Mobile Search

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.