RssA1: What is Responsive Design?

vineri, 7 decembrie 2012

What is Responsive Design?

Link to It's All About Revenue: The Revenue Marketing Blog

Posted: 07 Dec 2012 06:30 AM PST

by Jesse Noyes |

Today's guest post comes from Richard Hill, VP & Practice Lead, Marketing Automation at Eloqua agency partner Quarry Integrated Communications, and co-author of "The Savvy Marketer's Guide to Responsive Web Design".

You've seen the stats. Smart phones are everywhere. Tablets are seeing rocket ship growth and aren't coming back to earth. Buyers have gone mobile.

Meanwhile, B2B marketers are far behind. 73% of B2B marketers are not even measuring mobile traffic by device, according to SiriusDecisions, let alone creating optimized web experiences for smartphone and tablet visitors.

But here's the thing. If you have a website, it's already mobile, whether you know it or not. People are visiting your sites through mobile devices every day. Chances are the experience you're delivering is damaging your brand. With more 6,500 different devices out there – all with varying screen sizes and capabilities – how do marketers keep up?

Short answer: Responsive Design.

What is Responsive Web Design?
Responsive Web Design is the practice of creating websites that fluidly respond to deliver the right experience for the right screen size at the right time. A responsive site adapts its layout, content, even functionality, for smaller (or bigger) screen sizes, all from a single code base and under one URL.

Many great brands are embracing responsive to create more mobile-friendly website experiences. Norton Lounge by Symantec, one of the world's largest ecommerce retailers and software companies, is one such example.

It's more than just matching the experience with the size of a screen. There are upsides for search, social sharing, simplified content management and easier site maintenance.

That's why even Google recommends adopting Responsive Design an industry standard as mobile devices proliferate.

Examples of responsive design for the Norton Lounge site

It's Not Just for Websites
Responsive Web Design isn't limited to your website. As B2B marketers we need to ensure our emails and landing pages also come through clearly on a mobile device. And with nearly 40% of all emails now being opened on mobile devices (a 123% increase in just 18 months!), that's a trend that's already impacting email engagement rates and can't be ignored any longer.

How to Get Started
As a marketer, your task is not about "going mobile." It's about taking charge of the experience you deliver your buyers, regardless of what device they're using. Responsive Web Design could help get you there faster.

So how can you get started? Build your case by answering these four questions:

"How mobile are your buyers today?" Your marketing automation and web analytics software will provide a starting point, but also consider using email analytics software to better understand the true scale of mobile adoption among your buyers.
"Are your competitors already doing this?" Gauge the mobile experience currently being offered by any site (yours or your competitors') using this mobile device simulator.
"Where's an easy place to start?" In our experience, start with a campaign landing page. They provide great places to experiment, allowing you to gain practical experience on a manageable scale.
"How can I kick-start the conversation?" Share some of these assets about Responsive Web Design with your colleagues: this Topliners post, this Guide, and this YouTube video.