Social media statistics from a recent study showed that mobile users spend 91% of their time socialising compared to desktop computer users who spend 70% of their online time socialising. People almost always have their mobile phones with them whereas they are not always near a computer. It is much easier to check or update social media websites on the go via a mobile, which is another reason why social mobile is becoming so popular.

Another reason why social media networking is becoming so big via mobile phones is because the mobile is already an inherently social device. It has your contacts list with their details which make finding friends on the various social media platforms considerably easy. Many of the platforms have also been developed so that they will pick up your friends in your contact list and give you the option of connecting you without your having to find friends yourself.

In the recent Mobile World Congress held in Barcelona earlier this month, the main topic of discussion was social media via mobile. The people behind the platform Foursquare announced that it will be expanding internationally with five new languages being brought to its users. At the 2010 congress meeting, Foursquare was represented by just a single individual, but in 2011 there was a full team in Barcelona representing the social media company. Facebook has also reported a desire to become more accessible via mobile and much of the company’s time is being focused on figuring out how to do so.

With mobile devices being developed with the integration of social media tools as a primary factor, connectivity with the platforms is easier than ever. Mobile features are being developed with a “social media hub” where Facebook, Twitter, email and messenger items are listed in a single feed making it easy to keep up to speed with the latest happenings on the platforms.

The influence of social media on our everyday lives is tangible and mobile companies are acknowledging this and making it easier to be social via mobile. As social mobile becomes more accessible we will continue to see an increase in the number of social media users accessing the platforms via their mobiles rather than via a desktop computer.

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The Emergence of SocialMobile

Mobile marketing statistics show that in 2008, around 7.3 million people accessed the internet via their mobile phones, while in 2010 this figure has increased by 25% to over 35 million. The studied showed Google to be the most popular site for those accessing the internet via a PC, while BBC News was the most visited site by those using mobile phones.

Unsurprisingly, the study further showed that the mobile marketing services were mostly used by a younger audience, so an SEM agency would be advised to target its campaigns to a younger audience. 25% of mobile net users are between the ages of 15 and 24, while this age group makes up just 16% of PC users. The age group of 55 years and up makes up 23% of PC users, and only 12% of mobile internet users.

The mobile marketing platform provides immediacy and functionality which is why news sites are the most popular sites visited, while the PC is used mainly for entertainment and ecommerce. As tariffs have become more affordable and handsets more user-friendly throughout 2010, so marketing campaigns have become geared more towards encouraging users to use their mobile phones to browse the net.

According to www.scribd.com, advertising spend for mobile marketing was just $1541 in 2006, increased to $10,300 in 2010 and is projected at $13,862 for 2011. As we can see, businesses are increasingly using mobile marketing strategies to engage with their intended audience.

What do these mobile marketing statistics mean for the search engines? Acquisitions and plenty of them. 2010 has seen Google acquire 26 companies, as well as made a number of investments. Of these 26 acquisitions, five are mobile- and five are social based. In an effort to remain the top contender, Google is combining social media with search in their mobile marketing strategy, and spent a record $750 million on Admob alone. It has recently acquired Zetawire, a startup that specialises in mobile payments.

After the success of its iPhone app, Bing has developed a Bing for Android Mobile app to complement this. With these apps, Bing hopes to become your default search engine from the first time you use the app on your mobile. By monitoring search marketing on mobiles, Bing has concluded that 53% of mobile searches have local intent. By using this information to provide users with relevant information, Bing hopes to remain the preferred search engine on your mobile. Bing poses a huge threat to Google’s search market share. As Bing makes itself more accessible and attractive to mobile users, and supports more search products from other web services, so it will gain popularity and become an even bigger competitor to Google.

As the world demands faster access information, so mobile marketing companies and search marketing specialists need to work harder to satisfy this desire. We have already seen how mobile use and mobile advertising spend have increased over the past few years, and the projected increase of this; as well as the acquisitions made by the larger search engines in the hope of capitalising on the mobile marketing platform. With the rise in popularity of smart phones and their functionality, the mobile marketing industry has a considerably larger playground in which to direct their campaigns. Mobile marketing is already much bigger than anticipated and it looks set to continue growing at an unprecedented rate over the next few years.

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The Rise of Mobile Marketing in 2010

In the past week, Google Instant has taken the next step and gone mobile; iPhone and Android users in the US now have access to a beta version of Google Instant search functions. Google describes this latest innovation as “pushing the limits of mobile browsers and wireless networks”.

Google Instant for mobile is said to work best over 3G and WiFi links. While Google tells press that Instant search for mobile is currently only available in the US, some UK users report they have been able to access the Instant interface on their mobile devices by logging onto google.com instead of google.co.uk.

Reception has been positive overall; most users who embrace Google Instant on their PC’s are more than happy to adopt the technology on a mobile platform. However, when testing Google Instant for mobile, some users have said that the search function is slower than it would be on a desktop, fluctuating connections outside urban areas can be problematic and the restricted screen space can lead to a “messy” display as Instant generates its list of results.

These seem to be minor problems, which are outweighed by the convenience of reduced search time and reduced need for typing on small smartphone keyboards. Overall, the beta version of Google Instant for mobile has been described as an “ideal search tool” for devices like smartphones.

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Google Instant enters the Mobile Market

Basically, you take a picture with your smart phone (your iPhone or Blackberry) and your phone will read a code, therefore giving you access to a weblink and content. QR codes are not new and have actually been around since 1994 but only recently have been used for more social media based interaction and are made by using a QR code generator and downloading the QR code image. According to Wikipedia, they are used to store information received from magazines, signs and business cards and were originally designed for car manufacturing tracking, but it seems that QR codes have turned over a new digital leaf.

Recently, a billboard in New York raised eyebrows with its bigger and better combination of social media and the QR code. The red and white billboard was for Calvin Klein Jeans – a brand that is widely known for its racy billboards normally featuring half naked women and men posing draped over each other. The billboard merely had a QR code image on it with the words “get it uncensored”. Those in the QR code know could snap a picture of the billboard and this would link them to a Youtube clip. Many were disappointed in the clip itself but nevertheless, the concept was a great one for customer interaction.

Other instances of companies or brands using QR code are artists such as Fabrice De Nola who integrated QR codes into his artwork and the Pet Shop Boys who used a QR code to reveal their album artwork. Other artists have also integrated QR coding into their installations such as the Design Exchange in Toronto, which produced a series of QR coded wallpaper.

In the information technology age, less is more and those who are clicking away on their camera receiving various QR codes feel that this mode of communication is a great interactive tool for brands who do not want to say too much initially but let their customer base be lead to their site via their mobile device. Those who decide to use QR codes for their brand must however make sure that their websites and the link that they offer are mobile friendly as if they are not, this will only make customers frustrated.

Here is an example of how toy manufacturer Lego used QR codes to entice customers to their site.

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Do QR codes encourage brand interaction?

Maps have always been critical to me, walking or driving in London, (or even in South Africa these days). I was a big fan of the Nokia N95, and then the N82, especially because of Nokia Maps. I was highly disappointed when they decided to remove the tracking feature from their latest version. Up until that point was happy not to subscribe to the full version as I could just plot a route and keep myself on course. They then removed this feature and Nokia Maps became problematic for me – unless I paid them money I couldn’t use the maps for directions. Google to the rescue – Tracking was always enabled, and now they have routing and soon we will have turn by turn here in the UK. Not to mention things like traffic updates, and other experimental “Layers”. Again, great free stuff, much to the dismay of TomTom’s shareholders! Next in the firing line – Estate agents!

Some applications such as Latitude have questionable value but Picasa is really a lovely piece of software. Being able to tag people, simply share photos and upload to web albums makes life a breeze. On Android the sharing options are really broad – you can pretty much send anything anywhere. I really don’t feel constrained with my media. Videos to you tube or pictures to web albums are a synch. Just the other night I did a price comparison via an app, and wanted to save the result for later. After a briefs moment of hesitation as how to bookmark it, I just opted to “Share” and immediately had a host of options from simply emailing the link to saving it into my notes (Which automatically synchronise online and onto my desktop as well). Just so effortless! And I have not even begun to explore the masses of applications sitting in Google Labs.

But to come back to the point at hand. With mobile becoming ever more essential in our lives this platform (Android) and the ease at which I have everything at my fingertips, in my eyes, puts Google leaps and bounds ahead of any other provider. I see this as a solid foothold and being vendor independent, I believe it is only a matter of time before Apple gives up its spot as top dog! Lets not forget all this free stuff is there to gain market penetration – Google will monetise it all with ad spend, but I don’t mind – in my eyes I am getting things that make a positive difference in my life, all for free.

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I Predict a Winner!

So what have they done lately?

Google has partnered with HTC, the Taiwanese mobile phone manufacturer to create a new social networking mobile phone known as the “Hero”. The phone is touted to be a real Apple iPhone beater, and according to industry insiders is a giant step up from previous iPhone rivals. This has been said before, but there is a feeling that technically, the HTC is superior, but aesthetically, it is quite an ugly piece of work when compared to the iPhone.

The phone features Google’s open source operating system, ‘Android’ and will be available in the UK in early July. The Hero’s launch follows the launch of the new Apple iPhone 3GS. The Hero phone will feature widgets on the home screen as opposed to a menu, in addition, there is an “accelerometer”, which changes the view from portrait to landscape according to the orientation of the phone to name but a few of the  features found on the phone.

Google also launches AdSense for Mobile apps

After testing the concept, Google has gone ahead and launched a beta version of the AdSense for mobile apps. This will allow app developers for the iPhone, and Android phones to earn some revenue by displaying Google text and image ads. This will broaden the user base that will be exposed to Google adverts.

The smart phone market is showing good growth, and Google plans to be there every step of the way. And if history is any guide to go by, Google will be laughing it up, all the way to the bank.

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Google’s mobile push

Here, we see that the “Urbanspoon” app has an advertisement for Pizza Hut that appears on top of the actual page.

If you click on the link, then you are immediately taken to the pizza hut page on your iPhone browser.
This follows the already extensive work that Google has put into using the iPhone as a marketing platform. For instance, Google will attempt to use sophisticated software to deliver search results using iPhone’s new voice search option.

Google’s Adsense ads have been available on the iPhone’s browser. The appeal of the iPhone as a marketing platform is that it fully supports HTML, which makes it an attractive target for digital marketers interested in mobile marketing.

Mobile marketing is set to become a growing trend as more people use their iPhones for their mobile search needs. This is an area that we, as search marketers, need to pay attention to.
Statistics on iPhone internet usage worldwide differ from report to report, but the general consensus is that the iPhone is, or will quickly become, the number 1 internet browsing smart phone/mobile phone globally. Google’s attention on designing a series of features for the iPhone is proof of this. Welcome to the future.

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But not any old phone will do. Smartphones are where it’s at, which is probably why Dell and Acer have decided to climb aboard the smartphone gravy train. Cellular News sums it all up in this crystal clear table, where you can see just how big smartphones are in mobile gaming, and how, like non-smartphones, are like, so last November. Smartphones experienced a year-on year increase of 291%, while the run-of-the-mill variety actually lost ground – a whole 14%.

com.Score Mobile Gaming Stats from Cellular News

And the most popular gaming smartphone? Guess; and the first two don’t count.

Answer: the iPhone, of course, followed by the BlackBerry Curve. iPhoners are the most prolific gamers. Nearly 33% of iPhone users downloaded a game in November 08, while only 3.8% of all other mobile phone users could say the same. According to com.Score senior analyst, Mark Donovan, the reason for this is that the iPhone makes it so much easier to download games with a platform that is run along the same lines as iTunes.

And while teenage users are particularly well-represented in the demographics, the over-35 age group gave them fierce competition as far as the fastest growing user-group is concerned. And this, according to Donovan, has to do with the increasing sophistication of mobile games in general. So, while the PS3, Wii and X-box still offer plenty of adults the opportunity to fulfill childhood dreams of warrior/racing driver/gang leader greatness, many are getting the same kicks from their phones. And when you consider the expense of setting yourself up in PS3 gaming paradise – systems, chairs, consoles, steering wheels – vs. the cost of a smartphone contract, mobile gaming starts to make even more sense.

I’ll cite yet one more source and then I’m done: according to an article by Marin Perez (informationweek.com) the mobile gaming market is set to be worth more than $4.5 billion in 2009, and that’s considering the bone-crushing, college fund-eating recession.

Just one more reason for marketers to embrace mobile this year; as if they needed one.

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Smartphones hijack mobile gaming

Last week I had the pleasure of presenting mobile search, with particular reference to SA and UK markets. I’ve taken a bit of a shine to anything mobile over the last couple of months, not only because it is touted as the way to go, but also because I find the whole subject absolutely fascinating. I especially love the lead that Japan has built over the rest of the world, and the fact that most of the future developments are expected to come from the emerging markets in Africa, India and South America. It’s also nice to know that the US market seems to be at a loss for once, and is pretty well surpassed by UK, European and even South African mobile penetration.

For more cool stats and an optimistic impression of mobile’s future, take a look at my uber-cool mobile search presentation (I say with all modesty and humility and absolutely no sign of exaggerated self-importance or inflated ego). I would love to know what you think about the whole mobile search phenomenon and where you think it’s going, so please comment away.

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Mobile search definitely has a future, my presentation says so

The popularity of the iPhone has grown significantly since its launch. Brett Tabke from Webmaster World states that iPhone owners access the internet via their phone 5X more than owners of other mobile devices, including laptops. Considering most SEO fanatics are techies at heart this stat makes sense and so does this tool .

The ProSEO – SEO Content Analyzer, which was released by Infinidigm can be download directly from I-Tunes to your phone. According to Infinidigm, “ProSEO is an SEO tool written for the iPhone that helps website owners determine several important features about almost any webpage“. The tool was developed so that anyone can determine key “On-page” factors that affect a page’s performance in the SERPs (Search Engine Ranking Pages).

The idea is that a person can browse through a website using a browser control and selectively analyse the page for its features, which include:

- Complete source code listing
- Listing of META keywords
- Listing of META description
- Listing of all META tags in the document
- Tag counts – this feature counts all the tags in a document to give clues about composition.
- Contents of the tag.
- The body of text with tags removed
o Percentage of body words that are stop words. Stopwords are not counted by the search engines, so you can determine how effective your marketing copy is by knowing how much of what you’ve written will be ignored.
o The total word count of the document for words that are not determined to be numbers
o Phrase counting for phrases that are 1 to 5 words in length; this helps you determine repetitive phrases in the document
- The anchor tags in the document, and more specifically, if there is an image in the link text.
- The inner HTML of the of tag. This is the same as the link text.
- All the image tags in the document
- The the text of the image “alt” attribute

Essentially, you can do a bit of site analysis on your way to a client meeting, do some research on a website ahead of a big presentation in the city or even whilst you are abroad on a deserted beach because your laptop has been banned by your other half. Its SEO tools on the go…

I am curious to see how popular this tool will be. Go iPhone.

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SEO on the go on your iPhone