I got excited when I read a headline that said 25% of all smart phone users go on the internet, mostly using their smart phone.
Then I started really reading the report and found a chart that said 8 percent of adults go on the internet mostly using their smart phone.
And one third of that 8% does so because they are lacking broadband internet at home.
My guess: Young, recent college graduate buys a smart phone and decides to forgo the cable fees, preferring to use “free” wireless at a coffee shop or at work when they use their laptop or just their smart phone when they aren’t using their laptop. Just yesterday I talked to a sales professional who said he will get a “regular” cell phone and then use an iPad to get on line… using wifi, so he doesn’t have a hefty cell phone bill.
While shopping for a new cell phone recently, I found out there are 2 tiers of choices at Verizon, a very basic phone or a smart phone. They got rid of the “middle” ground.
Last summer smart phones passed desk top computer in sales units. We’re just starting to see the tip of the iceberg.
So what does the increased use of smart phones mean to marketing professionals?
- Time to get the mobile site live!
- Time to put together a mobile tag or QR code plan
- Find a site that provides “looks like” browsers of all the variation of cell phones. (Instead of thinking about IE, Firefox and Safari… think about iPhone, Droid and Blackberry.)
- Create an APP that makes sense for your market. Start with something simple. Brand it with your logo.
- Download speed will really, really matter! No one wants to wait long with a phone in their hand. It’s bad enough sitting at a desktop!
- Check your Google Analytic accounts and see how the % of smart phone access to your website has changed.
What are you doing differently in your marketing to accomodate the smart phone technology?
