Top Ways to Use Your Smartphone in Business

Are You Getting the Most Out of Your Smartphone?

Smartphones have been getting significantly "smarter" over the years and are powerful tools for business. With our current technology-driven society, it can be challenging to keep up with the latest gadgets and innovations. It's become an obsession, especially with smartphones, due to their potential for business growth and relationships. It doesn't matter if you've been using a smartphone or tablet for years, or if you are just jumping on the bandwagon, this technology is definitely here to stay.

In order to continue making an impact or reach your audience on a wider level, sometimes the only option is to discover how new technology can positively impact your business and embrace it. Use these smartphone tips to aid your efforts.

You Need: Stay in Touch With a Smartphone

• Quick Contact - Your contacts and potential customers are at your fingertips. Whether it's via text, phone call, email or social media, you can connect with others instantly. Face-to-face communication is resurging with FaceTime, Google Talk and Skype, so you can promote or discuss business anywhere at any time.
• Stay Connected to Social Media - Establishing a strong social media presence is important to connect with customers, other businesses, and fans. You have a social networking presence in the palm of your hand with a smartphone and this direct engagement can help alleviate feelings of disconnect with your audience. Social media is a free (or cheap way) to release information and you can quickly make a change to it wherever you are. You can use time that would otherwise be wasted while waiting or on a break.
• Create Videos - Videos create a truly engaging experience for your readers and can be used to drive additional traffic. Email marketing campaigns have been known to include videos at the top of newsletters. When you are seen in the flesh, your readers may have more interest in your services. You don't need a professional camera to get your message across. Create videos for your company site and place them in different categories such as new releases, product demonstrations, or behind-the-scenes action. Add tips, detailed instructions, or even some humor to videos. Share your personality.
• Create a Mobile-Friendly Website - Instead of hauling around a laptop or finding a computer to use when you're out of the office, a smartphone is a handy way to get immediate access online. Create a comfortable and viable mobile-friendly website that is accessible on all devices. You can incorporate text message advertising, mobile coupons, event invitations, special promotions, or alerts to promote your business. Customer support can be done on-the-fly to keep you in tune with your audience and their needs.

You Want: How Smartphones Can Help You Get Ahead

• Get Real-Time Answers - Hindsight is 20/20; that seems to be the perfect definition of the knew-it-all-along effect after an event has happened. We've all had moments where we couldn't come up with an answer on the spot, and wished we had a search engine available to give us direction. Well, with internet access on our smartphones, you can pull up information immediately (and maybe stall in a conversation to get to it). Never get stumped again. Smartphones allow us to check on company information instantly, or get immediate solutions to questions. Use them to your advantage with your business, as you can be a walking encyclopedia or dictionary.
• Personal Archive - Ideas can come out of the blue; they often arrive when we're unprepared to jot them down. It's not easy to remember the full extent of that attractive concept or plan you came up with earlier. However, there are countless ways to use your smartphone to save thoughts for later. Use a calendar or notes app to keep track of these moments. You can use a voice recorder for reminders or a rough draft of what you're thinking. Save digital copies of important documents. You can even take pictures and save them in email or for your mobile site.
• Useful for Presentations - If you speak at conferences, introduce information at meetings, or use slideshow presentations, your smartphone can be a very useful device. You can create a presentation on a computer, then transfer it to your smartphone. The content can then be displayed through a PowerPoint presentation on a bigger display. Set a timer for your presentation that runs on your smartphone so you're fully aware of the duration. Your smartphone can also act as a remote to play or pause videos.
• Last Minute Preparation - We spend so much of our lives waiting in line, stuck in traffic, or getting ready for a big event. Your smartphone can be a useful tool to help your preparation or make use of downtime. If you have a meeting to attend, keep key notes open on your phone to help you remain on track. It can also act as a mirror to ensure you look your best, and no suspicious objects are caught in your teeth.

As more and more people gain access to online information across the world, technology will continue to greatly advance. For those of us who rely on an online presence to build exposure to our products or services, it's that much more important to use every tool at our disposal. The presentation of information on a smartphone and how we access it day-to-day may shift in the future (Google Glass, smart contact lenses, etc.), but the fact remains: we will continue seeking information as fast as our technology allows us. It's an exciting time - explore the latest devices and discover new mobile applications that can help you drive your efforts further.

Do you use a smartphone or tablet? How do you use it in your everyday life? What are your favorite apps to stay up-to-date and in touch? Click here to let us know - we'd love to hear from you!

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