Mobile is the big thing in computing today. The power of today’s smartphones is amazing. Processors are more powerful, screens bigger and with better resolution, speech recognition improving and text messaging is becoming more than just the way kids communicate.
In order for the local businessperson to take advantage of mobile let’s look at a few different applications and suggestions.
Local Mobile Search (Voice)
One result of all of the power in a smartphone handset is the ability to do voice recognition. Voice activated dialing has been around for quite a while (with unpredictable results) and now there is voice search. I recall about two years ago I purchased my Google G1 phone (they had not yet started calling them Android phones). Returning from a ski trip near Seattle I wanted to pick up a pizza on the way home. Not knowing where my favorite pizza place (Papa Murphy’s Take and Bake) was, I pulled out my new phone and said “papa murphys pizza”. Well, up popped a short list of Papa Murphy’s, the closest being just a few miles ahead. I pressed the address field to be given directions and uponpressing the “navigate” button, followed the voice directions to my pizza!
Typically the voice search function draws upon Google search results. Due to the small screen size of the mobile phone you will only see three listings.(Yes, you guessed it, it pays to be in the top three for your local business and your selected keywords!)
Local Mobile Search (Text)
Voice recognition does not have all of the fun. While our kids are texting away about every little thing going on, adults and businesses are slower at embracing text messaging for business purposes. (Note: A significant portion of charitable donations for disaster relief are driven by text messaging).
A neat little feature is texting Google for information. By simply sending a text message to Google (466453) and entering a keyword search phrase you will get a text message back in a few moments with results. Text “seattle pizza” to Google (466453) and, “poof”– in just a few moments you receive suggestions that… you guessed it–are from the top of the Google search results!
Mobile Optimized Website
The trend, as it should be, is to have a parallel mobile website. Now this does not mean you need a totally separate site, but rather that you have the essential pages and information needed to achieve a conversion. Remember the screen real estate on a smartphone is significantly less than on a desktop monitor. The other issue is that many of the menu options will not work all that well. This is due both to technology and what I call Fat Finger Syndrome (FFS). The mobile screen is small and your menu items need to be easy to select.
The easiest way to do this is to use a parallel site design controlled by a site plugin dedicated to creating mobile menus. Now, when someone uses their smartphone to access your site, it will detect if there is a mobile site and automatically select it. I advise you to only make available a few basic pages to the mobile visitor. They are not all that likely to spend tons of time there reading blog posts and so forth. In most cases they are looking for something immediate (like a pizza) and you want them to be able to call or find you easily.
In your mobile-oriented menu pages you should ensure your phone number and address are viewable on the screen immediately (above the fold). On all of the smartphones you can click the phone number and your phone will dial the number straight away. On some phones you can highlight the address and get driving directions presented to you.
Summary
Don’t miss out on the ever growing mobile apps world. The smartphone is rapidly becoming a second computer, or for younger folks, their primary computer. Ensure you are where you potential clients are searching for you, your goods, your information or your services.
Be ready today, it’s not that hard!
