(First off, thanks to American Marketing Association (www.ama.org), HubSpot and Readytalk Web Conferencing Platform for sponsoring the webinar - #GoMobile)
- iPhone growth is 10x faster than the original growth rate of AOL
- Mobile coupons generate 10x the redemption rate of traditional coupons
- Search is twice as prevalent on mobile web than on a PC (and focus is on "local")
- Not just for teens: The average age of a person who is sending text messages is 35
- Top 3 uses of smartphones are: email (82%), directions(63%) and Social Media (62%)
- It only takes 1 line of code to determine the type of devices visiting your site (helps render the right version of your site)
- Popular banner ad platforms are iAd (Apple), Millennial Media (independent), and AdMob (Google)
- Potential banner uses: GPS determines the user's location, share coupon codes & promotions, share contact info
- Sendza is a good solution for SMS: www.sendza.net
- Mobile paid search has less competition that regular search
- Games and weather are the top 2 apps used on smartphones
- www.MobileCommerceDaily.com is a good resource to learn more about mobile media
- Claim your business on top Location Based Services (LBS)
- What your website looks like on mobile devices: www.mobilemoxie.com
- Free mobile tool from HubSpot: www.websitegrader.com
Here's a great primer on SEO and how it's being affected by Social Media written by Neil Patel. The truth is, the primary Search Engine algorithms are constantly being tweaked, so what worked last year (or last quarter) may no longer be relevant. "In SEOMoz's 2011 Search Engine Factors Ranking report, almost 132 SEO and social media experts predicted that social signals at the page level and domain level would have a greater impact on search engine rankings than traditional SEO factors." The bottom line is that marketers now more than ever need to understand how search engines are ingesting and using this plethora of behavioral data so they can quickly react and adapt their marketing plans to achieve a competitive advantage in this (as Neil put it) socially-optimized world that we live in. Also, according to the post, "Social media is impacting search engine results and if you want to get more traffic from search engines, you need to do 3 things: - Build an active, engaged presence on social networking sites
- Optimize your sites for social media sharing
- Encourage your readers to share your content
However, to maximize your coverage, it's still highly recommended to maintain your traditional SEO strategies while the market quickly shifts....
I don't know about you, but I've always thought that MACS were generally safer than Windows machines, based on personal experience with the blue screen of death. That is not so true anymore, as Apple machines gain market share in the home and corporate environment. Fast forward a few years and I feel pretty safe on my iPhone too...but the truth is that mobile users have a 30 percent likelihood of clicking on a malicious link too. The explosive growth of smart phones (especially Android) has apparently inspired bored hackers to invent new forms of entertainment for themselves. "Web-based threats such as phishing attacks do not discriminate based on platform, while others, such as Websites containing browser exploits, are targeted at a specific operating system." In other words, when you click on on a dangerous link in an email or a Social Network post, you can land on web pages that can be harmful to your phone's OS and your personal information !! According to this CNET article, there are new techniques to distribute the malware, including "malvertising" in which mobile ads direct users to a malicious site that automatically downloads malware when visited. Even worse, there are approved Apps out there that seem safe upon initial installation, but then when upgrading later, you are then infected. BE WARNED: To stay safe, mobile users should only download apps from trusted sources, pay attention to the address of URLs they click on, and be on alert for unusual phone behavior that could signal an infection.
