Just when you thought you had the hang of this SEO and social media strategy stuff, a new player walked onto the stage: the tablet. Apple’s iPad started a wave of tablet use that is beginning to change how we use the internet in a very real way.
The first batch of research on how tablet use is affecting internet access is now surfacing, with studies consistently finding that tablet and other mobile device users spend more time online than their traditional computer-using counterparts. In fact, tablet users spend nearly fifty percent more time online than those who only use their home computers or laptops. Tablet users are basically connected all the time, wherever they may find themselves, which means there are endless opportunities there in terms of targeted marketing for consumers on the go.
According to Knowledge Networks, tablet users spend more than half their tablet time accessing social networks, games, and search engines, often not from their homes but while they are out shopping, at work, or sitting in restaurants. For a marketing strategy to remain relevant, companies need to consider that their target market in terms of tablet users is looking for information not to use at a later time, but for right now, at their exact location.
Although Apple iPad users remain the chief tablet demographic, the recent announcement of Amazon’s Kindle Fire has sent tablet speculation soaring. Those who were skeptical about the potential long-term success of tablet technologies are suddenly less doubtful, and SEO and social media marketers are taking the change more seriously.
In a world where computer users are just as likely to be performing Google searches in the car as at their desks, it would be irresponsible from a marketing standpoint not to take tablet users into consideration when formulating or updating SEO and social media strategy. Singling out tablet users and giving them specific content made for the mobile experience can not only help increase sales overall, but can also help create customer loyalty, as tablet users search for sites and services that are tailored to their devices in some way.
If your business is due for a strategy overhaul or even just some minor tweaks, it is certainly worth trying to build in some marketing either specifically for tablet users, or at least tablet-friendly. With the tablet market growing every day and tablet users being online more than PC users, it’s a segment of the population you don’t want to ignore.
