5 mobile B2B advertising mistakes and how to correct them

It’s a good time to address the most persistent mistakes B2B advertisers continue to make with mobile ads, particularly nit-picky to holistic customer understanding.

Yes, B2B marketers should nail the desktop experience first since it’s still where we see most quality conversions happen. But neglecting to optimize over half of their opportunities to engage users has ripple effects down the funnel.

User flow and UX on mobile are different than it is on desktop. Layout, sizing, attention span, intent and ease of use fundamentally differ on mobile. Yet, B2B advertisers often forget this when they build mobile flows.

Let’s jump into the specific mistakes I see and how marketers should recalibrate their thinking.

Mistake 1: Failing to consider mobile user intent

B2B audiences are more available and engaged on mobile, but it’s still essential to assess intent and attention span and incorporate that into UX.

Users probably aren’t making big business decisions on their phones, but they might be open to good, quick messaging that offers insight into their challenges.

Too often, many marketers echo what they’re doing on desktop. Consider mobile intent to inform everything from your content and channel selection to call to action.

For instance, if you’re pushing a signature, long-form piece of content on mobile, try “read later” or “send to email” or promote a shorter blog post that entices the user to download the full file.

Instead of “book a demo,” which might open a calendaring function that mobile users aren’t quite ready to use, try “ask us for a demo,” which puts the onus on your business development team to follow up.

Mistake 2: Not dialing in creative specifically for mobile

Creative, in this instance, includes everything from landing page layout to ad sizing to video.

First, marketers can’t simply re-calibrate page dimensions to fit on a mobile screen without assessing what users see above the fold.

• Is it the most impactful message you can deliver?
• Does it give the users a clear CTA or a path forward?

You have much less room to work with on mobile, so put a premium on using it effectively.

Ad sizing is still ripe with opportunities to improve. Especially for social ads, marketers often stick to squares/rectangles and ignore larger mobile sizes.

Some big brands use square or rectangle creative on LinkedIn for mobile sponsored content instead of going vertical and commanding more attention, as the below creative does well.

As for video, shorter attention span matters. Getting to the point in the first three seconds of a video is critical on mobile.

Video content can still be challenging to produce so B2B brands might have one or two long-form pieces.

That’s fine, but the art will be in the edit. Use text overlay, include your brand logo up front, and reach the point immediately.

Consider the platform through both an intent and sizing lens. If you’ve got user-generated content to promote, would it be a better fit for YouTube, LinkedIn, or #tiktokforbusiness?

Mistake 3: Looking at the wrong data

Most marketers have taken the step of segmenting conversions by device and allocating spend appropriately. But too many have yet to take the next step: tracking CRM data to gauge the quality of conversions by device.

With rare exceptions, mobile conversions tend to be higher funnel than desktop conversions. Still, marketers need to be able to gauge the truth and extent of conversion value and bid accordingly.

If you’re adjusting mobile campaigns for upper-funnel conversions, integrate CRM data to ensure they’re worth what you’re paying.

Mistake 4: Failing to balance quantity and quality with lead forms

Whether you’re using direct lead gen forms on paid social or simply sending users to a direct-response landing page, finding a balance between quantity and quality with your forms is a good idea.

Most form integrations allow for auto-fill, which is great for the user – and may allow marketers to include a couple of extra fields for additional qualification (making it too easy may lead to excessive spam).

The best balance is to get the info you need to assess whether the lead is qualified but not to ask for any more info than that.

Among the many incremental improvements Facebook has made to its B2B functionality, its lead gen forms now allow marketers to add custom questions. This raises the barrier to entry a bit but can serve nicely to eliminate spam.

LinkedIn also has the custom question and custom check-box functionality and the option of asking for a business email, which will help you refine quality.

Whatever your approach, even if it’s to open the faucet as wide as possible and filter spam as you go, make sure to track conversion rates, corresponding lead quality, and significant differences in mobile and desktop behavior.

Mistake 5: Replicating desktop channel strategies

While some channels – search and social, primarily – offer plenty of value on both desktop and mobile, don’t simply assume that every channel that performs on desktop should be part of your mobile mix.

Unless you have a truly disruptive, thought-provoking message, display is a channel you should think twice about using for mobile audiences.

It can work if you have a fully fleshed-out ABM strategy with clearly defined companies, messaging, and goals, plus the sales team is fully bought in. But it has to be part of a bigger puzzle.

Otherwise, you’re relying on your users to take actions other than instinctively clicking out of annoying ads that block them from their desired content – which I rarely do as a user myself and don’t often recommend to my clients as a strategy.

Make your mobile B2B marketing campaigns better

As you read this, you’re probably thinking of dozens of other nuances distinguishing the mobile B2B advertising experience from its desktop counterpart.

Keep thinking that way, and before long, you’ll condition yourself to build separate strategies for your mobile and desktop audiences and reap the rewards along the full customer journey.