4 Reasons Why Our Addiction to Smartphones Can be Good for Business
When I look around in a waiting room, on a bus ride and even in my classes (sorry, professors, but you know it’s true) the overwhelming number of people using their smartphones is astounding. The increasing popularity of smartphones has come with a high cost – shutting out the world around us. And although the obsession with mobile phones and unwillingness to unglue from them is often associated with Millennials, the addiction is actually widespread over all age groups. With 49 percent of all U.S. adults ages 50-64 owning a smartphone, it is no surprise that wherever we are and whoever we’re with, no one can take their eyes off their screen.
If that statistic alone doesn’t make you want to turn your phone off and go for a walk in the park, you should know that 84 percent of people can’t go a day without their cell phone in hand, one in four people check their phones every 30 minutes, and one in five check them every 10 minutes.
I know what I have said so far is extremely frustrating to many people – and I understand why. But what if I told you that for business owners and marketers, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing? It turns out that there are important business benefits of the “cell phone addiction” and there are ways it can be used to a business’s advantage.
1. Your Customers Will Remain Updated – As long as you have a strong social media strategy, your smartphone-obsessed customers will see a good number of your posts. Whether your medium of choice is Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or Google+, you’ll have the solace that the resources dedicated to your company’s social media effort were well spent. If your social media presence is lacking, you can designate a person in your office to work on it or hire an outside content marketing firm to help.
2. More Efficient Customer Communication – If your clients are smartphone addicts, your long days of waiting for an email response are over. When a customer checks their phone throughout the day, it is likely that they will respond to an email or text message quickly. A quicker response time means that
you can be more productive in completing tasks that require customer answers or input.
3. Promotions – Depending on your type of business, creating an app that offers deals and coupons can be an extremely useful point-of-purchase promotional strategy. This type of app not only encourages customers to do business with you, but may encourage them to purchase more in a situation where they otherwise would have forgotten their coupon at home.
4. Efficiency in the work place – There are many features and apps available on smartphones that can make meetings, event planning, and even daily work tasks much easier. Check out these useful apps for the workplace. The article even recommends Evernote, which is one of our favorite online tools here at Fiore Communications!
So the next time you are trying to engage with someone but are instead shut out because their attention is focused on getting to the next level of Angry Birds, smile, take a deep breath and remember that it is this type of person who has the potential to benefit your business.
What are your thoughts on using smartphones to engage with customers? Let us know in the comments below!
