Phone apps are the future
.floatimg-left-hort { float:left; } .floatimg-left-caption-hort { float:left; margin-bottom:10px; width:300px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;} .floatimg-left-vert { float:left; margin-top:10px; margin-right:15px; width:200px;} .floatimg-left-caption-vert { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; font-size: 12px; width:200px;} .floatimg-right-hort { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 300px;} .floatimg-right-caption-hort { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 300px; font-size: 12px; } .floatimg-right-vert { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px;} .floatimg-right-caption-vert { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px; font-size: 12px; } .floatimgright-sidebar { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px; border-top-style: double; border-top-color: black; border-bottom-style: double; border-bottom-color: black;} .floatimgright-sidebar p { line-height: 115%; text-indent: 10px; } .floatimgright-sidebar h4 { font-variant:small-caps; } .pullquote { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 150px; background: url(http://www.dmbusinessdaily.com/DAILY/editorial/extras/closequote.gif) no-repeat bottom right !important ; line-height: 150%; font-size: 125%; border-top: 1px solid; border-bottom: 1px solid;} .floatvidleft { float:left; margin-bottom:10px; width:325px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;} .floatvidright { float:right; margin-bottom:10px; width:325px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;} Smart phones will be the primary way we interact with the Internet by 2020. Even today, you have to go out of your way to buy a mobile phone that does not have Internet access.
Very soon, unless you’re buying your phone from a company that caters to the 70-plus crowd, like Jitterbug, you won’t even be able to find them on the shelf.
Like it or not, mobile connectivity is where we’re headed. Part of that connectivity involves phone apps. Already available for the iPhone, BlackBerries and Verizon’s new Droid, within a year or two these are going to be as common as personalized ring tones or photo-taking capabilities.
There are thousands of practical, business-oriented ones that provide yet another way to connect with customers.
The Walgreens app lets you refill prescriptions on the go, print photos you just took on your phone and find the company’s closest store when you need some Zanfel for your vacation-induced poison ivy rash.
Think iPhone apps are only for the big-box stores or companies with multimillion-dollar budgets? Nope. Small companies also are grabbing hold of the technology.
Q Friends, Q Chill and Q Road Trip – conversational games created by West Des Moines-based A Kick in the Pants Publishing – are perfect for staff meetings, corporate retreats, hanging with friends over a glass of wine or long family car trips.
And my own app, aptly named Drew McLellan, offers people access to exclusive podcasts, marketing tips and even this column.
Rather than thinking about why you wouldn’t ever create an app, you might want to start thinking about why you would.
Drew McLellan is Top Dog at McLellan Marketing Group and blogs at www.drewsmarketingminute.com. He can be reached at Drew@MclellanMarketing.com. © 2010 Drew McLellan