What 1 Cent Smart Phones Should Tell You About Mobile Business

A handful of retailers recently announced that they would be offering something of an almost unheard-of value: smart phones selling for a single penny.

You can bet that will bring shoppers to the stores in the early hours of the morning, and the idea might even spur you to grab a couple for that special someone on your shopping list.

Regardless of whether you’re in the market for a new web-ready device, however, one cent smart phones hold an important lesson for any business owner or online marketer. They tell us that the technology has reached the point where the actual device is an afterthought – cell phone providers know that the real money is to be made on the apps and content.

We’ve seen the same thing happen with traditional computers in the past, so this shouldn’t come as a huge surprise. It’s just another sign that smart phones are reaching everyone. What should you do with that knowledge? Here are three tips to help you get started:

Build a business mobile website.

If all of those tens of millions of good customers can’t find or access your company via their smart phones, then you’re missing out on one of the biggest internet marketing opportunities to come along in a decade.

Make your business mobile website interactive.

In some ways, the mobile Internet has caused a lot of business owners to move backwards, in the sense that they are reverting to online brochures for their mobile sites. Make sure yours is interactive, with mobile viewing features, click-to-call capabilities, and lots of content optimized for the small screen.

Add apps, features, and links later.

Once your mobile business website is up and running, experiment with different strategies to draw customers in further, like custom maps and social media links. Because these technologies are relatively new, what works for one business might not for another, but you owe it to your company to at least investigate the different options for reaching new buyers.

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