Government, nonprofits adopting mobile touch Web faster than commercial companies: Study - Mobile Marketer - Res

Government, nonprofits adopting mobile touch Web faster than commercial companies: Study

By Rimma Kats

April 13, 2010

She's touched

Government and nonprofit organizations are outpacing commercial companies in developing creative uses and services for the mobile touch Web, according to Taptu.

The study shows how organizations get users to access information and content while on the go. Additionally, religious organizations are the most active of all, making up 72.5 percent of the 13,600 mobile touch Web sites in the category.

�The key finding of the study is that although nonprofits, government agencies and charities are typically slow to adopt new technologies due to budget and personnel constraints, these groups are adopting the mobile touch Web for many purposes,� said Jason R. Harris, community manager at Taptu, Portland, OR.

�We found them eager to hop on the touch Web in order to get the word out, raise funds and connect with mobile Web users who have touchscreen devices,� he said.

Taptu�is a mobile search engine that lets consumers explore mobile touch Web sites, applications, images and the real-time Web.

Quick adapters
The study found that charities are using mobile donation portals to streamline the fundraising process, which mirrors the continued development of mobile commerce.

In addition, colleges and universities are creating virtual campuses to promote student engagement, improve pastoral care and provide mobile access to learning resources.

�For marketers, they need to know that the touch mobile Web is a very cost-effective channel for marketing goods and services,� Mr. Harris said. �Applications for specific phones are costly to build and only allow an organization to target a very specific audience.

�For example, an iPhone app only targets 15 percent of United States smartphone sales and 9 percent worldwide,� he said. �A touchfriendly Web site allows you to target all platforms including iPhone, BlackBerry, Android and Nokia.�

Mobile touch findings
Taptu found that local government agencies are providing access to public transport routes and schedules.

Health care organizations are providing information about medical issues, locations and real-time care via the mobile touch Web, letting patients in any geographical location get medical information and care.

Additionally, the central government lets citizens pay their taxes and contact political representatives using the service and museums let visitors check open times, read about�current and future exhibits, and access information and maps while on site.

The military also uses the mobile touch Web to let service personnel stay connected and access real-time news and other military information and resources while away from their computers.

According to Taptu, government and nonprofit organizations are usually under limited financial budgets and should prioritize their mobile spending efforts.

�Touch phones are growing in popularity,� Mr. Harris said. �The touch phenomenon is only growing to strengthen with time.�

�With all this fragmentation of differing platforms, one thing remains constant: the touch Web,� he said. �Each of the platforms mentioned above all have Web browsers and can act as the great equalizer for marketers and brand advocates.�

via mobilemarketer.com

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