In 2016 the number of mobile devices is expected to surpass the world’s population, with over half of mobile subscriptions located in Asia Pacific regions alone. Content curators are now realising the importance of tailoring messages for mobile users, and it’s high time everyone followed suit. Hong Kong is quickly becoming the leading telecommunications hub for Asia, which boasts more than 30,000 public Wi-Fi access points. So how exactly can we utilise this medium to transform great content into truly great mobile content?
Create attention-grabbing titles
96% of Hong Kong smartphone users browse the net on their smartphones while on the move, so headlines need to be appealing. Choose a title that’s ultra-specific, useful and creates a sense of urgency - these techniques will compell customers to read on. Leading publications like The Huffington Post ensure their headlines offer controversial quotes and enticing one-liners to stimulate interest. Jayson DeMers, columnist from the Huffington Post, comments that, understanding the makeup of individual mobile habits "will help you create content that feels native – rather than retroactively shoehorned to fit in.”
Cut out the fluff
As copywriters, it’s important to make every word count, but this applies even more when space is limited. Get to the point by using short, consise copy and remove every redundant word. If in doubt, leave it out. This isn’t to say that long copy is dead. Far from it. In fact, marketers have seen a noticable shift towards long-form content. With Facebook, LinkedIn and twitter now embracing long copy, it’s important to strike the right balance between too little and too much. If you can’t bear to part with your copy, break it up into sizeable, shareable chunks. For example, The Guardian app does just this by giving one sentence to sum up the story.
It’s all in the opening
An effective lead-in allows you to hook your mobile readers right from the start. By providing value upfront, you increase the likelihood of reader commitment. A good way to showcase your content is by introducing article summaries. Forbes offers tightly packed summaries for casual browsers, giving them key takeaways before they’re fully engaged. Condense your content into three bullets or less and watch your clickthrough rate multiply.
May the format be with you
Don’t underestimate the power of formatting. Size matters. Great mobile content not only provides users with instant access to real-time information, it also looks attractive on every mobile device. In 2015 Google announced a mobile-friendly update to its search algorithm, which resulted in plummeting sight-rankings for some well-established marketers – giving rise to the term “Mobilegeddon.” Sounds daunting? Take heart - making your website mobile-user friendly can be a lot easier than you think.
Use listicles
With 84% of Hong Kong smartphone users saying they spend most of the time on their phones browsing the internet, marketers have ample opportunities to reach more consumers than ever before. However, even the most avid reader will loose interest when bombarded with reems and reems of text. Research shows that we are inclined to pay more attention to listicles, especially those ending in nice round numbers like 10,20 or 30. Buzzfeed puts this technique to good use, providing their audiences with countless witty bullet-point-based articles .
[ Picture by Business Insider]