Published Friday, February 3rd, 2012, by Mike Sullivan.
It seems research firms are studying the behavior of mobile device owners from every angle these days. Consider the whacky statistics:
- • 74% of men report they have used their mobile phone in the bathroom
- • 63% report they have answered a phone call in the bathroom
- • 41% say they have initiated a phone call in the bathroom
- • 38% have surfed the Internet in the bathroom
“The writing is on the stall,” says Nicole Burdette, principal of 11mark. “This study confirms what we all know—that the last private place is no longer private. And, that the ‘mobile-everywhere’ phenomenon is flushing out a host of new opportunities for savvy communicators.”
Other recent surveys report that nearly 60% of mobile users plan to look at or use their mobile device during the Super Bowl, 52% use a mobile phone while shopping, four out of five record mobile video, and Android users are the most likely to have sex after the first date.
The point wasn’t to give you a chuckle, although you may have grinned at some of these ridiculous surveys. The point is to show you how mobile devices are integrated into every part of our lives. And nowhere is this more prominent than in business.
IDC recently reported that the workforce would be 37 percent mobile by 2015. We see technology industry behemoths like IBM doubling down on mobile. With all this in mind, it’s time to ask yourself: What is my business center doing to accommodate the mobile worker trend? What should you do?
One step you could take is go digital. Your billing systems should have an online component, if they don’t already. The mobile worker and the paperless office trends go hand in hand. Allowing for mobile payments for your business center services could be a convenient way to attract more customers, whether that’s PayPal, Google Wallet or some other option.
Another option is to hold contests and do digital giveaways, like an iPad or even digital subscriptions to magazines for the most client referrals or most frequent visitor to your business center. In all things, think digital. With consumers taking their mobile devices everywhere—including the bathroom—there is clearly an opportunity to market your digital advantages to the business masses.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Mike Sullivan is an entrepreneur and marketing professional who tries to keep things humming along as best as possible. From time to time, he updates Officing Today, but mostly he can be found on Skype talking with someone about virtual offices. Connect with Mike Sullivan on LinkedIn.
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