folk on the go: engaging mobile audiences

Folk on the Go:Engaging via Mobile Devices

Traditional Arts Webinar Series

David DombroskyChief Marketing OfficerInstantEncore.com

Mobile technology is NOT the future.It’s the PRESENT.

There are currently 6 Billion mobile subscribers worldwide.

That’s 87% of the world’s population. SOURCE

There are over 1.2 Billion people accessing the web from their mobile devices.

Over 300,000 apps have been developed in the past 3 years. SOURCE

As of June 2012, there were 321.7 million wireless subscriber connections

in the U.S.

That’s a penetration rate of 101% SOURCE: CTIA

If you were waiting for a “tipping point,” it’s already happened.

"Tablets are one of the most rapidly adopted consumer technologies in history and are poised to fundamentally disrupt the way people engage with the digital world both on-the-go and perhaps most notably, in the home."

Mark Donovan, Senior VP of Mobile, comScore

• Tablets have been on the market for 3 years

• Today, nearly 1 in 4 smartphone users also use a tablet computer.

Tablet Computers

By 2015, more than one in three US internet users will have a tablet device.

We can’t afford to engage with mobile.

You most likely already participate in “mobilized” online environments.

NOT TRUE.

Social Media Tools are “Mobilized”

Other “Mobilized” Online Tools

QR Codes•QR = “quick

response”•Bar codes can

be linked to content

•QR Code readers are free

•Generators are also free. Ex: Scan.me

Directing QR Codes to Your Standard WebsiteFAIL

Best Practices for QR Codes•Give the end

user a mobile-friendly experience

•Have a clear call to action

•Use a code generator with analytics

Three Questions:

1. How many visitors are coming to your website each month via mobile devices?

2. Is your website mobile-optimized?3. How many monthly visitors need

to be coming to your website via mobile devices before you actively pursue providing them with an optimized experience?

65% of U.S. smartphone users EXPECT a website to be as easy to use on their phones as it is on their computers.

When a smartphone user encounters a website that is NOT optimized for mobile devices, they leave within 30 seconds 81% of the time.

Source: wwww.ourmobileplanet.comm

Mobile Websites

Websites intended to be opened on a mobile device within an Internet browser

Accessible from all types of mobile devices

Designed for touch screen navigation

Require access to the Internet (3G, WiFi, etc.)

Tips for Making Your Website Mobile Friendly or Mobile Optimized

• Keep the layout simple and easy to navigate• Keep images to a minimum• Use .png or .gif images – faster to load• Test your site on a number of mobile devices• Optimization plug-ins for current content

management systems (e.g. WordPress, Drupal, etc.)• Create a separate mobile site

▫For example: m.southarts.org instead of www.southarts.org

▫Consider using free and low-cost services like YoMobi▫Redirect mobile users to your mobile site

site

Responsive Design

Mobile Apps• Software designed

for a mobile device

Mobile Apps

• Software designed for a mobile device

• Platform-specific

Mobile Apps

• Software designed for a mobile device

• Platform-specific

• What can apps do that mobile websites cannot?

• Apps are faster than mobile websites.

• Apps allow you to access native features of the mobile device – like the camera or GPS

• Apps have a feature called “push notifications” that allow you to send short text messages to your subscribers.

Coming soon to a folk app near you:

GEO-FENCING

Mobile Apps

• Software designed for a mobile device

• Platform-specific

• What can apps do that mobile websites cannot?

• Psychology of the end user

Mobile users open the internet browser on their phones when they are searching for something.

When mobile users want to engage with content repeatedly over time, they want an app for that.

Look for Apps You Can Tie Into

• Ex: Broadcastr

• User-generated or self-generated content

• Partner programs

• Ex: Livestream

Investigate Multi-Platform Services

• InstantEncore• Mobile Roadie• Reverb Nation• Toura• TourSphere

Template based services that use a central control panel to deliver content to multiple mobile platforms – Android, Apple, mobile web, etc.

Hire an App Developer

• Be sure that your app has needs beyond a template service

• Look for local developers or relationships to leverage

• Make sure that the developer creates apps for Apple AND Android

• GET REFERENCES

Things to Think About

• What does your audience want from their mobile experience with you?

• What types of content do you already have to use?

• What budget level do you have to devote to mobile engagement?

• Can you leverage other resources or relationships?