Mobile Is Global, and Advertisers Need to Acknowledge It

Multicultural consumers are now wealthier and more tuned in than ever. The ethnic composition of the U.S. has changed dramatically in recent years, and these multicultural groups are more technologically savvy than the rest of the population. They are 38 percent more likely to fall within the top mobile usage bracket and average 78 hours a month on mobile devices.

This change isn't limited to America, either. India is the second-largest smartphone market in the world after China, and with the Freedom 251 retailing for less than $4, it's the fastest growing market, too. These developments mean that mobile is the answer for global brands trying to engage worldwide audiences via one medium.

But you can't just think of mobile users as "consumer profiles" or "target audiences." Instead of asking yourself how this content will look on their phones, ask how it looks on yours.

Gearing Your Content

How you interact with your smartphone changes throughout the day. In the morning, you might use it for task completion, while in the evening, you might use it to look for entertainment or leisure. Native ads can work in any of these stages, but they have to be served correctly.

Pandora is leading the way on relevance. Whether you're listening to a workout playlist at the gym or a commuter playlist in gridlock traffic, Pandora's app tailors its message to be as relevant to your needs as possible. And with 80 percent of listeners streaming via the mobile app, Pandora's focus on mobile is a smart one.

When seeking the right platform, find a medium that matches mobile users' habits. Snapchat is an exclusively mobile-based social media platform, and 86 percent of Twitter usage is on mobile devices, making both more effective for mobile reach and engagement than Facebook.

Optimizing Your Content

It's important to consider the diversity of available smartphones, too. Given their life cycles, you've probably had a few different devices with different screen sizes and resolutions, so you must know that mobile isn't a uniform experience. While some people have the latest Samsung or iPhone devices, others own older models with slower processing speeds and out-of-date operating systems.

Many advertisers forget about these challenges, but they're important to keep in mind when planning your call to action--especially when dealing with people who could be connecting on $4 phones. Here are three other tips to optimize your content for worldwide engagement:

1. Don't interrupt user experience. Small screens mean short patience. Big, "exciting" advertisements can be annoying, especially when they use up data and get in your way.

Innovators are doing as much as possible to avoid this disruption. AOL, for example, recognizes when you're on Wi-Fi versus 4G, serving ads according to your data needs. Meanwhile, Facebook's Canvas serves rich media pages inside the platform instead of linking to slow-loading websites. By cutting the frustration of interruption, you can more easily keep users happy and engaged.

2. Be efficient and quick. Mobile users are either on the go or on the toilet. You need to be quick either way, because nobody spends more than a few minutes at a time browsing his or her phone--and in those few minutes, they have several tasks to accomplish. Attention span on a desktop might reach 10 seconds, but that number is no more than three seconds on a smartphone. Be quick, direct, and clear to make sure your message gets through.

3. Match your message to culture. While white Americans typically spend most of their time browsing on tablets and laptops, smartphones are the primary devices for U.S. Hispanics surfing the web. Consider how your message and product fits into that culture and also how it interacts with their wider cultural profiles.

Mobile strategy is more than just fast-loading pop-up ads. You need to think about users' lifestyles and how their mobile devices fit into their cultures if you want to succeed.

Credit: inc.com