wo ow I m r 53 | ay gy 0 SAoa B yt me HB Qh ea ot =p } RARER Notesii: 94 ug agg wo wow a Vay q f Is Your Business Ready For The Mobile Web? (NAPSA)—Increasingly, businesses are turning to the small screen of a mobile phone to mine for big opportunities. A lot has changed since the first bulky mobile phone debuted in 1984. The device has become increasingly user-friendly and Americans have responded, using it to meet both personal and business needs. But the new breed of mobile phone users isn’t just making calls. They’re going online—and that gives small businesses a new way to market themselves. Already, 38.9 percent of U.S. mobile phone users are on the Web, according to New Jerseybased researchers the Kelsey Group. “And that numberis rising,” said Amy Mischler. She’s vice president of Mobile Marketing Evangelism at dotMobi, the organization behind the .mobi Web address for mobile sites. Said Mischler, “Mobile phones help us manage our daily lives. Mobile phones are always with us, so theyre convenient and easy to use. Mobile phones are quickly becoming our ‘go to tool’ for Web use. “Real estate agents tend to be ahead of the curve,” Mischler added. “They know that buyers can immediately look them up when they spot a house from the road, review key property details and contact someone to begin negotiations.” Using the mobile Web can be cost-effective in marketing a small business, since costs to put together a mobile site are low. In fact, experts say mobile Web sites increase sales, improve marketing projects and provide a new channel for customerinteraction. Here are sometips to help you decide if your business is ready to go mobile: Assess whether your potential customers will benefit from having your contact information and directions right in their hands at all times. *Rememberthat each device is different—phones from Nokia, Apple, RIM and LG have different screens and different features, and that content should work for all models. dotMobi has a host of resources available for development agencies to build content for you as well as tools for developing content yourself. A mobile Web site should have content appropriate for people on the go. Be prudent. Know what your audience will need and provide links to your PC Web site for larger content if they needit. To learn more, visit http://mobithinking.com/SMB.
