When searching for products, places and people the internet has become the ‘go to’ media of choice. In fact, according to a recent Nielsen study, in a little over 6,000 days this media has amassed a whopping 500 million searches a day.

For merchants wanting to cash in on the online search and buy trend, having a functional web site that is search engine friendly along with a strategic search marketing program is a must in the race to be ‘found’. But it is also equally important to have a mobile friendly web site to meet the needs of the rising trend of on-the-go mobile searchers. With approximately 2 billion mobile devices worldwide mobile search is an indispensable tool.

According to a comScore study, the month of June 2009 saw 20.8 million mobile search users in the U.S. alone. This was a 68% increase from the same month in the previous year. Alistair Hill, a comScore analyst, observed that, “. . . as we see the number of mobile search users increase, the frequency of activity is also growing.”

The difference between internet searchers and mobile searchers is mainly in the type of information they seek.

Computer internet searchers seek comprehensive information such as background information on a company or subject, research material, or facts on subjects of personal interest

Mobile searchers seek up-to-the-minute and actionable information such as: sports scores, movie times, and restaurant locations. As well, due to the quick accessibility and instant gratification, mobile searchers are more inclined to act on impulse buys. A good example is in the ability to instantly download a song immediately after hearing it on the radio.

The Kelsey Group released research statistics that revealed a 130.5% mobile search growth rate is expected between 2008 and 2013, with an 81.2% increase in mobile ad revenues for the same time frame.

Even with these numbers, many companies are still reluctant to exploit the marketing opportunities presented by mobile search. This is simply due to the fact that search platforms and strategies need to be modified in order to accommodate the specific requirements of handheld devices.

But with OgilvyOne’s recent report stating that mobile search will offer a way to very specifically target consumers with personal ads – even as close as by the year 2020 – it’s safe to say that advertisers’ reluctance will soon dissipate.

“I don’t view myself as a success. There are too many things I haven’t done yet. Success is a journey. It’s about having the courage to be different, to innovate, and to transform ideas into meaning for others. My paternal grandfather rented railway cars and brought in rugs from Persia. He also invested in real estate. But my favorite story about him was one my father used to tell…

http://www.pcminteractive.com/common/pdf/wfp_prime_time.pdf

Innovation continues in the Bay Area as RedBeacon takes local search social with its latest partnerships with FaceBook and Big Tent.

It is fascinating to see the power of people when they get together to create meaningful products that add real value to peoples’ lives. RedBeacon’s simple design garnered it the top prize at TechCrunch50 in 2009. The founders – Ethan Anderson, Yaron Binur, and Aaron Lee are former Google product managers.

You could explain RedBeacon as an advanced next-generation yellow pages but with a social responsibility committed to helping you pick the best business to handle your local service needs at the time, location and price right for you. Typing in the service description and problem that you need addressed, allows RedBeacon’s system to match your request with a service provider. You get contacted with a price and these service providers compete for your service. The top three providers are then posted online where you can scrutinize the providers’ profiles, ratings and reviews. Then, you can book the job right online. No phone calls, no hassles, and the matching service is all free.

RedBeacon is so darn clever it even aggregates reviews from Google, Yelp and Yahoo.

Recently RedBeacon rolled out a new application that pings your Facebook friends for their advice. This takes local search to a social level. A Badge for RedBeacon appears on your friend’s Facebook page and if they don’t like your choice of plumber for your leaking taps they can suggest another, and RedBeacon adds another quote for consideration.

Additionally, RedBeacon has formed a partnership with Big Tent, an online community for real-world groups who gather in one place to share and organize communications online. Tapping into group advice has a powerful application especially if the poor plumber left a mess, and the “group” (or “several groups”) knows.

RedBeacon makes sense but unfortunately it services a small geographic area at this time. It takes money and people to drive these concepts throughout North America and abroad. But with early partnerships being product enhancement driven they are on the right track. This is one company to watch.

The greatest part about friendship is that you can grow separately in different areas of the world but not grow apart. Friends are the sunshine of life. They know all about you and remarkably still like you. I am blessed and privileged to have had so many childhood friends share a landmark birthday with me this week. In fact, the party (along with the roasting) lasted one week! My skiing buddy and lifelong girlfriend Cindy Burton (pictured here) flew in from Vancouver.

Another friend from New York, Ashleigh Banfield sent me a note from her post at ABC. “Hey, Liz. Have you heard? X is the new 30? Which is really a good thing considering you’ve been telling people for years (with remarkable success) that you are still 30! Happy Birthday from NY….you old Biddy (an old nickname). No one loves you more than the Banfields! XoX, Ash”

Well Ash, since you are so much younger than I, I just want you to know that should they appear remember, wrinkles just indicate where your smiles have been. So how about we all practice adding a twinkle to the wrinkle? Sort of catchy, wouldn’t you say? A song anyone?

As Emily Dickenson said “We turn older with years, but newer everyday”. Wouldn’t it be cool to be born 80 and then gradually reach 18?

Gizmodo has a great description for the new Google Buzz released last month:

“Used on a PC or mobile, Buzz reminds us of an RSS combined
with all of your social networking—all within the existing Gmail and Google.com infrastructure.”

And as Google’s latest launch is fully compatible with Google Chat and Reader, Twitter, Flickr, Picasa, YouTube, and Gmail of course, Google’s approach to sharing is spreading like wild fire!

One of the reasons Buzz has gained such popularity so quickly is its Gmail integration; giving the new Buzz access to Gmail’s already established user base of over a million global users.

As well, those on the social scene love Google Buzz’s ease of use and convenience. And did I mention that it moves in real-time? Engaging, accessible . . . what else could one ask for?

A little privacy perhaps?

Google Buzz’s initial launch saw an automatic share of updates and friends lists within everyone’s contact list and essentially the many, many, other Gmail users. Although this had a “viral marketing on steroids” impact for the new release, many of the automatic Buzz users were less than pleased. (Do you really want everyone on your contact list knowing your email habits?)

Luckily, Google immediately acted on the complaints so that users could more-easily keep their friends list private.

Buzz’s solution was to incorporate an option that enables users to share publicly or only with specific contacts. Fine and dandy except that every time you post, you have to take that extra step: to share or not to share.

What do Facebook and Twitter have to say about Buzz’s real-time feeds? That’s easy to guess since Buzz has already exceeded Twitter’s user numbers.

With Google Buzz being just a few weeks old and already so popular, it’s safe to say that this is really only the beginning. Excellence is only a few tweaks away and then the launch of new features . . .

A monster of a beehive, Google Buzz has created a whole new playing field in the ever-growing world of social media.