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According to a May 2011 Mastercard survey, 62% of Americans who use a mobile phone are open to making a purchase with the device. Is your business mobile-ready and able to take advantage of these consumers? Small business writer, Joanna L. Krotz explains the basics of taking your business mobile.
First, make sure you optimize your company’s web site so that it shows up in mobile phones. Many of the latest smart phones, including the iPhone, are not able to show Flash. If you still have a Flash intro on your web site or have an entire site built in Flash, it will not show up via cell phone. Consider removing the Flash or creating a separate, mobile-only site.
Krotz also suggests you take a step back to understand how your customers are using their mobile devices. Do your customers order online? Do they check-in when they arrive at certain businesses? Are they even using their mobile devices to interact with companies? The best way to get your answers is to ask. Use a free online survey company, like SurveyMonkey, send questions via email or even call your best customers directly for immediate feedback.
Krotz also shares several options for taking your business mobile outside of just optimizing your web site. One option includes Quick Response (QR) codes. These are the black and white barcode symbols that you may have seen in magazines, on in-store displays and at bus stops. The idea is that when a customer uses a QR code reader app on their phone to scan the code, the customer is taken to a special mobile web site. This site, only accessible via the QR code, offers more information, coupons, special offers or other items that would be enticing to your customers.
Read more on how you can take your business mobile. What mobile-friendly options do you currently offer your customers? Share them in the comments.
Disclaimer: My blog is a part of an online influencer network for Business on Main. I receive incentives to share my views on a monthly basis. The opinions, however, are all mine. 
