As a business leader, increasing revenue is always a constant concern. Of course, there are two main ways to do this: either increase revenue from current customers, or increase the total number of customers. The easiest and most direct way to connect with your audience and enable them to connect with you is through online media. Continuing my 5 article series, I hope to tell you about the 5 most important aspects of online media and how to use them for the benefit of your business.
Today we will focus on mobile media and devices. If you want to catch up, you can read last month’s email marketing article by clicking here.
Mobile media
Before, a phone was just a phone. You pick up the phone, dial a number, speak and hang up. We all know that those days are long gone. Mobile technology is one of the fastest growing industries in the world. As more and more inventions are applied in the field of mobile devices and cell phones, more and more users around the world use them; from regular cell phones that only allow you to talk and send text messages, to 3 and 4G smartphones that can do everything from web browsing, video playback, music and games to email, chat, social media sharing and more.
While many businesses are only adapting to the Internet on PC; Through email, websites and social media accounts, the Internet continues to infiltrate our daily lives, and much of this penetration is connected to mobile phones. Your business needs to be prepared to take advantage of mobile usage, and those who adapt early will have an edge over their competitors when it comes to reaching this large and ever-growing audience. As of February 2010, an estimated 4.6 billion people currently use mobile phones, which is about 60% of the world’s population!
Still not impressed? This cell phone statistic might shock you:
- Phones outnumber PCs by about 5:1 (and growing)
- 38% of Chinese use the Internet from a mobile phone.
- Every month, over 30 million users access Facebook through their mobile phone.
- More than 100,000 hours of video are recorded daily on mobile phones.
- Over 200,000 iPhone apps have been created and there are currently 172,886 apps available.
- In 2009, over 1.6 trillion text messages were sent.
It is clear that the mobile market will continue to grow. It’s important that when you’re using a framework, you don’t take the path of least resistance, but simply put your current website in a smaller frame or column structure, and be done. Create or hire someone to create a mobile version of your website specifically for mobile users. Place content that a fugitive prospect might need in easily accessible places. Make it easy for users to access your company – as a lightweight alternative to your competitor, you will gain an edge and grow your business.
Below, I’ve listed some of our favorite mobile web testing, tracking, and development tools:
Ready.Moby – Ready.mobi will test your site to see if it’s compatible with mobile devices. This service is free and gives you a report on the performance of your site, as well as the ability to view your site on different devices. They also show markup and error reporting. This is a great way to test your current site to see how it performs, or test your mobile site to see if it meets your expectations.
Motalli – Motally is Google Analytics for mobile media. They give you the ability to track your mobile website and mobile games and apps. The toolbar lets you sort visitors by device, carrier, location, and more. It also gives youu the ability to see real users versus bots and crawlers, ensuring that your data is not skewed due to the inclusion of non-human users.
wirenode – Wirenode is a simple web service that allows you to create a simple mobile site using a built-in editor. Their basic package allows you to create a site on the Blank.wirenode.mobi domain name, but the paid version will allow you to create pages for other custom domains.
Given the speed at which the mobile space moves, your biggest advantage in using mobile media may very well be the ability to stay on top. New developments in technology mean there are new services, tools, mobile apps and more every day. I would recommend MobileCrunch, an offshoot of TechCrunch and IntoMobile, to get you started.
What mobile stats surprise you the most?
Author Chris Yoko is President of Yoko Consulting, an interactive marketing firm that helps clients get the most out of their online presence, from website and social media development to email and mobile marketing.
