Too many businesses are ignoring mobile. While up until now many companies have 'got away with it', this situation is becoming increasingly untenable. Over a third of the UK adult population now use smart phones, with a similar percentage in the US, and the market is growing existentially.
The Web has taught us that instant gratification is possible. We are becoming increasingly impatient as we are used to receiving instant delivery of books, albums or games and can find any information required at the flick of a screen. This situation is magnified by our ability to be able to access all of this on a device which many of us have with us twenty four hours a day, seven days a week.
This instant information and communication tool has changed the way we live our lives. While meeting others in a public place used to be planned in meticulous detail, people now make the loosest of arrangements and then text or call when they arrive. Journeys which would be planned, with precision, are now organised 'in the moment', with the latest travel information to hand, at the touch of a button.
Culturally we are becoming more used to doing things 'in the moment'. An idea may enter your mind, a conversation may trigger a thought or you may take the opportunity of suddenly finding yourself with a few minutes to spare. It is at these times that you will decide to search on the Web on your mobile device.
The companies that are not found in mobile search, or whose website is impossible to navigate on a smart phone, will just miss out on these opportunities. However, as our mobile device increasingly becomes the first point of call for an ever growing number of people, companies can no longer afford to be missing this traffic without severely damaging their business. They will find that prospects and customers simply go to the competition.
Earlier this year, at the Mobile World Congress, Eric Schmidt, Google CEO announced that Google were now focusing on smartphones over desktops; their 'mobile first' ethic. Meanwhile, Facebook paid $1 billion for Instagram as a way of extending their mobile presence. This is no surprise when Americans are spending more time on Facebook on their mobile device than on their desktop.
Ultimately, the pot of gold 'at the end of the rainbow' for marketing, is to be 'relevant'. Useful information delivered at exactly the right moment will have an unrivaled impact on a purchasing decision. The point with mobile is that your prospects and customers are able to access your marketing at exactly the right moment and often in the right location. If your business is not making sure that you provide these people with the best experience possible, there is no doubt that you will find it increasingly difficult to survive in a world which has finally 'gone mobile'