Low price tablets and e-readers are making a big impact online. Pew Internet reports that 29% of all Americans have either a tablet, an e-reader or both. So what does that mean for online fundraisers and changemakers?
A recent Comscore study on mobile and tablet readers sheds some light. Tablets are turning American Internet users into content omnivores, with roughly 60% of respondents using tablets to read news and participate in social networks. 75% are using tablets to communicate via email. And here’s the ringer for fundraisers: almost half have completed a purchase using their tablet.
As e-readers become more like tablets, and smartphones such as the Samsung Galaxy Nexus get larger, you can expect to see more communications and transactions occur through portable media. That means fundraisers and change makers need to embrace and develop tablet-friendly media now. Here are four changes to consider:
1) Get Friendly
The first and most obvious step is to make your web site friendly for portable devices. But keep in mind smartphone friendly is not tablet friendly. Basically, if your page is cluttered and doesn’t offer a touch-friendly user experience, it’s going to be hard to persuade people to act or donate for change on a tablet. Given how fragmented media consumption is becoming, you need to seize open opportunities, not lose them.
2) Get Brief
A limited screen with smaller fonts means less tolerance for text heavy reading. Focus on photo and video friendly content, punch up your font size, and shorten the length of your content. If you have heavy content, make it downloadable in a PDF that can be accessed later.
3) Get Simple
Next, you will want to streamline your calls to action so that people can actually do them on a tablet. Not only does the site need to be less cluttered, but your call-to-action needs to be achieved in one click and form. That’s all you have. Consider the time-frame you may have. A commercial break during a favorite TV program. Ten minutes at a coffee shop. Optimize your check out process as much as possible.
4) Get Appleized
Apple iPads dominate the tablet marketplace. Fifty eight percent of tablets bought globally are iPads. Which means a majority of tablets are not Flash friendly. You need to get rid of Flash on your site, or put in a redirect to a tablet friendly site.
These are just some tips to consider. For more, check out Search Engine Watch’s excellent article with ten tips.