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For those who missed it there was a great online webinar event on earlier this evening by “Google thinkmobile” about the growth of mobile technology with really fascinating stats.
IF you are questioning whether YOUR business should have a mobile website or application, check out a couple of screenshots I grabbed and also Slideshare presentation given by some “Mobile leading lights”, a little heavy on the figures but interesting non the less ?
Here’s some images / figures to ponder from the Google thinkmobile event:
Mobile traffic (in the USA) is exploding with 4x growth in the past year and all sign are we are mirroring our American cousins, or more likely we are ahead of the game:
1 in 3 ‘Mobile Google Searches are “Local” which provides a very high conversion rate of this search resulting in a call to business, a staggering 61% !
79% of Smartphone users employ their phones to help when shopping !!!
. . . and with the smartphone industry growing at an unprecedented rate, 2011 could prove to be an unparalleled year in terms of mobile innovation and expansion.
With more than 70 percent of the world’s population owning a mobile phone, it’s time for small businesses to pay attention to mobile and begin planning their mobile strategy now.
Below are four predictions on how the growth of mobile will affect small businesses in 2011, with key takeaways on how you can get started with each one.
Allowing your customers to buy with speed and confidence is essential for any small business owner, but with the pace of modern life, it’s now increasingly important to let your customers buy at their convenience.
Wow ! Wow ! . . . and thrice Wow ! Google really is on a mission !
Google Ads are on advertising offensive with Google mSearch (Mobile Browser Search) with . . .
Android wasn’t much of a focus on Google’s fourth-quarter earnings conference call, as there were bigger fish to fry, but there were a few interesting nuggets along the way. At the end of 2010, search on mobile devices grew four times more than the previous year.
According to a new “effectiveness study” from Apple and soup-maker Campbell’s, the latter’s iAds are twice as effective as the TV ads they’ve used, at a fraction of the cost.
The study, conducted by Nielsen over a five-week period, showed that consumers remembered the Campbell’s brand five times more than TV ad respondents. In addition, respondents claimed they intended to purchase Campbell’s four times more than the TV group and that they liked the ad five times more. The iAd in question garnered 53 million ad impressions total and had a CTR of roughly 1 percent. Though not as high as we’ve seen with other iAds, it’s still not too shabby. When figuring in cost, you can see why Campbell’s might prefer iAds.
Google has finally added full check-in capabilities to its Latitude product, following in the footsteps of Foursquare, Gowalla, Yelp, Facebook, and others that have been doing check-ins for some time now. Latitude has been a tool that lets one user share his/her location with friends, but now it goes further and allows users to check-in to specific businesses and locations.
- Latitude can send reminders to check-in at locations when you arrive.
- Latitude supports automated check-ins at places you choose.
- Latitude automatically checks you out when you leave the location.
Those are convenient features that check-in fans will enjoy. But, Latitude check-ins are also missing a couple other features common to competing services:
At iMobile Local we are trying to keep you, small business owners abreast of what’s going on in the whirlwind world that is ‘iMobile’ , there is sooooo much activity with Google, Facebook etc directly at YOUR KIND OF BUSINESS . . . Yesterday Google announced that it was adding check-ins (and loyalty categories) to Latitude. It also announced the global expansion of HotPot, its recommendations tool. Checkout the video (left)
Google Places apps for both iPhone and Android allow people to rate and review businesses (HotPot’s objective). And on Places Pages, in Android, you can also check-in (that’s coming to iPhone). In addition all of this is deeply integrated with Google Maps and Navigation on Android handsets.
Google is also developing a Groupon clone. No doubt deals/offers will also be distributed on Google Place Pages when that service gets off the ground. Separately Google has been experimenting with “mobile Offers Ads” that show discounts and coupons intended to drive foot traffic to offline businesses.
Facebook made a significant move into the potentially lucrative local business advertising space on Monday with the launch in the UK and other European countries of Facebook Places Deals, which gives users discounts and benefits with nearby shops, restaurants and venues through their mobile phones.
Launched in the US last November, Facebook Places Deals lets users ‘check in’ to venues via the Places feature on its mobile app for iPhone, Android and through facebook.com on some smartphones.
Facebook says millions of users are already choosing to check in to venues, and its app is already the most popular in Apple’s iTunes Store. More than 250 million people use Facebook every day from a membership of more than 500 million worldwide, and more than one third of those access the site through mobile.
Checking in or tagging locations on location-based social networks like Foursquare, Facebook and Twitter is no doubt the hottest phenomenon today (besides possibly grabbing daily deals).
Location-based service (LBS) sites allow consumers to share extensive detail about your business from their mobile devices and give you the opportunity to engage with and attract new customers. LBS growth continues for consumers and businesses alike as mobile search grows.
Take Foursquare for example. It exploded onto the scene last year and now has 5 million registered users. Foursquare allows users to check-in to a location, share details with friends, and provide “tips” about your business.
Gowalla provides a similar service and now has more than 700,000 registered users. And, this doesn’t begin to cover the specialty niche LBS sites like Foodspotting and ShopKick.
Today’s mobile phones offer a smart way for small business owners to engage their customers through
Mobile Marketing.
According to the Mobile Marketing Association, it’s “A set of practices that enables organisations and businesses to communicate and engage with their audience in an interactive and relevant manner through any mobile device or network.” . . . . So what does this mean to YOU ?
iMobile Local provides some answers to some Frequently Asked Questions . . .
Q: How can a small business owner benefit from adding mobile to their marketing strategy ?
. . . says Macys.com’s CEO. Paul Demery
To keep customers happy, wireless networks that support the use of in-store mobile shopping will soon become mandatory for retailers, Peter Sachse, chief marketing officer of Macy’s Inc. and the chairman and CEO of Macys.com, said today at the National Retail Federation annual convention and expo in New York. Macy’s is No. 20 in the Internet Retailer Top 500 Guide.
Sachse made his comments during a general session entitled “Consumer 2020: What lies ahead for the retail industry.” The session’s moderator, Deloitte vice chair and U.S. retail leader Alison Paul, noted that some retailers oppose having in-store wireless to prevent shoppers from comparing prices with competing retailers.
60% of all internet searches are 'local'. Advertising appropriations are down, Giants are floundering . . . But internet marketing is EXPLODING !!! In most local markets YOUR competitors probably have no idea what they’re doing so if you’re reading this, the chances are you are already thinking way ahead of them ! 
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