2. Mobile Locator (including iPhone)The second thing that you should do is create a wireless version of your Business Locator. It enables people to search for your local businesses directly from web-enabled devices such as cell phones or PDA's. You can take it a step further with the iPhone Mobile Locator and allow consumers to save your branded logo to their iPhone for future searches. You need to make sure to setup your website to know if a consumer is searching from a PC, smart phone or iPhone to make sure that they see the appropriate site. And consumers should be able to place a call to your local business with a simple click of your phone number.
3. iPhone Apps Just having an iPhone App isn't enough. There are now over 48,000 iPhone Apps on the iTunes store, so it has to be useful. You want consumers to download your iPhone App to use it over and over again, not once to see a gimmick and then delete it. Your iPhone App needs to provide value versus a onetime trick. Have you seen the App that lets you eat a burger by making a munching sound, but doesn't offer you a way of finding a location? Or the App that only lets you search for their locations in one of the fifty states (trying to test the waters)? How useful is that? Check out the "
Buy ViewSonic" iPhone App to see the value in providing a dealer locator.
4. 2-Way SMS Text Messaging2-Way SMS allows the consumer to send a request message with the expectation of getting a response back. It can be as simple as requesting a local location by sending "what" and "where" to a short code. For example: sending cfa 92807 to LOCATE to receive local Chick-fil-A locations in Anaheim, CA. Or as detailed as allowing consumers to enter contests or vote in a mobile marketing campaign. Once a consumer has opted in to your mobile campaign, you can send out coupons and event details. You can purchase a custom short code for branding purposes (which is the most expensive), purchase a generic short code (for less than custom), or share the Where 2 Get It LOCATE short code using keywords (most affordable).
5. Interactive Voice Response (IVR)Providing an 800 number for Interactive Voice Response (IVR) will round out your mobile offerings. Consumers should be able to say or type in a zip code on their mobile device, and the 800 IVR will reply with your nearest business location(s).
