Once he starts, Tomi Ahonen just can’t stop… His latest blog entry is a mammoth 9,500 word essay on what Fortune 500 CEOs should know about mobile. It’s a long read. But if you want raw, verifiable data, then read on.
He starts off by stating the case for a mobile strategy for corporates. Yes, we know they should all have on, but the truth is that they don’t.
“We just saw a survey of the Fortune 50 companies and their use of mobile in December 2010. How many have a mobile strategy to begin with? Only 62% have any kind of mobile strategy - 38% of your biggest rivals have no mobile plans yet in place of any kind! This alone is good news… How many of the Fortune 50 have mobilized their website. Try 38%. That means 62% of the biggest US corporations have no mobile-ready websites… And how many Fortune 50 companies use SMS today? Only 22%.”
He warns against getting sucked into creating smartphone applications, such as iPhone apps, and thinking that’s your mobile strategy sorted out. Instead, he suggests tapping into the SMS market.
“In the USA today, only about 160 million people use email on their internet connection. But SMS text messaging is used by 215 million Americans... Only 72% of American cellphone owners use SMS today, the world average is 81%... ChaCha interviewed young adults and teens in the USA about their tech preferences last year. When asked which form was their favorite way to communicate, young people prefer SMS over voice calls by 7 to 1; and young people prefer SMS over email by over 200 to 1.”
Of course, Tomi, like any good blogger cum analyst, is selling his services. But if you can separate out the sales pitch there is a wealth of information and insight to be had. And don’t forget the new edition of his annual fact book will be available before Mobile World Congress for the incredibly low cost of under ten Euros.
Via Communities Dominate Brands
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