What the iPhone 5 and iOS 6 Means for Small Businesses and Local Search. T he next time you walk down the main street in your town or city, notice all those people walking around looking into their smartphones instead of where they are going. Do you know what they are doing? Well yes some are texting or checking emails, but 50%+ are looking for a place to eat or directions to a local business. Starting today, their experience is going to change dramatically. That’s because Apple just released iOS 6 – the latest version of their mobile operating system that runs the iPhone, iTouch and iPad. In this release they are and providing their own mapping solution. This is a significant change since tens of millions of iPhone users depend on their device to find local goods and services while they are out and about.
New Business Listings Data Providers for iPhone Now Apple will not have access to that data. New Maps Features for iPhone 5 and iOS 6 The new iOS does come with some cool new features , however. And the new iPhone will use Yelp more heavily too. Tweet email. Brands Missing Out on Mobile Ad Opportunities. Smartphone users who are familiar with mobile ads appear to be comfortable making a purchase or recommendation as a result of an ad, but many others still haven't viewed a mobile ad, according to a survey from Hipcricket Inc. Some 46% of surveyed smartphone owners have viewed a mobile ad; among them, 64% have completed at least one purchase as a result of doing so. However, 74% of smartphone users say their favorite brands have not advertised to them via mobile: Below, additional information from Hipcricket's Mobile Advertising Survey. Among the key findings: 58% of smartphone users say they'd be more likely to engage with their favorite brands if an ad included a reward, coupon, or deal. 44% of smartphone users say they're willing to exchange personal information in return for a reward, coupon, or deal; however, to date only 28% have done so.Among those who have made a purchase as a result of a mobile ad, 45% have referred a product or service to a friend or colleague.
Popular Ad Types Age. Foursquare Offers Post Updates to Merchants. Advertisement Foursquare merchants can now share their business’s latest news with loyal customers on the location-based social network. The new local updates feature enables merchants to connect with customers through posts that can include photos and feature specials, as well as can be easily shared to Facebook and Twitter.
According to Foursquare’s blog, local updates are “like being able to put the chalkboard where you write your daily specials in tons more places.” This is because the updates are displayed on business pages, are shown to fans, appear after a consumer checks in, and can be seen in Fourquare Explore. However, local updates aren’t the only new merchant feature from Foursquare, because the company also updated some merchant tools within the redesigned merchant dashboard.
Check out this local update from Luke's Lobster: Here are examples of the updated merchant tools: inShare2. Foursquare Intros "Local Updates" And Revamps Merchant Interface. Ever since local/mobile firm Foursquare released the latest version of its consumer application a month or so ago, the company has been promising a revamp on the merchant side. There have also been rumblings of a new product to allow advertisers to promote their specials more aggressively throughout the app. Well, that’s all now coming this week — at least in part — with the introduction of “Local Updates” and an all-new merchant center interface. All of Foursquare’s merchant tools thus far — including the new Local Updates — are free. Foursquare's New Merchant Center Creation of Local Update on Merchant Side “This launch is really about, for the first time, giving a voice to businesses so they can reach their most loyal customers within Foursquare,” said Noah Weiss, the product manager in charge of merchant-facing tools at Foursquare.
Previously, users have only been able to see Specials on a business’ profile or via a bright orange icon when they browse for businesses in the Explore tab. Foursquare Introduces Promoted Updates For Mobile: "Search Ads For The Real World" Following last week’s launch of loyalty marketing program “Local Updates,” Foursquare is introducing a new paid-advertising program — its first formal effort at generating revenue — called “Promoted Updates.” Foursquare calls it a pilot program and is working with roughly 20 companies initially, in an effort to gather data and feedback.
It launches tomorrow. Foursquare is calling Promoted Updates “search ads for the real world.” The participating group of pilot advertisers includes Gap/Old Navy, Hilton, JCPenney, Best Buy, Hertz and Walgreens among others. Promoted updates will appear exclusively in Foursquare’s mobile apps. Targeting will use the Explore algorithm and take into account location, day part, check-in history and friends’ histories to decide which ads to show. Below are a couple of screenshots provided by Foursquare. People aren’t always prepared to take immediate action on such offers and I predict that aspect of the program will be adjusted.
Check-In Service Usage Has More Than Doubled In Past 9 Months, Study Says. The number of Americans using check-in services has more than doubled in the past nine months according to a new Pew Research Center study. Pew’s Internet & American Life Project surveyed more than 2,200 adults earlier this year and found that the use of geosocial services — such as Foursquare and Gowalla* — to check-in and/or share location information rose from four percent of all adults last May to 10 percent in February. And the increased usage of check-in services isn’t just happening among smartphone users. Usage among that group is up from 12 to 18 percent, but regular cellphone users are also checking in more often, as the chart below shows. The demographics of the smartphone users that check-in are interesting. There’s also not much difference when it comes to gender.
Why Mobile Integration Must Be On Your Marketing Roadmap. The world is increasingly moving toward the mobile Web--and you should be, too. July 30, 2012 These days, just about every demographic is using a mobile device to access the Web. As a business, no matter your industry, you simply can’t ignore this reality. It’s time to start adding mobile integration to your list of priorities. Take out your phone and look up your company website. What about your iPad or tablet device? If your website is built on a content management system, like WordPress, you can make use of plugins, such as WPTouch, which renders your site on a mobile theme. Many local sites can also benefit by creating a custom, mobile-only version of their site using tools like the mobile builder from Network Solutions.
Having a mobile-friendly site is not the only step you can take to integrate mobility into your business. Mobile Visits As of May 2011, the number of mobile visits to business sites and social media accounted for 20 percent of all Web traffic. Mobile Shopping.