LocalMobileSearch

Internet2Go Advisory
Recent activities and acquisitions by Twitter have been transformational. At Chirp, the first “Official Twitter Developer Conference,” top management discussed the company’s new products, clients and revenue models revealing how Twitter will serve as a central point of activity for social commerce or, better yet, an ad-subsidized social contact center.

Internet2Go Advisory
It’s very tempting to dismiss “geo-social games” such as Foursquare, Gowalla and MyTown as fads. Yet doing so would diminish how these apps alter the culture of local mobile search and even location-based “advertising” in potentially significant ways. Recognizing the challenge, Google and Yelp have already responded. But other local media companies hoping to succeed in mobile may not clearly see the threat – or opportunity – in emulating, buying or partnering with these emerging players.

Internet2Go Advisory & Data Presentation
Digital coupons have finally arrived and mobile will be an increasingly important distribution channel. Not yet mainstream, “mobile coupons” is an already crowded arena. Accordingly, execution, content, and quality matter in this competitive segment. Publishers should think carefully about whether and how to include deals and offers in their existing mobile sites/apps or whether to build dedicated apps or channels for the distribution of local deals. They must also think about where the deals will come from and how to avoid what we’ve called the “Cellfire problem.”

Small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) represent roughly 99% of all businesses in the U.S. However, their marketing efforts have lagged consumer adoption of digital platforms, because of inertia, confusion and a lack of resources. But in a new online survey with 2,400 SMB respondents we find that a new class of “engaged” SMBs has embraced social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter in surprising numbers. While the survey respondents may not be entirely typical of the larger SMB population in some respects, they could well indicate where the market is headed.

Opus Research Report
The forces of human nature, technological progress and regulatory stricture are converging to boost interest in “truly hands-free” mobile applications. Dozens of firms have responded with a broad variety of software, services and features that work remarkably well. Next step: to build a sustainable market model.
Click Here to View the Report Summary

Internet2Go Report
Almost 90% of Americans own mobile phones and up to 70 million people go “online” each month via their mobile handsets. Roughly 3.5 billion text messages are sent every day in the U.S. Mobile is a medium that in some respects is already bigger than the Internet. Despite this it remains unfamiliar to the majority of marketers, as are the distinctions between “mobile Web” and SMS marketing. Yet SMS marketing is more versatile and effective than the traditional Internet with response rates that are often 2X to 10X higher.

Click Here to View the Report Summary

Local Mobile Search Advisory
As a follow up to the most recent consumer research Local Mobile Search conducted in August 2008, we fielded two parallel consumer surveys in March and April of this year. They address a range of issues and are consistent with surveys we've done in the past. We pulled a considerable amount of data from the two surveys on a range of topics from smartphone ownership to mobile search, social networking and mobile advertising. We'll be releasing that data over time in various reports.

This LMS Advisory presentation represents a selection of the data focused on consumer mobile devices and mobile Internet access. Two factors emerge as very clear variables regarding mobile engagement and Internet use: smartphone ownership and cost. The former is a driver and the latter a barrier. Those not using their phones to go online are concerned about cost, while smartphone owners index at much higher rates across all categories of mobile Internet activity. Accordingly, we've highlighted differences where the smartphone owner activity is greater or otherwise significant.

Metrics firm comScore recently said that 70% of mobile Internet access in the U.S. is happening on so-called feature phones. Yet it's clear from our research, and other third-party data, that smartphones is where all the action is. In terms of engagement there's some self-selection going on: smartphone owners buy them in part because they want a better mobile Internet experience. But it's also true that the usability of smartphones generates more activity in turn.

As smartphone growth occurs, the mobile Internet will also grow. But cost is also a significant factor. If smartphone handset prices come down (see the $99 iPhone), and if data plans become more competitive, we'll see a great many more people upgrading and going online.

Finally, mobile devices at some point will overtake the PC as primary Internet access vehicles for some segments of the population. This has already happened in some developing countries without big, installed PC user bases. But at the end of the LMS Advisory presentation there are predictions about whether mobile will trump PCs for Internet access. It's already happening for some iPhone users. And we expect the trend to continue and grow.

Local Mobile Search Advisory
Twitter has gone from the “margins to the mainstream” in less than 12 months. In so doing it has become an almost essential marketing and customer service tool for brands, as well as a news and information distribution platform for publishers and even government. While companies and larger marketers are flocking to Twitter, there's also enormous, untapped potential for small businesses to use Twitter as a free marketing and CRM vehicle in the same way.