Indium Blog

B2B Marcom Forecast: Mobile Devices

Category:
  • B2B Marcom

  • I generally disdain the annual trotting out of talking heads' pontifications on industry trends. #Boring! But there is one trend that all B2B Marcom practitioners ought to get hip to. Here I go becoming one of those boring guys I don't usually appreciate!

    One critical trend in 2011 B2B lead gen will be the accelerated use of mobile devices. This is no "bleeding edge" , out on a limb prediction. This trend is about to explode in our faces!

    HARDWARE:
    Customers are increasingly equipped with smart phones, netbooks, and pads. 

    For "experienced" users, contracts expire, old phones get recycled, and the only available phones are getting "smarter" (read: equipped for mobile lifestyle). They're being forced into the mobile world.

    For younger users, well, they are starting out in a mobile world. A recent survey by Opera Software reveals that 18-27-year olds browse the web more on their mobile devices than they do on traditional computers. This trend is global.

    LIFESTYLE:
    According to Comscore"Access to Facebook via mobile browser grew 112 percent in the past year, while Twitter experienced a 347-percent jump." (January 2010). This portends the access of increasingly-"business" apps on mobile devices as a customary behavior. Additionally, it further enables and encourages the 24/7 nature of access and engagement.

    READ THE HANDWRITING:
    As our familiarity and skill with mobile devices ramps up, and as both the personal and the B2C worlds introduce us to the practices and benefits of a mobile lifestyle, we all will naturally expect and appreciate more B2B mobile experiences. Expect to soon hear customers COMPLAINING that an exhibit or a print ad DOESN'T contain a QR tag

    B2B Marcom practitioners are well-advised to get on this trend and be one of the "first to market" in your space. That's one way to capture increased share.