A report from eMarketer found that smartphone users are not only growing in numbers but evolving in terms of content consumption. According to the research, there are 115 million Americans with smartphones, which accounts for more than 47 percent of the mobile phone market in the United States. Their constant access to digital content gives internet marketers more opportunities to reach prospects.
While calling, texting and other communication tasks account for the bulk of the time spent on these devices, web content consumption is growing as well. EMarketer pointed to smartphone gaming and music as two areas seeing rapid growth. Brafton has previously reported more smartphone users are accessing content related to products and social media pages.
The eMarketer study estimates that more than 192 million smartphones will be in use by 2016, making clear that website content that appeals to mobile users will become increasingly important. Moreover, the types of content consumers demand will grow as well as the devices become more capable and relied upon for regular, constant access.
“The smartphone class doesn’t tolerate dull moments; members turn to their phones for instant gratification,” the company said.
Businesses will need to develop sustainable content marketing strategies that arm them with frequent updates to appeal to smartphone audiences, with eMarketer projecting that the internet-enabled devices will make up more than 74 percent of all mobile phones in the U.S. and nearly 60 percent of the total population.
Marketers must adjust their campaigns to account for constant searches and website visits, and they should also consider smartphones’ impact on email marketing. Brafton recently reported that mobile email open rates have increased 82 percent in the last year. Furthermore, it’s expected that mobile email will surpass cloud-mail providers, such as Gmail and Hotmail, at some point in 2012.
