The talk of the Internet today (or at least my inbox and Twitter stream) is this chart from eMarketer showing the results of a recent survey that asked U.S. marketers which social media efforts would have the greatest effect on their companies and brands. Leading the pack (if you exclude that perennial favorite “none of the above”) was “greater use of social media via mobile platforms.”
Another popular response was “greater use of mobile, location-based social networks.” It all points to the obvious: mobile and social are inseparable.
In fact, the phrase “mobile social media” is so redundant it nearly make my head spin. It’s like saying “the online Internet website.”
The writing is on the wall, and no one should be surprised. Younger crowds are increasingly more reliant on their mobile devices than desktop and laptop computers. And smart phones are innately personal devices, whereas computers never achieved that status. My iPhone seldom leaves my hand.
It’s all very exciting. And it gets a lot of attention as any marketing trend will, but let’s not lose our heads about it. Consumers will continue to expect what they’ve always wanted from social media: community, useful content, immediacy and authentic voices.
That’s not to say the mobile environment won’t affect how we actually execute campaigns. In fact, these same survey results point to a group cruising toward disappointment. The second most popular response behind social media use via mobile platforms was “expanding Facebook presence.” But the Facebook experience on mobile is much different from that on the desktop. That’s just a fact of the Splinternet. So if you’re a marketer who wants to be more mobile and more Facebook-y, and you’re investing heavily in your Facebook presence, don’t be surprised when that fancy new Facebook app you just built doesn’t work at all on mobile devices.