So we've all been hearing about the year of mobile right. All you have to do is look around and see everyone is not looking up anymore. Let me ask you a question. What's the best way to get someone to respond to you? A text message is my answer. Even if they are in the same room!

It's no secret smartphones are a way of life these days. Just think back a few years when you wanted to get on the internet you had to run to a computer just to get your fix. Now it's at our finger tips anytime we want it. Awesome! All that information just waiting to be plundered.

We here in the U.S. probably consider ourselves technologically savvy but when it comes to smartphone adoption Spain and Italy are both ahead of us. Oh my what has the world come to? Just take a look at comScore's report below.


Let's talk social engagement for a second. While Facebook Place, Foursquare and Gowalla are not yet a household name they are getting there. Marketers who aren't involved yet definitely have mobile on their radar. There are some challenges when it comes to planning strategies around the convergence of social media and mobile marketing and ways engage these consumers.

There seems to be a bit of a disconnect between smartphone adopters and what people are actually doing online. Smartphone apps and online services aren't quite synced up yet when it comes to mass consumption.

Location based marketing is starting to come into it's own. The folks who adopt the usage of these applications embrace and use apps such as Groupon, Facebook Places, Foursquare and Gowalla.

The social-mobile sphere has not quite appealed to the masses… yet. There are some reasons why the masses have not embraced these new technologies like the rest of us eggheads. Here are a few

    •    50 percent don't own a smartphone
    •    49 percent had no motivation to use the app
    •    48 percent had privacy concerns


Facebook Places is the one area that is seeing a high adoption rate. However this is all due to the simple fact that most people are already using the Facebook app and it's included in the download. Clever Facebook, clever. Foursquare however has taken a different approach and awards it's users with badges and mayorships. It's almost like a game that keeps the users engaged and using the app. Groupon keeps people involved by offering the "deal" and people want to share that with their friends. Talking about deals, both Facebook Places and Foursquare offer check-in deals that merchants can set up when a person checks-in to their establishment. Gap ran a great location-based check-in deal campaign. Just Google it already. 

Location-based marketing is coming into the mainstream slowly but surely this type of consumer engagement will become part of everyday life for most. 2011 will still be the year of mobile just not for location-based marketing. Marketers will want to start engaging the consumer and starting location-based marketing strategies now so they can learn what works and what doesn't before it's too late.

With just about everyone from Google to Facebook jumping on the mobile revolution band wagon it's notsurprise to find out that mobile phones are influencing consumers buying habits. Smartphone users are more educated buyers and more inclined to buy when doing their research.

If business are not taking advantage of this they're missing out on a serious opportunity. A survey found that smartphone users who saw mobile ads where spurred  into action.

Over 90 percent of searches from a phone have lead to some form of action by the consumer. Which is no real surprise since mobile phones are carried everywhere. What other device to you know of that people carry around with them at all times?

Information From Mobile Devices

The survey also found that 95 percent of searches done are with local intent and that 88 percent of the people performing those searches use this information the same day. The best part is the action taken by these consumers. 61 percent said they will call the business while 59 percent said they physically visit the business. Now that's some conversion for you.

Consumers using their phones to educate themselves while shopping has increased exponentially. 79 percent use their mobile phones to compare prices, find more information on products or to locate another store close to them. When it comes to purchasing online, 74 percent of those surveyed said they use their phones to make a purchase online.

Not All That Surprising

Mobile ads influence consumers buying decisions. 71 percent of searches where performed because a user saw and ad of some sort. 68 percent took action because of a traditional media ad, 27 percent mobile ads and 18 percent because of an online ad.

Still don't think mobile media is the next big revolution? Well then pay close attention to these next survey stats. 82 percent of those surveyed said they take notice of mobile ads and 49 percent of users who see those ads make a purchase while 35 percent visit a website.
Now this may not come as a surprise to everyone. It just makes sense that the one device we all carry around with us everywhere has a huge effect on our buying decisions. However for those that need their eyes pried open with toothpicks this survey should do the trick.

Below is the findings from the survey taken from the Google Mobile Ads Blog: (Just in case you needed more proof)

General Smartphone Usage:  Consumers use smartphones as an extension of their desktop computers.

    •    81% browse the Internet, 77% search, 68% use an app, and 48% watch videos on their smartphone
    •    72% use their smartphones while consuming other media, with a third while watching TV
    •    93% of smartphone owners use their smartphones while at home

Action-Oriented Searchers: Mobile search is heavily used to find a wide variety of information.

    •    Search engine websites are the most visited websites with 77% of smartphone users citing this, followed by social networking, retail and video sharing websites
    •    Nine out of ten smartphone searches results in an action (purchasing, visiting a business, etc.)
    •    24% recommended a brand or product to others as a result of a smartphone search

Local Information Seekers: Looking for local information is done by virtually all smartphone users and consumers are ready to act on the information they find.

    •    95% of smartphone users have looked for local information
    •    88% of these users take action within a day, indicating these are immediate information needs
    •    77% have contacted a business, with 61% calling and 59% visiting the local business

Purchase-driven Shoppers: Smartphones have become an indispensable shopping tool.

    •    79% of smartphone consumers use their phones to help with shopping, from comparing prices, finding more product info to locating a retailer
    •    74% of smartphone shoppers make a purchase, whether online, in-store, or on their phones
    •    70% use their smartphones while in the store, reflecting varied purchase paths that often begin online or on their phones and brings consumers to the store

Reaching Mobile Consumers: Cross-media exposure influences smartphone user behavior and a majority notice mobile ads which leads to taking action on it.

    •    71% search on their phones because of an ad exposure, whether from traditional media (68%) to online ads (18%) to mobile ads (27%)
    •    82% notice mobile ads, especially mobile display ads and a third notice mobile search ads
    •    Half of those who see a mobile ad take action, with 35% visiting a website and 49% making a purchase

Local Search and Mobile Marketing from TurnUp Local