Has this ever happened to you? You are seated at a table with three friends, and all of you might as well be a thousand miles apart. Each of you is deep in concentration staring at your smart device. How about this true story: You are teaching a Sunday school lesson and you make a reference to a biblical verse and before you continue to the next point, you are interrupted and corrected for misstating the verse by your friend with their I Pad. Not their Bible, but their I Pad was the source of choice. And I live in the Bible belt.
The way people look for, and receive, information is dramatically changing. TV and telephone have been replaced by texting and apps. Look around when driving with teenagers or Gen Y er’s and see how they communicate. Observe people the next time you go out to eat or shop and watch how they use their smart phones. The wireless companies even promote their smart phone as your napkin when dining out.
Customers are using Google or apps to locate what they are looking for. And they are doing it on the fly.
So my question now is, “Who is your VP in charge of Mobile Communications? I wonder if most of my local businesses see the shift that is going on right before our eyes.
Mobile apps are going to dominate internet visits in a few short years. Our tourism board saw mobile app visits pass their website visits this year. This in less than a year! The Apple iTunes store will do more app downloads than music downloads in the next years. Over 4 billion app downloads will surpass 10 years of music dominance. Do you see the C change happening?
Most of my clients are focused on traditional marketing with a few thinking about website enhancements. And marketing is driven by old school managers following old school thinking.
The era of mobile connectivity is upon us and the companies that focus on catching that wave will reap the same benefits that early e-commerce sites enjoyed. Here are a few recommendations to ensure your company doesn’t miss this set:
1) Hire a mobile app developer as part of their marketing staff.
2) Survey your staff and find out what mobile apps they have on their smart devices. Find out why they chose the ones they did.
3) Survey your customers and ask the same questions. Ask them to help your design/refine your mobile app.
4) When you have a great mobile app, offer to help your suppliers and customers build theirs.
5) Make sure every marketing meeting includes someone out and about and observing customers and their smartphones.
6) Think QR code locations in lieu of billboards and radio spots.
7) Reorganize Marketing to include a VP of Mobile Communications.
Got to run. I received three texts, and no phone calls while composing. Must be important!