Alberta Business Marketing

I attended a regional tourism meeting last week. I heard this quote from a speaker at the local information centre:

“People want to be able to get the information they want right away just by touching the screen.”

• She wasn’t talking about making websites better for iPod or iPad screens or a handheld device screens.
• She wasn’t talking about asking a question on Twitter or Facebook and having someone at the visitor centre answer it.
• She wasn’t talking about offering free wifi to travelers in the region.

Any of which I would wholeheartedly support. . .

She was talking about purchasing digital kiosks so that travelers could get out of their vehicle, come into the visitor centre, walk up to a terminal, figure out how to use it, tap their finger on the screen, search for what they want, write down the information that was presented so they could call or email, and walk out of the visitor centre with no information in their hand, except what they wrote down.

ARE YOU KIDDING ME?

I feel a rant coming on.

Tags: digital kiosks, handheld
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As we turn another page and enter a new decade, I find myself thinking about technology and restaurants. As a customer, how do you see handheld technology being used to enhance your dining experience?
I captured this bit of video while trolling the aisles of the BC Hospitality Expo in Vancouver late last year. The video shows a handheld (iPhone) app that servers can use to be more efficient at handling the orders and billing of their guests.

I am also reflecting on how restaurants can use QR Codes to tell the behind the scenes stories of the meals they deliver to folks in the dining room. One really creative restaurant in New Jersey recently began using QR codes to link to videos showcasing the Ethiopain cultural connection of some of the meals they serve. The diner, clicking on the QR Code links to the video and watches the short Youtube Video. Nice. The restaurant doesn’t even have to create the video content, just has to make the connection for their diner.

How could a brew pub showcase their pride in craftsmanship or educate the customer on how their product is made? How could you give behind the scenes access to your kitchen recipes or showcase where your local food is purchased by filming a short video with a local farmer?

How do you think restaurants could utilize the power of handhelds to enhance the dining experience for their ideal guests? Have you seen anything innovative in this space?

Tags: handheld, iphone, payment, qr code, restaurant, Video
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Facebook is pursuing a trademark on the word “Face” and has filed litigation against a Website that includes the name “book” in their URL.  Some in the accommodation industry may consider that Facebooks new “Check in” service, that has found its way into the mobile version of the website and the Facebook App (accessible to iPhone, iPod, Blackberry and Android devices), might some day pose a threat to the industry standard for guests announcing their arrival at the front desk.

In the meantime, Facebook Places provides a simple, handheld way for your guests to tell all their friends that they are at your location.

Why Facebook’s Places app matters?

• over 50% of web users have an account at Facebook.
• over 90% of people who earn at least $30 000 per year own a cell phone.
• over 35% of cell phones are Internet enabled devices.

It’s a fair guess that 2 of every 10 guests you are serving today has a handheld device and are capable of checking in on Facebook.

Whether an accommodation, food service, beverage service or attraction ask yourself this question.

“Would you like your clients to tell their friends that they are enjoying themselves at your location?”

Go ahead, I’ll give you a second to think about that.

OF COURSE YOU WOULD!!!!  Perhaps friends will come along to join the party, look you up online . . . at the bare minimum, you are going to score credibility points with all the friends of your guests who decide to check-in at your location.

So what do you need to do to encourage your guests to “Check in” on their mobile device?  Ask your guests to check in.

Call your guests to Action.

Give your guests a clear call to action.

Consider posting a sticker on your door, a sign in your waiting area, a rack card at your dining table that invites your guests to “Check in” on their handheld.  Consider offering an incentive to folks who check in – like a coupon for a free coffee on their next visit.

Of course there are a myriad of location-based games and associated apps – Gowalla, Foursquare, etc…. but the granddaddy of “Social” is Facebook.

What do you need to do to get started?

Go to your lobby or guest waiting area, turn on your handheld and point it to Facebook app or mobile website.  Click on the places tab and fill in your location.  If you are the first one to check in, you’ll be able to give your place a title and description.  All others who check in, will announce their arrival with the information you post as well as their own personal note.

Tags: android, app, blackberry, check-in, Facebook, handheld, iphone, ipod, Mobile
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Nielsen Company says mobile TV adoption is growing rapidly with 17.6 million Americans using smartphones to view video in the last quarter of 2009 (that is almost a year ago), up 57% year over year.  The average face-in-phone time watching video averaged three hours and 37 minutes per month (or about seven minutes per day).

According to Pew,  in a blog post researchers found “85 percent of Americans over the age of 18 own a mobile phone, and that a staggering 96 percent of Americans aged 18 to 29 “own a cellphone of some kind.”  Expect most of these folks to be able to view video on their phone when they upgrade their handhelds over the next few years.

According to the NY Times, in a report released Friday,  market research firm Gartner predicts that tablet devices used to access media will reach sales of 19.5 million units in 2010.  Gartner also predicted that sales of these handheld video-oriented devices would reach a staggering 150 million units by 2013.

While the mobile viewing bubble is a few years off, it’s time to consider what your Web presence will look like on a phone or 3G connected tablet device when handheld video comes of age.

photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/orinrobertjohn

Tags: cell phones, handheld, Video
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Tags: handheld, iphone, mobile web, multimedia, Web 3.0
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