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Knowing Your Market Helps When Creating Mobile Video

By Susan J. Campbell, TMCnet Contributing Editor

Consider it official – smartphones have crept their way into 50 percent of the population’s hands. According to the recent numbers by Nielsen, there are nearly 150 million mobile subscribers using a smartphone for communications. This means that if you aren’t using mobile video to reach customers with relevant information, you might be missing the boat.

While using mobile video to reach target markets and audiences via smartphones and other mobile devices is crucial, you might be missing the bigger picture, according to this REEL SEO report. Which operating system are you targeting? If the iPhone (News - Alert) and its iOS are the only systems you’re focusing your mobile video efforts, you need to do more. The numbers show that this system is continually coming up short to Google’s (News - Alert) Android.

The Android actually has more than 48 percent of the market right now, which is an estimated 75 million users. iOS has 32 percent, RIM Blackberry has 11 percent and Window’s Mobile and Windows Phone (News - Alert) has 11 percent and 4 percent, respectively. With roughly 20 to 30 million iPads flooding the market right now, the 32 percent is nothing to frown upon.

Apple (News - Alert) reveals that its sales of the iPad were at 15 million in 2011. These are strong numbers, yet focusing on just the iOS system could mean your mobile videos are missing other, and much larger, audiences.

To answer Apple’s iPad, the Android tablet has been out and about flaunting features like 2GB of RAM (News - Alert) and quad-core Tegra 3 chips. Android might just give Apple a run for their money. If Android taps into the tablet market effectively, that might be where the shift in mobile video needs to be to balance demand and get results.

When it comes to smartphones, however, it’s more than just the system. You need to really look at targeting specific demographics. Mobile videos need to be readily available on any platform.

The Nielson numbers for smartphone owners, at least based on demographics, are interesting in that more than 50 percent of mobile smartphone subscribers are women, 50.9 to be exact. It’s pretty close but, yes, women are more likely to see that mobile video than their male counter parts if you base it on those numbers alone.

Age groups are also interesting to consider. At least two out of three users, between 25 and 34 years old, have a smartphone. Leading the pack, though, are Asian Americans. Nearly 67 percent of this population has a smartphone as their primary mobile device. The numbers also show that a majority of African Americans have smart phones and an estimated three out of five Hispanic mobile subscribers are using their smartphones.

Truly understanding the smartphone user market helps to put mobile video creators in the driver’s seat when aiming key messages to a specific audience. A focused strategy is almost sure to drive effective results.




Edited by Stefanie Mosca