OK, I have a confession to make. I don't have a iPhone or a Blackberry. However, I have spent more time then I want to admit browsing the stores where these fine phones are sold checking out every detail (and I'm sure aggravating a few sales representatives). While I know that the arrive of my smart-phone is just around the corner, I'm intrigued by the potential and the market that companies can tap in to when they include mobile apps, mobile optimized Web-sites, mobile advertising and marketing via social media strategy.
The potential to engage and capitalize in this market are incredible.
Are you aware that there are 1.25 billion computers in the world and 3 billion mobile handsets? With the arrival of the smart-phone and the expansion of mobile technology, your mobile phone allows you to do way more then make a phone call or send an SMS message. We are very close (the technology is already here, its just connecting all the pieces) to seeing our mobile phone full functional portable computer, with the ability to do everything your laptop can do.
One of the areas that is growing substantially is being able to search the Web with your mobile device. According to cellphones.org,
"Mobile Search is an ever growing part of the larger search market. Last year, according to ComScore, more then 20 million people searched from a mobile device in the USA alone. That’s an increase of 68% from the year previous. This is a fraction of all cell phones in the United States, and as wireless internet speeds and smart handset penetration increase, so will the number of users using search from a Mobile device."
They suggest that if you want your site to show up first during a local search you need to make sure your site is optimized. Their suggestions are.
- Make sure your site is verified and included in sites like Google’s Local Business Center. Make the extra effort and verify your listings with a PIN received by email or by phone – the more verification and trust you give to the engines, the higher your local ranking will be.
- Instead of links, you’ll need to look for citations that mention your business, its website and its address. What are citations? Citations are anything that tend to reference your business, so a yellow pages directory, a web site that lists your contact information, and even the Better Business Bureau all server as citations. Citations can be gotten by submitting your business info to local directories, getting mentioned in local news with your address, and even being reviewed on sites like Yelp.com can count as a citation!
- For each location, try and create a separate page with your business information, include local address and telephone number.
- Try and get local links from sources such as a Local Chamber of Commerce, Government Agencies and even local towns. Local links help the engines put you in the right neighborhood.
- Make sure your address and phone number are at the bottom of all your pages.
- Have a list of all your locations, if you have more then one, and consider adding a map indicating how to best get to your place of business.
Here is the link to 
Image via CrunchBasecellphone.org's article on The Mobile Search Guide.
There are also some things that can you do to make your website more readable on a mobile device while your optimizing your site.
You may to want to check out 5 Fast Ways to Make Your Web-site mobile (& 1 Reason Not to Do It).
I may not know everything about the inner workings of mobile technology, but I'm extremely aware of its potential and the possibilities that are there for engagement.
Does your company have mobile on it's advertising and marketing agenda? What are additional ways that social media can make a great impact in the mobile arena?
The comments are yours!
image by: headclouds
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