Smart Small Business Owners Eyeing "The Third Screen"

First there was television, then came the computer. The "Third Screen" in marketing circles is the mobile phone, and I predict it's going to be an incredible opportunity for small business owners who want to get their message in front of local customers who are looking to buy right now. Mobile search is immediate, and allows you to put your products and services in front of prospects who are not only looking for what you sell, but who are most likely out driving around trying to find it. This clip from AdAge shows that already "49% of all mobile phone users are using their mobile phones" or more than voice calls. That is onlly going to increase as new devices are released (like Apple's cool iPhone) that make it easier to surf the web from your mobile phone.

Mobile search is a trend that small business owners can't afford to NOT pay attention to.

clipped from adage.com One in 16 Some 49% of all mobile phone users are using their mobile phones for text messages, music and other uses besides simple voice calls, but, at the moment, only one in 16 mobile-phone subscribers are using the devices for audio features. Of those, almost two-thirds have transferred either music or other audio content from another device, such as a PC or MP3 player. The study found that most mobile-audio users are in those sought-after, hard-to-reach males aged 25 to 44, with a larger proportion of them African American, Asians and Hispanics. Surprisingly, the study found 31% listened to music on their mobile devices -- not at on the go, but at home, where the phone served as a "personal third screen entertainment platform."