Being Successful – There’s an App for That

Did you know that by 2013 mobile devices will overtake computers as the primary means of web access? According to Gartner Research, three years from now there will be 1.8 billion enhanced phones with browsers compared to 1.78 billion computers in use. Wow!

In 2009 mobile marketing was up 62% to an estimated $2.6 billion with $140 million in display and $178 million in search. Mobile advertsing (display and search) is expected to reach 1.56B in 2010 with each growing $80 million in 2010 alone!
That being said, companies not putting initiatives in place now to take advantage of those trends risk losing huge opportunities to their competitors.

Being mobile marketing friendly does not have to be a huge undertaking, it just requires a little forethought and a few simple steps.

Below are two very easy and relatively inexpensive strategies that can easily fit into your 2010 budget.

Simple ways to take advantage of the mobile marketing trend:

1. Update your site for the mobile platform. Don’t need a separate site, just cascading style sheet (CSS) attached to your website that feeds instructions to a mobile browser. Just keep a few things in mind:

• Keep all fonts very basic – no color or special type
• Screen size is very small – usually about 2” x 3”
• Mobile web is like the web used to be – typically just type and links so don’t use images or graphics unless absolutely necessary and forget the fancy stuff like Flash or Java
• Keep forms very simple and only use if necessary
• Simplify, simplify, simplify

2. Build your own app. Believe it or not, an app can be developed for as little as $199. AppMakr has two very low cost options:

• $199 for AppMakr to publish the app for you so you don’t have to have your own Apple Developer Account but AppMakr gets credit in the app’s opening page
• $499 if you use your own Apple Developer Account but still have AppMakr handle the licensing and management features.

Now, are you ready to be found by 1.8 billion mobile devices?