It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realize that the future is mobile. In marketing and advertising, it should be more apparent than ever, that the way to reach broader audiences on the move is to optimize the message for mobile consumers, be they smartphone users, iPad users, or users of other cutting edge mobile platforms.
A recent study by Market Authority, Inc found that nearly 6 out of 10 SmartPhone owners look for a business without knowing the specific name; and that they look for businesses by categories, or niches, more than 55% of the time. The study also found that 8 out of 10 users use their phones to send text messages (SMS), but more importantly that smartphone users are twice more likely to send text messages than traditional mobile consumers, and also, that younger users are texting more than older users.
The social media aspect was also covered by the study: consumers with smartphones are visiting social media profiles on Facebook and other networks over 50% more often than non-smartphone users in a given month.
This is not the first study of its kind, but interestingly, it was conducted on a broader segment of the population than other studies. Over 200,000 U.S. consumers participated, in the last 16 months, from over 250 U.S. cities. The research also included analysis of new media (search engines, online Yellow Pages, group buying sites, mobile browsing, etc.) and traditional media (print Yellow Pages, newspapers, etc.). The results of the nationwide study continue to evolve and change as Market Authority, Inc. surveys consumers in urban, suburban and rural demographics across the country.