How To Build the Right Content Strategy for Your Mobile App

Shahid Mansuri

Sep 01, 20205 min read
Mobile App Content

In order to be a successful business in today’s saturated marketplace in the digital sphere, it’s important to have a website that translates beautifully onto mobile devices. There are 3.5 billion mobile users in 2020, which is about 45.4% of the world's population. 

After India and China, the U.S. has the largest number of mobile phone users, which means, having a great content strategy for mobile websites and a mobile app is no longer a choice but a necessity.

So, how do you create a successful mobile-optimized app content strategy? Below are 6 ways to do just that!

1. There Is a Need for Longer Mobile App Content

If your app opens up for mobile users, as a content provider you have to keep in mind that Google could be sending traffic to your app — if the content meets the needs of users.

Depending on the intent of the user, sometimes short-form content is will not be enough. The reader may want more in-depth and helpful information. Since longer content has greater potential to discuss any given subject matter in greater depth, you need to include it. 

In recent years, Google has updated its search algorithm to include ‘content quality’ and the authority of the content as a metric to rank websites. The more relevant, well-written, and authoritative an article is, the more likely it is to be shown to your target audience. 

The likelihood that someone will read your 1000-word article depends on various factors such as search intent, the subject matter, the market, and its relevance to the user’s query.

Regardless of how long the article is, the first two paragraphs — the part of the content known as lede in journalism — is the hook that brings the reader in. This portion of your content is especially important in a mobile environment where attention spans tend to be a lot shorter and readers click away if not interested.

2. Think Ahead — Don't Confuse App Users

According to Google, in 2015 there were more online searches taking place through a mobile device than ever before. The company said that more Google searches took place on mobile devices than on computers in 10 countries which included the United States and Japan.

If you have a mobile app that will open for mobile users, you need to make sure the look of your app and your website sync in appearance. Branding and the user experience needs to be consistent for mobile and app users, especially if they have utilized your website via desktop. 

3. Know Your App Reader

With zero understanding of your audience, you are setting yourself up for failure. To create a truly successful mobile content strategy, it’s important to know your audience. For example, a few points to note regarding audience behavior include:

  • Where does your audience spend the most time when they are online? Which social media platforms are most popular among your target audience?
  • Do they access the internet using smartphones or tablets?
  • What percentage of total audience access to your website comes through mobile devices?
  • How popular is visual content?
  • Which type of content is the most shared and which type gets the most audience engagement?

These are just a few questions to ask when trying to decipher your audience in order to create a great mobile content strategy. Understanding what your audience prefers doing online will allow you to tailor content to their interests.

An important point to note is that when you are creating content meant to increase audience engagement, don’t tailor content to fit your marketing objectives. Instead, create great content first and then think of creative ways in which to tailor the content to fit your marketing objectives. 

4. Better App Metrics and Better Formatting

To figure out which content is doing well with your audience, you need to look at a number of factors. Instead of focusing solely on the number of likes and shares your published content generates, try to focus on more substantial goals such as:

Higher conversion rates from visitors on landing pages

Lower bounce rate: The lower the bounce rate, the longer your visitors are staying on your site and not instantly clicking away. A high bounce rate means that your page is not user-friendly and it also means that visitors to your site aren’t clicking on calls-to-action or converting into valuable contacts.

A high bounce rate also means that the visitor wasn’t able to find what he or she was looking for, which indicates a need for improving your content quality. A few ways to improve bounce rate are:

  • Choose the right keywords in accordance with your content
  • Write useful meta-descriptions for users being directed by search engines
  • For a more attractive page use a larger font, ensure white spaces on your page, use large headlines and make use of bulleted lists. All this helps to make your text more readable
  • Ensure you are using responsive web page design which translates seamlessly across various devices.
  • Don’t ramble and get to the point, fast.
  • Utilize images and videos, to add an extra layer to your content.

5. Pick the Right Type of App Content

Knowing your audience’s habits online is not enough when it comes to creating great content. You also need to know that different type of content works with different businesses. Although E-commerce sites have a greater chance of success with quizzes and contests, white papers and case studies are better suited to B2B marketers.

Researching what your audience wants and building SEO-friendly content around that will help you significantly when it comes to re-purposing content across various marketing channels. Switching content between newsletters, social media, e-books or a blog post will make sure you get the most exposure for any piece of content and improve overall strategy.

Using video content is another option if you want to convey your message quickly and succinctly on a mobile app, allowing your readers to make more efficient use of their time. Other similar visual content options include infographics and images to convey your message. 

6. Smart Content for Mobile Apps

Along with following the age of copywriting rule of ‘writing how you speak’ to achieve maximum clarity, it is important to know what to focus on intent — what does the reader need to know right now, and what information should be included to support it?

You want to quickly get to the point and offer what is needed for the app reader. Instead of including every possible thing in the same article, use a hyperlink to send readers to a more in-depth article, hub, or  FAQ page. This option allows your reader to focus solely on what you are saying with minimal distractions.

With readers' attention span getting shorter, you should focus on making their experience on your mobile app as streamlined as possible.

Conclusion

By carefully crafting your mobile app strategy, you are more likely to see results and surpass your marketing goals. Knowing your audience is only one part of the puzzle. You need to know how to optimize content across different platforms including smartphones, tablets, laptops, and desktops.

Finding the right mix of SEO, quality, quantity, and usefulness will help you craft the perfect mobile content strategy.

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Shahid Mansuri co-founded Peerbits, one of the leading mobile app development company in 2011. His visionary leadership and flamboyant management style have yield fruitful results for the company. He believes in sharing his strong knowledge base with leaned concentration on entrepreneurship and business. Being an avid nature lover, he likes to flaunt his pajamas on beach during the vacations.