Just as you were getting comfortable with engaging customers through forums or blogs, along comes another way to interact with your target audience: mobile social media. Here are a few basics on this increasingly popular way for consumers to interact with brands:

Mobile is growing.

• Just over half of 18-29 year olds (55%) access the Internet through a cell phone. (Pew Research)
• Almost 31% of smartphone users visited social network sites via their mobile browsers. (comScore)
• The number of mobile users accessing Facebook jumped 112% in the last year. (comScore)
• Nearly 90% of mobile users plan to use a location-based service for their holiday shopping and activities. (Mobile Audience Insights Reports)
• 21% of mobile users said they had redeemed a mobile coupon in the last 90 days. (Mobile Audience Insights Reports)
• 36% of mobile users reported they would look at product reviews using location-based media. (Mobile Audience Insights Reports)

Examples of Mobile Social Media Use by Brands

Earlier this year, Starbucks ran a Frappuccino happy hour promotion in conjunction with mobile social network Brightkite. The network’s users who checked into a Starbucks between 3 and 5 p.m. received a half-price Frappuccino and were awarded a special badge (or icon) for their Brightkite profile.

Using mobile social media to connect with customers isn’t just for the big boys. Small and mid-size businesses can take advantage of the platform, too. Examples:

• Tweet to update waiting times during busy periods (Restaurants)
• Tweet a message when an order is ready for pick up (Restaurants, cafes, bakeries, dry cleaners, florists, etc.)
• Offer deals to entice customers accessing mobile social networks like Foursquare (Restaurants, doctors, dentists, lawn services, spas, salons, retailers, etc.)
• Promote and track events, like a pub crawl, on Foursquare or Twitter (Wineries, breweries, etc.)

Mobile is becoming an important part of a brand’s social media presence.

An effective and profitable presence is about much more than a company website or a Facebook page. The social media landscape is becoming increasingly complex. Don’t let your brand stand still—contact the Social Strategy1 team to learn how to leverage mobile social media to engage your target audience.