that will help you do just that. To check out more information, visit Mashable.

Brittney Leigh Smith is a marketing analyst for the 60 Second Marketer.

Looking for a relatively non-laborious and inexpensive tactic to grow your brand and your sales online? Consider the phenomenon of social media contests. They can be an effective strategy for increasing followers on social media sites. However, if not done correctly and under the right circumstances, these new followers are less likely to engage with the page again.

Here are 4 tips to help ensure that doesn’t happen:

1. Set a clearly defined goal that doesn’t involve simply increasing the number of your followers. A more efficient approach is to take your actual ROI into account in terms of new leads or conversions resulting from the contest. Contests can also be useful to conduct research or uncover a new consumer base. By offering a specific product as a prize, you can discern what target market draws the most interest.
   

   Before running a social media contest, it's a good idea to organize your thoughts and develop a plan. These tips can help you get started.

2. Choose the right prize that correlates with your end goal. If the goal of your contest is to increase your customer base, offering a shiny new iPad is probably not the best idea. However, if the goal is to boost user’s pictures on your page, then a new iPad could be an effective prize to attract contestants by choosing a winner based on the best submit.

3. Consider different strategies based on the level of consumer engagement. The amount of work required by entrants varies by the type of contest you’re running. Filling out a form has low involvement from the consumer and can generate more participants, but at a lower quality. However, a video contest has a high level of consumer engagement that draws more substantial contestants as well as sharing potential.

4. Make use of the results that you acquire during the contest. Often times when a contest is over, the marketer fails to take advantage of the great photos, videos, essays, comments and relationships gained. Create a photo or video gallery of the entries on your websites or other social pages. This can strengthen the relationship you’ve built with your customers and make your marketing more authentic.

The benefits of running social contests are clear:  They creative a positive consumer association with your brand by offering tangible rewards for participation. Contests also have the potential to encourage brand advocacy by informing consumers of new products and services. They can certainly be an effective tool if carefully planned and handled appropriately. So be sure to use these 4 tips and check out some additional information on Mashable.

Brittney Leigh Smith is a marketing analyst for the 60 Second Marketer.

Smartphones and tablets have changed the way that we do business. Not only do they provide real-time access to common Internet functions like email and web browsing, they can also provide access to important documents and other files via cloud-based storage providers. In fact, it’s becoming increasingly easy to do business using only your mobile devices.

Given that, here are some of the best mobile apps for business on the market today:

1. Dropbox. In the past year or so, online storage solutions have boomed. These solutions allow you to access files anywhere, any time. Leading the pack has been Dropbox. One of the reasons that Dropbox has been so successful when compared with other services such as Google Docs or iCloud is the fact that it’s truly cross-platform. You can access Dropbox via a web browser on almost any Internet-enabled device, or you can install the app for iPhone, iPad, Android, and Blackberry.
   

   Mobile apps are a great way to improve your productivity. Here are several apps we think you should know about.

2. Expensify. One of the most frustrating processes when it comes to business is keeping track of travel expenses and mileage. This app helps you do both of those, and more. Expensify provides the option to log mileage and even create expense reports. Perhaps the most interesting part about this app is the receipt-scanning system. Using your smartphone’s camera, Expensify is able to extract relevant information such as the date of purchase on the receipt as well as the amount. This app is available for most smartphones, including iOS devices, Android, Blackberry, and WebOS.
3. Keynote. If you use your iOS device for presentations, you need to have Keynote. This is the same presentation software found on the Mac, but it’s been reworked to run on mobile devices. There are a number of ways to use Keynote, such as using a composite video cable from your iPhone to connect to a projector, or even just displaying the presentation on your iPad. Keynote is available only on iOS devices.
4. Cardmunch. This app is great for when you’re at a conference, seminar, or other major networking opportunity. A service of LinkedIn, this app lets you scan and file business cards. Your smartphone’s camera captures the card, which is then pushed to your contact management program.
5. Hootsuite. If you do any amount of social media activity in your business, Hootsuite is one of the best ways to manage that activity. You can manage Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn feeds all within a single interface, making sure you don’t miss anything important. Hootsuite is available on iPhone, Android, BlackBerry, and Keitai.
6. WebEx Meeting Center. Conference calls from your smartphone can have all of the flexibility of a desktop-based conference call with this Cisco app. Using the mobile version, you can share documents, view and show presentations, and more. You can even transfer your WebEx meeting from your mobile device to a desktop computer in a couple of simple clicks. This app is free, and runs on iOS devices, Android, and Blackberry. If you want to initiate a call, you do have to be a paying WebEx subscriber.
7. Flightboard. If you do any amount of travel, you need to have this app. Flightboard lets you look at real-time flight information for more than 4,000 airports around the world. It receives updates every five minutes, telling you whether or not a flight you’re going to use is on time, and even details like gate changes. Flightboard is available only on iOS devices.
8. HelloWallet. This relative newcomer to the scene provides the kind of flexibility that you want from a mobile financial app. While the app is designed primarily for personal financial uses, business travelers will fall in love with the location-based spending information that the app provides. This one is currently available as an iOS device app.
9. Kayak. Kayak gives you ready access to the best deals in flights. Not only that, it will let you create and manage an itinerary, look up baggage fees, provide you with airline phone numbers, and more.
10. Skype. Depending on your data plan, you may want to give Skype a try. You can use Skype to make and receive voice calls using the data network. It’s wonderful for when you have a WiFi connection. It also features a built-in chat feature, as well as the ability to have video chats. To turn your mobile phone into a full-fledged communications device, you should most definitely consider Skype.

If you want to turn your mobile device into a true asset for your business, be sure to check out some of these apps today. They’re easy to use and a great way to improve your productivity.

Athan Anas is the Direct Mail Coordinator at Vistage International, an executive coaching organization that helps CEO members build better companies through unique business coaching and executive development opportunities.

QR codes on a billboard? Fast-moving drivers aren't likely to scan - avoid this and other problematic mobile marketing mistakes.

Are you hesitant to dive into certain areas of mobile marketing for fear of making mistakes?

Strategy Analytics predicts that advertiser spend on mobile media will almost double from $6.3 billion to $11.6 billion. Certainly there are plenty of marketers diving in, and they’ve made their share of mistakes along the way.

The good news is that we now have lots of examples from which to learn, and many mobile marketing mistakes are easy to avoid. Here are four to watch out for:

1. Failing to optimize your landing page for mobile.

Solution: This is like putting the cart before the horse, and failing to optimize the landing page for your mobile display and search campaigns can cost you valuable conversions. To ensure you’re providing users with a fast mobile experience free of pinching and zooming, check out our guide on “How to Build a Mobile Website.”

Example: Mobile Marketer seems to have a new example every week of an advertiser that hasn’t optimized a landing page for mobile. White Castle, P.F. Chang’s and Target have all run into this problem recently.

2. Using the same paid search campaign for desktop and mobile.

Solution: Mobile searches are inherently different from those of desktop, and if you’re using the same paid search campaign for both, you’re missing out on an opportunity for better results. Google suggests modifying keyword selection, adjusting bids and utilizing mobile-specific ad formats to drive performance with a separate mobile campaign.

Example: At the time of writing, a search for “flower shop” on my mobile device yields results from businesses large and small. Local business Lawrenceville Flower Shop comes out on top with a click-to-call ad, while other small businesses have missed the opportunity.

3. Deploying QR codes that can’t be scanned.

Solution: If your QR code can’t be scanned, it’s just taking up valuable space. Thorough testing is extremely important, and be sure to follow these design-related best practices to improve reliability. Also, remember that your audience should be able to access the Internet (no subways) with the ability to stop and scan (no billboards).

Example: 60 Second Marketer featured a guest post on the “Top 5 QR Code Fails of 2011” – proof that with new technology, even the most seasoned marketers are bound to mess up.

4. Breaking the rules in an SMS marketing campaign.

Solution: There is an alphabet soup of laws or regulatory/advisory organizations that rule the SMS marketing land, including CTIA, MMA and CAN-SPAM. If you break the rules, you could have your campaign shut down along with those of marketers using the same short code. Become familiar with the MMA’s Best Practices (PDF), then for good measure, review the CTIA’s Playbook.

Example: T-Mobile famously blocked all messages from SMS marketing company Ez Texting in 2010 due to alleged violations from a single marketer.

Without a doubt, you will make some mistakes as you expand your mobile marketing efforts, but by following the suggestions above, you’ll avoid mistakes that even the biggest companies have made.

About the Author: Cory Gaddis is a regular contributor to the 60 Second Marketer and helps Mobilize Worldwide create mobile marketing campaigns for a wide variety of clients.

One of the most important assets you can develop for your business is a powerful brand. Brands are more than just cool logos or catchy slogans. They are the culmination of who you are, how you’re different from your competition, and why a buyer should do business with you.

Here are 10 questions to ask in order to make your brand even better:

1. How focused are you? A strong brand should position you or your corporation as a specialist. The Home Depot doesn’t do tax returns. And Chili’s doesn’t offer vitamins. Specialization is what will set you apart from the competition.
2. Are you tracking what people are saying about you? It is important to monitor the online conversation about your brand. What shows up online can impact your reputation. (For a free e-book that includes a list of more than a dozen social media monitoring tools, click here.)
3. Is your business attracting your ideal client through the brand’s message?If the answer is no, you should rethink your branding strategy or your target market.
   

   Your brand is a reflection of your employees, your ethics, your area of specialty and many other important attributes.

4. Can you state your brand’s value and benefits in less than 30 seconds or in 140 characters? If you can’t, your current brand message might be too complicated.
5. Does your brand appear authentic? Your brand image should reflect the core values of your company and its products. Consumers can tell if you are trying to pose as something you’re not.
6. Are you maintaining your brand’s voice in everything you do? A memorable brand always sends a consistent message. Make sure you stay constant throughout all of your platforms.
7. Does your brand reflect the best qualities of the company? Every company has its strong points. Make sure these are incorporated in the brand image.
8. Are you keeping up with the competition? It is important to monitor your competition in order to properly form your own brand strategy in opposition.
9. Can consumers trust your brand? People do business with brands they know, like and trust. Make sure your brand is measuring up.
10.  Are you speaking clearly to your niche? A strong personal brand clearly communicates value to its target market. Make sure your online and offline communications are clear.

The Take Away: A strong brand is invaluable in the ad-cluttered world we live in. It’s important to spend time researching, defining, and building your brand. After all, your brand is what resides within the hearts and minds of customers, clients, and prospects. It’s a foundational piece in your marketing communication, and one you do not want to be without.

Brittney Leigh Smith is a marketing analyst for the 60 Second Marketer.

When I wrote Go Mobile (affiliate link) with Jeanne Hopkins from HubSpot, one of the statistics we referenced was this one from Gartner — by 2013, more than half of all internet visits will take place via mobile device.

It’s an amazing statistic. But despite that incredible prediction, more than 70% of all businesses in the U.S. don’t currently have a mobile website. Part of the problem is that many small- to mid-sized businesses don’t know where to start. They’re stuck in neutral because nobody has told them what they should do first.

If you’re interested in learning how to get started in mobile marketing, you might want to watch the short video interview below. In it, I answered a question posed to me by BMA Atlanta following my keynote presentation. The question was, “What are three things businesses should do to get started in mobile marketing?” The short answer I gave might provide you some food for thought as you move ahead with your mobile marketing plans.

You might also be interested in reading 25 Amazing Facts About Mobile Marketing and 25 Additional Facts About Mobile that You Should Know on the 60 Second Marketer blog. Both those posts have been very popular with our readers and I’m sure you’ll find them thought-provoking.

Enjoy the short video interview below. And keep us posted on what you’re doing to get started in mobile marketing!

Posted by Jamie Turner, Founder of the 60 Second Marketer and co-author of “How to Make Money with Social Media” and “Go Mobile.” He is also a popular marketing speaker at events, trade shows and corporations around the globe.

Running a social media campaign is a lot of fun. You get to connect with customers, grow your user base and create positive brand impressions all from the comfort of your own computer.

The problem happens when your boss knocks on your door and wants to see data supporting all the time and money you spend on social media. In other words, they want to know the ROI of your social media campaign.

The good news is that we’re going to answer that question (and a lot of other questions) at the Atlanta Inbound Marketing Conference scheduled for Thursday, May 10th. The event is designed to be a hands-on workshop where you can ask questions and get answers from some of the nation’s leading social media and mobile marketing experts.

Here’s just some of what will be covered during the event:

• 10:45 am: Registration

• 11:00 am: Jamie Turner, Author and Founder of 60SecondMarketer.com, Calculating the ROI of Your Social Media Campaign

• Noon: Kick-Off Lunch

• 12:30 Lunchtime Keynote: Nick Ayres, Manager, Social Marketing at IHG (Holiday Inn, InterContinental Hotels, Holiday Inn Express and others)

• 1:30 pm: Jeanne Hopkins, V.P. of Marketing, HubSpot, How to Create Scintilating Content that Generates Leads for Your Business

• 2:30 pm: Roundtable Discussions: Get detailed answers to specific questions about your business by asking experts in our hands-on, action-oriented Roundtable Discussions

• 3:30 pm:  Brent Leary: How to Build Social Media into Your Customer Service and Marketing Communications Strategy

• 4:30 pm: Jamie Turner: Getting Started in Mobile Marketing Quickly and Easily

• 5:00 pm: Cocktail and Hors d’Oeuvre Reception
  

• 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm: HubSpot User Group All-Star Panel Discussion

We’re really excited about having Nick Ayres who handles social media for Intercontinental Hotels Group, Jeanne Hopkins, who handles marketing for HubSpot and Brent Leary, who hosts the radio talk show “Technology for Business Sake” as some of our speakers.

If you’re trying to take your social media and mobile marketing to the next level and if you’re interested in meeting some of the nation’s leading experts and learning how to do that, then you won’t want to miss the Atlanta Inbound Marketing Conference.

The Early Bird Special Pricing discount ends May 3rd, so order your tickets today!

Your online presence is more than just your company logo. Branding your business online involves consistent visuals and personality.

Branding your emails is no different. Here are 5 points to keep in mind for consistent branding in your email campaign.

Subject Line

Even if you’re using your company name in the from line, repeating it in the subject line makes it easy for readers to identify your business. For example, the company This Week in Photo has subject lines that look like this:

[TWiP] The End of Medium Format Cameras?

The [TWiP] is included in front of all their subject lines. This company was part of a study I conducted on businesses with high open rates, and three companies in the study included something identifying their business at the front of the subject line.

Logo and Templates

As I said, just because the brand isn’t all about the logo doesn’t mean that the logo isn’t important. You should have your company logo at the top of every email. Try to coordinate your logo with the design of the template, allowing readers to easily recognize your email without reading anything.

Your brand should be reflected everywhere people come across your organization -- even via email.

Schedule

A lot of small business owners wonder when they should send their emails. A lot of marketing gurus will tell you when they think you should send emails. The best answer? Set your own schedule, and stick with it! If you send every Wednesday morning at 10 a.m. then your audience will become used to it and make it part of their routine. You will have branded that time.

Tone

How you speak to people will affect their opinion of your brand. You can take a personal and friendly approach or a professional yet courteous business tone. There’s no right or wrong answer, but find a tone that works and stick with it.

Be Consistent!

You’ll notice that all of these points share one common element: consistency! People like when businesses are consistently good, so if your brand continues to provide exceptional service through helpful emails (and other channels, of course), you’re going to have many happy customers. The more they like your brand, the more they will share your information with others and the faster your business will grow.

Crystal Gouldey is an Education Marketing Associate at AWeber, the leading email service provider for small-to-medium businesses. Crystal’s spent the past three years teaching email marketers how to optimize their campaigns. She currently writes for the AWeber blog, which you can visit for more tips on marketing with email. Sign up here to get tips straight to your inbox.