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Yep, Even Speakers Need Mobile Websites. Here’s Why…

If you’re a professional speaker, you can’t afford NOT  to have a mobile website– and not just because your site’s rankings depend on it. Even if you’re not seeing a lot of mobile traffic to your site, having a mobile presence is still a tremendous asset for speakers. Here are 5 reasons why it’s time to get mobile.

The back-story: an Earth-shaking update of Google’s algorithm

On April 21, 2015, Google rolled out an update of its search algorithm that severely penalized sites that don’t provide an easy-to-use mobile experience for their users. Now, updates to Google’s algorithm aren’t that rare (they happen as frequently as once a month), but this one was poised to SERIOUSLY rock the boat. After all, 50% of Fortune 500 companies were likely to be shaken by these penalties. And if powerhouse companies in every industry were likely to be penalized, small speaking businesses were likely to be even more vulnerable.

And don’t get me wrong– the SEO ramifications for your site are potentially huge. Like we noted in our warning about Mobilegeddon, for most of our clients, organic traffic accounts for 40-50% of all website traffic. That means that a heavy portion of your site’s traffic could disappear as Google penalizes your site for not having a positive mobile experience.

Mobile Traffic Numbers are HUGE– Even for Speakers

But here’s the thing– there are bigger reasons for professional speakers to have working, dynamic mobile websites. And if you don’t have one, you’re practically boarding up your business’s doors to mobile visitors.

mobile website traffic for speakers
See? They’re huge. 🙂

And that’s a BIG deal. In fact, we recently did a study of 34 of our top speaker client’s sites, taking a look at just how much mobile traffic these power-speakers get for their sites. I’ll be honest– the results were a little unsettling.

For these top speakers, over 20% of total traffic comes from mobile devices. The lowest share of mobile traffic was 10%, but it went all the way up to 44% for some speakers. Even at just 20%, we’re still talking about 300-400 people a month visiting each of these sites via mobile.

Can you afford to disregard 300-400 potential advocates for your brand each month? Of course not.

In addition to the simple fact that they’re your visitors and potential customers, here are 5 reasons why your speaker site needs to be mobile-friendly.

5 Reasons Speakers Need Mobile Websites

Reason #1: Whether or not they’ve told you, your audience is already asking for a mobile experience. Give ’em what they want!

Not too long ago, a speaker could ask an audience to turn off their phones before starting a presentation. After all, those phones were a distraction and a potential interruption. And, believe it or not, audiences tended to go along with it. (Crazy, I know!)

But somewhere along the line, a switch got flipped. And now mobile devices are such a critical part of audience members’ lives that asking them to “turn them off” would be tantamount to using an overhead projector for your slides. Not gonna happen. In fact, it might look something like what happens in this funny video:

But it’s not a bad thing! It means that audiences are just a click away from doing business with you. And the impression that you leave is critical.

If you’re on-stage, chances are, audiences are already exploring your online presence. What’s the site look like? What’s that book he just mentioned? How many Facebook Likes? Is she on Twitter? These are just a few of the most basic questions that audience members are answering about you on their phones.

And if your site isn’t designed to welcome those searchers as they decide whether you can be trusted or not, then you’re going to lose them before you step off the platform. Meet your audience where they already are– give them a high-quality, informative, easy-to-use site that shows them (even subconsciously) that you’re determined to meet their needs.

Truth be told, this reason alone should be enough to show that speakers need mobile sites. Your audience is leaving the station– get onboard the train! Give us a call today to start building an online presence that attracts your audience.

Reason #2: A mobile site makes collecting leads way easier for speakers.

mobile website for speakers

Collecting business cards requires too much work in the Digital age: Audience members have to physically get up and visit your table, you have to manually add all the information into your CRM/email platform, and you have to fight the uphill battle of convincing your list members that they belong on your list. That’s vital time and energy that could be spent marketing your services and nurturing these new leads.

Fire up a working mobile site and you’ll be able to mention your site’s address in one breath and have audience members sign up for your list in the next breath. Your mobile site is the perfect platform for capturing leads using a lead magnet– grab users’ names and emails in exchange for a resource they’ll love. And they’re able to do all of it within the context of your presentation, meaning you’ve got them on the hook by the time you step off the platform.

Eager to engage your audience but not sure how to? Give us a call to see how we’re helping speakers create easy-to-use, super-compelling lead capture systems you can use right from stage.

Reason #3: Mobile websites are perfect for helping speakers position users for future marketing.

It’s called retargeting, and it’s the only way to guarantee you’ll see website visitors again. A bold claim, but here’s how it works:

An audience member pulls up your mobile site during your presentation and browses briefly without taking any action– no signups or purchases. But in the few seconds that person spent on the site, you’ve tagged her browser with a cookie that will influence her future browsing.

The next time she logs into Facebook, she sees an ad for one of your products. Now she’s reconsidering your presentation and your offer, and eventually she’s back on your site. Finally, she’s a paying customer. All in spite of the fact that she left your site with no intention of coming back.

This diagram from ReTargeter shows how the progression works, helping you capture that vital second “touch.”

Retargeting for mobile websites

In other words, if audience members visit your site during your presentation, they’ll be lined up to receive marketing messages from you– even without having signed up for anything!

Interested in retargeting for your site? It’s perfect if you have lots of traffic but not many sales. Give us a call today to discuss how a custom solution could help you recapture lost visitors.

Reason #4: Speakers need mobile sites to survive with today’s Word of Mouth.

The other day I was watching a presentation that Jonah Berger gave at the MarketingSherpa Email Summit. Jonah is a best-selling author and professor of marketing at the University of Pennsylvania, and in his presentation he shared a really startling statistic:

“Word of mouth generates more than twice the sales of advertising.”

This makes sense. But chances are, your actual marketing strategy doesn’t reflect this. We spend hours and hours developing content, running ads, managing campaigns, and promoting our services online… but how much time are we spending expanding our Word of Mouth marketing? What are we doing to make it easier for our customers to share us via Word of Mouth?

One key thing that you can do to make Word of Mouth easier is have an effective mobile presence. After all, if I’ve just left a conference where you’re speaking and I’m bursting with excitement and tell my friends out on the golf course or at the gym or via social media, my phone just became your best chance at getting a new customer. Bottom line: Word of Mouth goes hand-in-hand with easily accessing info about you from anywhere. And that means it’s time to review your mobile site.

Reason #5: Selling digital products? They’re useless if they’re not mobile.

Are you trying to sell access to a learning management system, a LightSpeed system, or another digital product? Do you offer digital versions of your books? If you’re trying to market any digital product online, then a huge incentive for your customers is accessibility.

After all, what’s the advantage of purchasing a program like this over coming to one of your events? They get to take you with them anywhere, learning at their own pace. And if they can’t take you anywhere (i.e., their phones, on the go, learning in the car), then what’s the use?

On the other hand, if your site is equipped with full mobile-friendly capability, then your site’s that much more likely to become a hub for your visitors– a place where they know they can find reliable, high-quality content at any time, from any device. Don’t restrict your expertise to desktops. If your products are accessible via phone, then you’re going to be on your customers’ minds that much more often.

“OK, I’m convinced that speakers need mobile sites! How do I get one?”

One simple litmus test: Use your mobile site

Load your website on your smartphone. Pretend that you’re an audience member who is watching your presentation. Which pages on the site are you most likely to visit? Walk through the exact path you want your visitors to take– whether it’s buying a product, hiring you, or reading a blog post and commenting on it.

If you have to pinch, stretch, or scroll horizontally EVEN ONCE, then your site’s a liability for mobile users.

Lest you have any doubt that a bad mobile experience frustrates and confuses customers, check out this notoriously bad mobile site: https://www.milehighcomics.com/.

Now find the page for Flash comics from 1987. (Hint: it’s a link on the homepage)

Holy moly, that’s bad. And if your site isn’t designed with mobile users in mind, your audience members are reeling from a headache just like the one you’ve got after navigating that site.

If your site fails that test, call us today.

We’ll help you develop the best layout for a new mobile site– one that drives mobile users exactly where you want them to go. Your mobile site can follow the visual theme of your existing site, or you can go a different direction with the mobile experience.

Bottom line: we can bring your mobile presence into alignment with the great quality of services you offer.

You cannot afford to wait to call. Let’s talk today.

What other really bad mobile sites have you come across? Share your findings in the Comments below!

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Author Byline: Ford Saeks, Business Growth Specialist, Keynote Speaker, Author and Consultant. Helping you find, attract, and keep your customers. https://ProfitRichResults.com

June 1, 2015 Posted By : Ford Saeks

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