Last week was the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. A few of us here at Technetium flew out to make sure that our clients were happy with the materials we provided them for the show, and to catch up with some old friends. It’s amazing how small such a large industry can seem, as we literally could not walk more than a few steps without seeing a familiar face. I guess it helps when you have over 15 years in the industry.

For those of you that have not been to CES, you should know that everywhere you go there is a line and a wait. You wait for your bags, then a cab, then to check in, then to get food, then to cram into a tram, and the line goes on and on. Did I let this bother me? NO. I used this precious time to do, really, all I could do…PEOPLE WATCH! And let me tell you, that people are addicted to these little things called smart phones.

In the line for a cab I decided to count how many people were on their smart phone and tallied 57. These people were not interacting with their fellow man, not looking at the beautiful woman, definitely not minding their luggage, and most importantly were neglecting to move forward when they should, thus holding up the line! These people were so out of touch with their surroundings and engrossed in what they were doing that they literally were tripping over their luggage. What a funny sight to see. When I shared my observations with my boss he replied “Huh, what?” as he looked up from his smart phone. I said “Never mind”.

The point is that more and more Americans are using smart phones each and every day, and the ones that aren’t using them wish they were. Thus, they desire this digital crack and inevitably get one. And what are we doing on these addictive devices? Anything and everything! We are looking for any excuse to use these devices to maximizing every dull minute of our existence! These dull minutes are very common in our society as we wait in line at the bank, post office, airport, check out line, deli, fast food line, etc. Is anybody guilty of using their smart phone while waiting to make that left turn? How about in morning traffic? I know I am.

So as a smart business owner, you are observing these societal trends, right? You are always looking for ways to reach the masses, right? Have you done all you can to reach these smart phone users? Have you thought about how an app might drive more clients/customers through your doors? Have you considered that getting smart with smart phones might impact our bottom line in 2012?  If you haven’t than you should.

As the current TV commercial says “How smart is your smart phone?” There is a multitude of ways to implement smart phone technology and apps into your marketing plan for 2012. For example, Outback Steakhouse has an app that uses your phones GPS to pinpoint your exact location and send you the distance, phone number, and directions to their nearest restaurant. The Redbox app shows you the nearest Redbox to your location, and lets you reserve and pay for your movie all on your phone. These are just two example of how smart businesses are implementing smart phone technology. You too can be innovative and implement smart phone technology into your marketing plan for 2012! At Technetium we have worked with a variety of companies on their mobile strategy and would be glad to answer any questions you may have.