“If you don’t have a mobile strategy,” says Google Chairman Eric Schmidt, “you don’t have a future strategy.” Given the accelerated pace at which companies are adopting the “Mobile First” mentality, it appears that the business world is heeding Mr. Schmidt’s sage warning.
Although the movement toward mobile is a daunting prospect for those resistant to or unfamiliar with mobile’s vast technologies and resources designed for the enterprise community, the process of mobilizing your business doesn’t have to be painful.
In fact, for the overwhelming majority of businesses today, there are only three mobile musts that companies of all sizes should embrace. And, auspiciously for those presently immobile on mobile, getting started with mobile websites, mobile payments, and mobile advertising couldn’t possibly be easier or more affordable.
1. Launch a Mobile Website
Mobile searches are fast becoming the primary way in which consumers find anything and everything they need. If you want them to find your products or services, create a mobile website. Providing current or prospective customers with a website optimized for the mobile screen is essential in the mobile age. Best of all, setting up a mobile website is fast and surprisingly easy.
2. Use Mobile Payments
From large retailers tired of clunky cash registers to delivery service professionals who can’t accept credit and debit card payments, mobile offers an invaluable array of solutions. Pay Anywhere, for example, offers a mobile credit card reader as a small accessory that plugs into the audio jack of smartphones and tablets, transforming them into mobile payment terminals that can swipe credit and debit cards to securely process payments.
3. Trust Mobile Advertising
According to the Interactive Advertising Bureau, 70 percent of mobile device users view ads on their smartphones as “personal invitations.” So effective and affordable are some leading mobile advertising solutions that businesses are bucking more traditional forms of print and electronic ads to go mobile. The recent explosion in demand for offer sites such as Groupon has proven that people want to receive relevant, timely, and targeted offers on things they are interested in.
