MobileWeb2Go

1 billion consumers will own smartphones by 2016, with U.S. users owning 257 million smartphones and 126 million tablets. By 2016, 350 million employees will use smartphones, with 200 million of them bringing their own.

Mobile spending will reach $1.3 trillion by 2016, or 35 percent of the technology economy, with the app market generating $56 billion by 2015.

Apple, Google and Microsoft are expected to control 91 percent of the U.S. smartphone market and 98 percent of the U.S. tablet market by 2016.

Stories take us away from what we’re doing, and bring us somewhere else. Stories are humanities currency.The better the stories you tell, the more interesting you become.

here’s a basic structure that works perfectly for telling almost any story.1. Exposition: scene and setting2. Conflict: The problem on which the story is based3. Rising Action: The journey from conflict to resolution4. Resolution: The solution to the problem (not always something everyone will be happy about)5. Denouement: What happens after the resolution

Social media helps make it happen by offering the opportunity to create one-to-one relationships. Showing people that you value them helps keep them loyal.

A community filled with happy customers attracts prospects

Using good keywords and links in social media posts improves search results.

Added the Google tracking code to the Landing page for the ads you are running? What about the Facebook landing tabs that you are running for a contest/sweepstakes/announcement or any other promotion. The insights are great and much more in depth than what Facebook provides. Do this now!Another great piece of code is the Google remarketing code. With the same added onto your Facebook page it makes for a great spread for your Google Adwords run ads. With a captive fan base account being pulled into the target range it makes for specific targeting.So you are running a contest on Facebook & Twitter at the same time? Ensure you talk about it on both platforms. Those with accounts on either will get involved. Sounds irrational? Now think where all your Twitter widget features and so does your Facebook News stream. Get it? Think social. Also remember they a lot of people stumble onto social media links via Google search and brows Twitter without logging in.Using a hashtag? Keep it small and precise. Do not add two words together that make puns or cannot be understood. Also, remember to keep the possibility of its use extremely narrow. You don't want negative publicity or feedback via the same.If you are using an application ensure you promote it using a Bit.ly link. No not for tracking the rate of the clicks alone but also the branding bit. A shot URL always saves space on Twitter and looks good too.

An auto reply for new followers does not always work on Twitter. Sometimes they follow you to DM you to make a complaint. Be careful. Keep it neutral if you have one. Who said the future can’t be predicted. On a content calendar plot dates of important holidays, days and celebrations. Include important soccer games, death and birth anniversaries of the celebrated personalities. Trust me. These trend on Twitter and do they go mighty!Keep a 5 time a day tab on your Twitter account. Twice a day checks are passé. Trends emerge and die within hours. Capitalize with these plugging in announcements, product launches or even new recruitment's. Trust me they work.The Youtube option of featured video makes for an excellent way to announce information to first time visitors. Simply set the same on auto play and have not only your videos plays increase but also your on channel engagement.So you have a welcome page as well as a thank you page that follows after the viewer has gone through the application/lead form etc. Does the thank you form have a tweet this/like this button? Build to scale when adding widgets to an interface and do so where the viewer is able to pause and dedicate time on the same.So people registered on your landing page and you forgot to add the Facebook widget there? Don't fret a simple mailer to the leads generated will ensure that at least some of them do follow you back on Facebook. In personal instances the mailers have generated as much as 400 likes when marketed to a database of 2000 leads. Unbelievable? Try it.

Google Adwords seems to be very generous with its marketing solutions coupons. Do you receive countless coupons for trial campaigns? Do you use them? Don't lie. The best way to use them is run ads targeting them to your page. This is an efficient way to use the trial versions and create some super cool traction on your page.Loaded a nice picture for the Facebook page? No not the cover, the profile we mean. Check how it appears on the news feeds of fans for a better perspective. Is it exciting to look at? Is it too cluttered? Note that most pages and updates pull traffic due to the nature of their visibility. Everyone looks at someone attractive right? Make a note.Wondering whom to follow on Twitter. Don’t worry, it’s ok. There are a million faces there. Heard about Twitter lists? These public/private database goldmines are a brilliant index of people according to the nature of their interests and hobbies. Another way of selecting whom to follow is by registering on wefollow.com – a twitter index on people and their influences. Wish to go more specific then there is klout and Peerindex. Both tools excellent on rating people on their merits in multiple aspects.Twitter makes for excellent ways to reach out to those who matter. Make lists according to the people who enquire and complain with you. Adding them to a special guess list will help in damage control as well as testing plans, products and packages in the future.

One of the biggest downfalls is that brands often rush into the online and social media space without fully thinking it through or tying to incorporate it into their other marketing activities.

Social media plays a pinnacle role in terms of helping companies get into their consumer’s mindset, understand how they want to be communicated with and actively engage with them.But not everybody is getting it right. There are a number of brands constantly making mistakes in the space and paying the price for it.

Proximity based, action oriented marketing solutions saw an exponential growth to its demand last year, and a Smith’s Point Analytics report is now suggesting that it may bring this market to the $2.3 billion mark by the year 2016.

According to the report’s author, Peter Crocker, “QR codes and proprietary 2D barcodes are popping up everywhere and we estimate that outside of Japan, 164 million unique codes will be created in 2012.”

The infographic below shows "three generations" of mobile phones in the workplace and ponders what could come next.

Many experts recommend that your company have a social media crisis plan, but few companies actually take the time to think it through.

Consider some of the ways that a social media crisis plan could go wrong:   Two people from the company issue apologies through different mediums without talking with one another. This could cause miscommunication and one may promise something that the other did not. Worse yet, the two parties could promote conflicting ideas.The crisis plan may have been set into motion too late. If a member of a company is not very active on social media, he/she could potentially not hear of the crisis until a few days later.The crisis plan may be set for something less serious. If the crisis is serious to the company, yet it not treated that way, people could get very upset.

Step #1: Communicate with everyone in the company about who is going to be the spokesperson for both mishaps.

Not accounting for device width

Making users fill out long forms

Not reconsidering content

Customers who scan the QR code will be automatically redirected to a special mobile site that will provide them with step-by-step video instructions to create a tasty meal with a surf and turf theme. Moreover, each of the items in the menu’s recipes are available in the “What’s for Dinner?” displays in the grocery locations.

“Our main goal is to provide guests the opportunity to access information quickly and easily – both inside our stores and remotely at home.”

Focus on user experience.

Know your audience.

Have a point.

The report also shows that QR codes are most popular amongst men between the ages of 25 and 34. The codes are scanned the most from Android mobile devices, with this platform accounting for 50% of all scans. The iPhone trails behind with 39% of scans.

87% of the consumers surveyed prefer to use websites and browser-based mobile sites for browsing and shopping, whereas only 4% prefer smartphone and tablet apps.

This would suggest that brands should concentrate on improving the ROI of their mobile site rather than investing in apps offering no obvious advantage to consumers.

1. Define your goal.

2. Optimize for mobile viewing.

3. Size matters.

Mobile Optimized

Simple is best

Conversion focused

Though studies are showing that only a small percentage of Americans have actually used QR codes, many mobile marketing experts are warning companies not to give up on the technology just yet, and that they should seriously consider working them into their marketing strategies for this year.

The fact is that while the majority of Americans may not have used the barcodes yet, it doesn’t mean that they won’t do so in the future.

Data from Forrester has shown that 5 percent of the people in the country have scanned a QR code, which represents approximately 14 million consumers. These individuals are most likely to be male, young, and affluent. While some may believe that this means that the opportunity for the codes is too narrow, others disagree.

Perx, a smartphone app from Singapore-based Maiplay Pte. that’s designed to replace all the cards in a consumer’s wallet with a single, easy way to get loyalty rewards.

they scan the QR code provided by the merchant when they check out. That, in turn, serves just like a stamp on an old paper card and counts towards the shopper’s next reward; Perx notifies the consumer instantly when they’ve reached that milestone. Meanwhile, users can also “spin the wheel” for a chance to win instant prizes.

QR Pal now rewards users for scanning and sharing QR Codes with points. Each month the top three scanners with the highest number of points will be rewarded with a cash prize.

Users are also able to instantly share scans via MMS, e-mail, Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. Simply authorise the App with your social media accounts to start sharing. QR Pal also includes a payment feature which enables users to make and receive payments via PayPal.

of all the users who made an in-app purchase, 44 percent did not do so until they had interacted with an app at least 10 times. Only 22 percent made a purchase in the first session and 33 percent made a purchase between sessions two and nine.

A Localytics study from last year, for example, found that 26 percent of apps are used only once after being downloaded.