According to a new study by technology research company Gartner, smartphone sales have topped the sale of traditional mobile phones for the first time. In fact, in the second quarter of 2013, smartphone sales made up 51.8 percent of total global mobile phone sales. Gartner reported that Samsung is still the top retailer, capturing 31.7 percent of the market share, while Apple comes in second with a 14.2 percent market share. For small businesses, this shift is having a marked impact on where they focus their marketing efforts.

Interestingly, the reported growth in smartphone sales coincides with a recent Facebook announcement that 78 percent of its 128 million users across the United States are logging onto Facebook using their mobile device. It’s important to note that 41 percent of its advertising revenue is coming from these mobile users. Data from a recent infographic published by Advice interactive group indicates that 4 billion people these days have a mobile phone, with 91 percent of adults keeping their phones close by 24/7. In addition, 69 percent of marketers surveyed said they would increase their budgeting for mobile advertising. All of these metrics are a good indication that it’s become imperative that small business marketers focus on mobile forums to stay competitive in their current markets.

Many Internet companies are leading current mobile marketing trends by developing more intuitive apps and websites that foster a better mobile experience that small businesses can capitalize on. For instance, Facebook is about to integrate with the restaurant reservation service OpenTable, enabling mobile users to conveniently make reservations right from the web and mobile versions of that business’s Facebook page. The business review site Yelp has introduced an augmented reality feature (called Monocle) that enables users to view reviews for businesses they are literally standing in front of using their smartphone camera.

The bottom line is, in this environment a smart mobile marketing campaign can achieve many objectives for small businesses. This includes everything from extending customer reach and building better audience engagement to developing a strong sense of brand loyalty within their market.

References

Coleman, Bernadette. “Internet Marketing Statistics You Can’t Ignore [Infographic].” Search Engine Journal (SEJ). 8/16/13.

Jones, Kelsey. “Smartphone Sales Outpace Phone Sales for First Time.” Search Engine Journal (SEJ). 8/14/13.