Read full article: http://www.mobilemarketer.com/cms/opinion/columns/12931.html

Some Highlights:

• Smaller screen, shorter attention spans.  Keep it short, simple and punchy.
• Create a message with simple copy and links that take users to optimized, relevant content that is device specific.  If your potential customer is viewing your email via their mobile device, then the landing page they are sent to should also be optimized for mobile and not a cumbersome desktop landing page.
• Time of day makes a big impact on how and when email is read, meaning that brands need to think ahead about which platform consumers will be opening and reading an email on.  It’s important to recognize that access to email starts earlier in the day – large percentages of people check email on a phone before they even get out of bed – and ends later in the day

http://www.mobilemarketer.com/cms/news/email/12929.html

In conjunction with the Web site, the company also is launching a Viceroy Hotel Group Pinterest page.

The Pinterest page will launch with three pin boards that will highlight key areas in which the brand thrives and offer tangential content in each of these areas of expertise.

“Perfect Design, Perfect Life” will feature the interior design of each property, as well as design inspiration in line with the distinct aesthetic of the Viceroy brand.

Could be interesting if they can keep themselves from being to “adsy”.   Looking forward to seeing what they do with their Pinterest strategy in the coming months.

Pinterest Boards: http://pinterest.com/ViceroyHotelGrp/

To help agencies and brands make better ads, Facebook’s measurement team is making public its research on what does and doesn’t work.

http://adage.com/article/digital/facebook-ads-works/234731/

Read more about YouTube’s strategy to get users to watch more and click less here on AdAge.com.

Check it out for yourself: http://pinterest.com/realsimple/

Read the Full Article: http://adage.com/article/digital/real-simple-reaches-100k-pinterest-followers/234711/?utm_source=digital_email&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=adage

http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/174186/flurry-photovideo-fastest-growing-app-category.html?edition=46610

Traffic is skyrocketing and not just from techies and early adopters.  Nielsen reports that more than 70 percent of the unique are women, and that the highest penetration is among women age 25 to 34.

Wondering how to get your brand involved, take a look at the following 9 brands that have come up with unique ways to showcase their business on Pinterest!

http://www.imediaconnection.com/content/31534.asp?imcid=topnavcontent

If you find Google +’s many bells and whistles as confusing as I do, then you will find this graph to be helpful!

This space is moving so quickly and it’s certainly hard to keep up, however it’s imperative that you ensure that the people out there looking for you (regardless of device) are going to find what they are looking for and have a good experience with your online brand.

I wanted to find out more about the repercussions of not having a mobile website today so I reached out to CMGDigital’s web design expert, Jeff Jahn.  I asked Jeff to provide me with the top reasons to have a website that is optimized for mobile and have provided his response below:

Top 5 Reasons to Optimize for Mobile:

1. Bad First Impression, Rocky Engagement:  Slow loading times, lack of features, broken features, difficult to find stuff, difficult to see and click stuff…these are the top complaints of smartphone owners who are trying to access business websites via their phone or tablet.
2. You Will Lose Potential Customers:  It really boils down to usability.   If the site doesn’t work on a mobile phone due to flash or just a bad design, you’ve not only lost a potential customer, there’s a good chance they’ll never be back. Even current customers are less likely to buy or call again if they can’t get what they need from your site.
3. They Leave Before Knowing Who You Are:  Setting aside the ones who will just leave due to the experience, consider the others who may never even realize that you offer a product or service, because it was too hard to find on your site using their phone, tablet or computer.
4. Not Sealing the Deal:   Also, consider how difficult it is to contact the business on most non-mobile friendly sites. Usually the phone number can’t be clicked, the address is hidden and there’s no way to get directions.  You just lost a conversion.
5. Zero Visibility:  Website visitors = potential leads and new customers.  If your mobile website is poorly formed or non-existant, then you will not have the ability to see what users are doing on your mobile site.   For example, we can tell every time someone “clicks to call” on a mobile site  developed by CMGDigital. Most platforms can’t do that at all, even mobile website platforms, meaning there’s no way to find out whether the mobile site is resulting in online conversions.

In Summary:  A good mobile website is simple and effective with a “less is more” approach; has easy to navigate, mobile friendly content; clear call to action for conversions  and is built on a platform that allows analytics and visibility.

Not sure if you are up to snuff?  Give us a call for a complimentary website analysis!