Take Charge of Mobile Commerce

By Justin Kitch of Entrepreneur.com

Cell phones are already the most ubiquitous electronic devices in the world. And with more than 40 million Americans who are now active monthly users of the mobile Internet via smartphones and mobile browsers, the cell phone is quickly becoming the most popular device for browsing the Web. Throw in the fact that people are often on the go when they're looking for information about a business, and you can see why it is fast becoming a requirement that businesses are "findable" via a mobile browser.

Following are a few tips to make sure your business is doing what it can to reach these mobile prospects, as well as serve your existing customers better by utilizing the mobile platform.

Mobilize Your Web Site
For starters, make sure your Web site is mobile-friendly. You should strongly consider having a separate site for mobile visitors that is separate from your full-featured Web site. Make sure to link to your mobile site from your main Web site so that your customers know they have this option. Also make sure to register your mobile site separately with Google (GOOG Quote), Yahoo! (GOOG Quote) and Bing, and denote it as a mobile site, so that it shows up in their mobile search results.

Mobilize Your Existing Customers
Use mobile features to make your customers feel like part of the "in crowd." There are numerous ways to do this. One technique is to send text messages to your customer base, alerting them to special limited-time offers or discounts.

For example, suppose you run a deli in an urban center or in an office park complex. Just before lunch time, you text your clients a description of the day's specials, which makes their stomachs growl and makes your cash register ring. Repeat the drill in the late afternoon to alert them to that evening's take-home meals.