The Smartphone revolution took another step forward this year, making the devices all the more relevant to content writing services who may be producing content that is becoming more and more likely to be viewed on a smaller portable screen.

In the UK, we are used to everyone from the age of 8 and above sporting the latest Smartphone, but worldwide the reality is different.  In countries like Africa or certain parts of Asia or South America Smartphones are not so common as these countries do not enjoy the same levels of prosperity as in our developed world.

Feature phones are more common as they are less expensive for people who cannot possibly afford to keep updating to the latest iPhone every 6 months.  Furthermore, the coverage of mobile networks in the area is often poor, so there is little point carrying a fully featured phone without the internet to really take advantage of it.

For the second quarter of this year, the period of April – June, 435 million mobile phones were sold, with smartphones accounting for 51.8% of that figure, the first time passed the 50% threshold.

Apps

Smartphone applications are hugely important to Smartphone makers and content marketers.  Apps are a huge part of why Smartphones are so popular.  The ability to download hundreds of thousands of programs plays a significant part in a consumers choice to purchase a Smartphone rather than a regular feature phone.

The apps are significant to the battles between the competing operating systems.  Consumers will often choose based on the number of apps available, and Apple has held a advantage here for a long time as developers often choose to create apps for its devices before other platforms.  While Apple’s iOS no longer has the largest market share, the high price point of the iPhone and purchase history of their users indicate that iPhone owners will spend more on applications than users of the Android operating system.

With the latest smartphone results however, Android now commands a 79% market share, compared to just 14% for Apple’s iOS.  iOS and Android are clearly the two most lucrative platforms for developers, leading to a lack of desire to develop for rival systems such as Windows Phones, meaning there are high barriers to entry in the market.

Marketing

Apps open up opportunities for content writing services and content marketing.  One popular form of marketing via apps is when a user is ‘second screening’  when using a Smartphone or tablet whilst watching UK television.  Here they will be open to further content about the program they are watching, and many are targeting these users via the television to direct them to further content in phone applications, notably live events such as the X factor or live sports matches.  There are further applications of this marketing technique outside of the home as well, such as QR codes which direct users to websites or applications from a code embedded in a poster which a passerby can scan with their Smartphone’s camera.

Content Writing Services

Marketers need to be aware of the changes in which people in the UK and in the fast developing world are viewing their content.  The size of the screen and the times of usage mean that the target user for content writing services will be increasingly consuming content in a different way from how they would on their desktop computer, and it is important marketers understand these trends in order to take advantage of them