Mobile is the future. Period. If your a small business and have no mobile (local search) presence on the web, you need to "get in the game". Some new staggering trends are emerging that should be a wake up call to all businesses.
- The Mobile revolution is revolutionizing commerce via location-based services (Foursquare), discounted offers (Groupon), Instant local and online price comparison sites are driving online and walk-in purchases. Huge Android (615% year/year & iPhone (86% year/year) Growth (Source: Canalys estimates).
- Mobile Growth (Smartphone, iPad, Tablet) fueled by better processing power, improved user interface, smaller form factor and low prices.
- Networks (4G) getting faster.
- Fun to use Twitter, Facebook, Yelp, Foursquare, etc. 50% of all total Twitter active users are on smartphones. 200M Facebook active users are mobile.
- Mobile now real-time connectivity 24x7 in palm of your hand.
- Global Mobile data (internet) traffic will grow 26x over next 5 years (Source: Cisco VNI data Forecast).
Most retail, small business, and commerce websites need to be mobile optimized. When a user is pulling up your website, all the menus pages must be viewable on the screen immediately. Highlight the address and driving directions. If you can afford it, differentiate yourself from your competitors and develop an iPhone and/or Android app that has value-add. Sign up for local search listings (Google Places, Bing Local, Yahoo mobile,
YP.com) and get a Social media presence.
Today's mobile phones offer a smart way for small business owners to engage their customers whether its in real time (social networks) or pushed (via online coupons/discounts).
