There is a lot of confusion out there about mobile strategy for business.

Do I need a custom iPhone app, or is just making my website phone friendly the right answer?

First- and this is really important to understand, you HAVE to have a mobile strategy. It can’t be overlooked. With the new Droid phone selling almost a million units in under a month, and the iPhone contributing to almost half the data traffic on ATTs network, these are the people you must reach.

But before I explain the difference between a mobile app and a mobile enabled site, I’m going to remind you again to make sure your business is listed in Google Local. This is an absolute MUST. www.local.google.com

Besides being key to navigation and 411 services, it also gives you a place for coupons, reviews and hours, etc. All in a format guaranteed to work on a mobile device.

The next step is simple- make your website moble friendly. With our web content management system- WordPress, it just involves a simple plugin that provides the option of automatic reformatting of your comment to work great on a mobile sized screen- but still allows you to view the standard web page. Cost is almost nil. That’s why our seminar rocks!

So, do you need a mobile application? If you are Facebook, or a daily newspaper, or ESPN- sure. The key question is do you need your site to interface with other applications on the phone (like a camera, or the GPS) in order to enhance the viewers experience- or does it need to work when not connected to the internet? Then, by all means consider a standalone application.

However, for most people- a simple web enabled site does the trick!