Forget zombies; the world is going to be taken over by smartphones. In a few years, the number of smartphones and other mobile devices will number 8 billion – about a billion more than there are people in the world. The market is growing – is your business poised to take advantage of the right mobile marketing strategies?
A recent IBM report identifies three main reasons why companies need to go mobile:
· Instead of waiting for users to initiate a web activity, mobile offers the chance to be more interactive and proactively initiate interactions.
· Mobile is targeted. Businesses can target functionality based on information such as a user’s location, time, presence, social connections, or device capabilities.
· It is immediate. Want something? It’s done. This can be key for businesses in the coming years.
Do you really want to put the time and money into optimising for mobile? In a word, yes. In another word, YES. Why? Quite simply, it can drive business. In IBM’s report, author Alon Kronenberg points to Priceline.com as a prime example. They have jumped on mobile and are reaping the benefits. They also provide solid proof that mobile is lucrative. Eighty-two percent of Priceline’s mobile customers booked a hotel room within one day of arrival, compared to 45 percent of non-mobile customers. Most were close to the hotel when they did so; 58 percent were within 20 miles, and 35 percent were within 1 mile. This suggests that proximity is important, and businesses can benefit from increased local and mobile search focuses.
Mobile presents an incredible opportunity for business, and particularly local business.