KF Lai (pictured below) looks at the emergence and effect of the mobile social networker. 

There is no doubt that social networking and the hype surrounding Twitter, Facebook and YouTube has dominated much of the media landscape over the last few years. However, recent developments show the emergence of a new market segment, consisting of those who, for a variety of reasons, have chosen the mobile over the PC to network. 

While PC-based social networking still presents undeniable opportunities to reach consumers, brands must address the needs of this new market segment or risk losing out on valuable new growth avenues. 

Mobile social networking has been firmly set in motion over the last year. The introduction of the iPhone and the popularity of the social networking applications available such as Facebook, Fring and LinkedIn, clearly demonstrated the demand for socialising through the mobile. 

This demand is perhaps most clearly demonstrated in the widespread adoption of the Facebook application, which continues to be one of the most popular downloads on the App Store and is now the world’s second most-visited mobile website according to Opera Software. 

Recent findings by the Internet Advertising Bureau indicate a 179 per cent year-on-year increase in the number of mobile handsets accessing social media sites, compared to a ten per cent increase in PC visitors to the same sites.  

Google’s recent announcement of its first ever mobile phone, no doubt designed with the mobile Internet and social networking market in mind, shows that mobile social networking is no flash in the pan. By announcing this device, Google has shown it believes the mobile market is one worth investing in. 

However, if brands are to move into the mobile social networking space, it is important they fully understand the audience that is active in the area. 

People who use mobile phones for social networking are not necessarily the same people who use the Internet for social networking; the demographic is often markedly different and brands cannot simply transfer online strategies to the mobile device. Not least because many do not have a smartphone and brands have to think about developing networks and interactions accessible to those beyond the niche iPhone or BlackBerry owner.  

Aspirations, beliefs and values

Users of mobile social networks may very well have aspirations, beliefs and values that are all very different from those of a PC user. This is often because the circumstances in which a user would access a networking site on a mobile are different to those when accessing a site through a PC – they may be on the move a lot or they may not be able to afford their own PC or laptop.

One of the major growth areas for mobile social networking can be found among audiences in the developing world, where mobile social networking has already started to overtake the PC. People in these countries tend to favour accessing the Internet through handsets as opposed to PCs and laptops due to the reduced costs both in terms of initial outlay and on-going expenditure. Buying a handset is cheaper than buying a PC or laptop and a mobile contract costs less than a fixed broadband deal. 

Mobiles also offer far higher functionality as fixed broadband can often be much slower than mobile networks which in turn are able to cover a large percentage of the country. This lack of access to PCs and laptops has lead to the rapid growth of mobile social networks, especially in Asia and Africa.  

myGamma, a social network run by BuzzCity, has more than four million users globally, 24 per cent of whom can be found in Africa and 55 per cent in Asia. In addition, a number of mobile social networks have arisen tailored to specific geographic regions, such as Orkut in Brazil, QQ and Tencent in China, Mixi in Japan, Ibibo in India and Friendster in Indonesia — all of which have grown rapidly in popularity. 

The growth of these local networks demonstrates that people do not need the pull of an international brand to use social media. Networks designed to fit a region or specific market segment are just as likely to be successful, if not even more so; something mobile media companies need to bear in mind as they continue to expand into emerging markets. 

Outside the developing world, the growth of social mobile networking can also be attributed to the rising popularity of location-based services. Mobiles are an ideal way for consumers to access sites on the move. Sharing recommendations and location-based services with others in your network using your mobile will help social mobile networking grow in popularity. Twitter’s recent acquisition of Mixer Labs, a service that helps developers build location-aware services, shows that there is a belief that location-based services will create extra revenues. This, combined with Twitter’s mobile functionalities, demonstrates again how social mobile networks are becoming increasingly important.  

Marketing through mobile social networking presents a new way for brands to communicate with consumers, as it allows for a more personal, and often more powerful, relationship. However, brands must remember that those who network through mobiles need very different things to those who network through the Internet. 

For example, networking using sites like Facebook or MySpace is simply not the same experience on a mobile. There is a different user interface and different formatting of content for the smaller screen. Download times vary and, in general, the things a user would want to do on a mobile differ from those on a PC. This may be one explanation why Facebook decided to launch its ‘News Feed’ section, which allows users to update friends on their activity in a short and concise sentence – something that has proved particularly popular with those updating their status on the move. As Facebook has demonstrated, the presentation of data may need adapting when moving into the mobile space as the content on a mobile screen demands a different presentation for mobile users.

Needs and desires

The growth of mobile social networking also demonstrates how consumers are looking for tailored interaction with brands. A one-size-fits-all marketing strategy will no longer work. Companies need to tailor their strategies to different mediums and to different market segments. 

By developing an understanding of the needs and desires of users on mobile social networking sites, brands can communicate with them in a way that will add value to their lives and provide them with the goods and services they are demanding.  

In the developed world, the growth of mobile social networking has led to the development of a new type of networker and a new market segment that brands must learn to target effectively. At the same time, these brands must continue to engage effectively with those who prefer to do their networking through the PC. 

In the developing world, mobiles have allowed people access to social networks for the first time. Again, brands must learn how to effectively target these people or risk losing out on valuable revenue streams. The wide differences in how people access social networks across regions and demographics, demonstrate the importance of marketing tactics that are truly tailored and truly specific to the people brands need to reach.

   KF Lai is CEO, BuzzCity.