Compete for mobile user eyeballs with compelling social-media-driven content

March 7, 1012 — On a personal computer, business media are primarily competing with other information sources for viewer attention. However, according to recent research noted by Jack Marshall at Digiday, on mobile platforms, information providers in general are competing with games and social media. And, according to research firm Flurry, entertainment apps are beating info apps seven to one. "Flurry’s numbers suggest mobile users are far more interested in gaming and networking than they are in content, perhaps owing the nature of the device," writes Marshall.

The take away for content creators in the business information business? If you subscribe to the "if you can't beat 'em" school of thought, it may be worthwile to engage mobile users in the applications they prefer. Mobile users evidently want games and social media, and while delivering your content via games may not make sense (for now), an increased push toward social media just might, especially if you have not made the leap to an app-centered distribution model. To the extent that your Twitter and Facebook strategy overlaps -- or even becomes -- your mobile strategy, make sure that your social media content is compelling to mobile users.

Such an "increased push" surely includes increasing quality as well as volume. On Mediabistro, Twitter blogger Shea Bennett has four years of Twitter insight compressed into one handy post. The entire blog entry is worth reading, but he has some specific advice for companies pushing their brands online. Here's a small sample:

1. As a business, your Twitter username is very important. If you’re just starting up, make sure what you want is available. If you have to compromise, do so wisely.
2. Ideally, your Twitter presence should always be managed in-house, by employees that you can empower to make the right decisions on your behalf. However, if you have to outsource the management of your Twitter profile, that doesn’t mean you don’t have to monitor it. Closely.
3. Unless you’re a household name, building a relevant and engaged Twitter network takes time. Twitter is free, but you have to prepare for the long haul. Overnight successes are very rare, and ROI, even amongst the best, is relatively slight. It’s my honest opinion that if immediate results are important, and you have a CPC budget in place, you’re better off with a Facebook Page.
4. There’s a critical balance between engaging on Twitter and marketing on Twitter. Don’t oversell.
5. If you’re a content publisher, it’s OK to share your stuff twice each day. Rewrite the copy, and spread the tweets out between major timezones.
   

By Michael Moran Alterio