Can't Mobile Users Just Find Me on Google?

So, here we are. The second in the second round of mini tutorials on apps for writers by guest blogger and book marketer Aggie Villaneuva. 

Can't Mobile Users Just Find Me on Google
Or More Reasons Why Authors Need an App to Reach Millions

by Aggie Villanueva

Authors do need an app to reach the Smartphone users who  browsed over 97 million apps (in 2011), up from 37 million the year before. And on February 24, 2012 the iTunes App Store announced it was about to hit 25 billion downloads. Learn a few more reasons in previous installments of this series beginning with the first round of articles the first round of articles on this blog earlier in March. This round began yesterday.  Yes, you can easily play catch-up. (-:

Can’t Mobile Users Just Find Me on Google?

No. Not the Google we know on our desktop computers anyway. Because of the numerous viewing limitations mobile users’ frustrations have stopped them from searching the internet. The Google we know is nearly useless because its search results just send them to more web pages that their devices can't successfully browse.

Google added a mobile search engine, Google Mobile. If you go there on the desktop Internet (that would be the one you are used to accessing with your Mac or PC or laptop) you can send a text message to your mobile phone with the Google Mobile link included. Or just use your phone’s Google search window to type in www.google.com/mobile. Here you can also download mobile search apps for various smartphones.

But even if you find an app through Google Mobile your Internet site still won’t be browse-able unless you paid big to have your site made truly mobile friendly. But why spend money for that when you can invest instead in an app (which is where mobile users will search first) that allows you to market to mobile devices in ways Web sites never will, mobile friendly or not? (Keep reading for more mobile marketing articles for details.)

The point is that smartphone use is already overtaking computer internet users. Just think how many more millions will never see your book promotions by next year if your marketing is still exclusively online.

Mobile users search the apps marketplace when they need something; they search the internet less and less. Let’s not miss out just because this is a new and mysterious area. The internet was also once a mystery but we are now making promotional use of it daily.

If you have any further questions, please check out the remaining articles in this series. There will be one every day for the next four days. Or check out the first round of articles beginning here. Or leave your question in the comment section below. I’d love to hear your thoughts.

If you wish to know more about Aggie Villanueva and her company check out this page.

More about Aggie's Services:

True, there are cheap do-it-yourself-type apps available online, but they begin and end with the entry level app you purchased and a few add-ons. But they can’t take full advantage of smartphone functionality like the Location Based Search (mentioneded in the marketing techniques articles earlier in this series) or most other marketing campaigns

To do it right, your app must be programmed specifically for your needs. This from-scratch-programming is the most desirable, but where the high costs could come in.

But it doesn’t have to be expensive -- offering you competitive prices for an entry level app is what my company, My Book Marketing Systems, is all about. Imagine your own app for just a few hundred dollars.

Even more importantly, we differ in that our apps can be upgraded a la carte to your heart’s desire and as you can afford it, all the way to our high-end super interactive stand-alone e-reader. Having a stand-alone built-in e-reader in your app is extremely desirable. (That desirability is beyond the information addressed here, but will be covered in-depth in an upcoming article of this series).

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Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of This Is the Place; Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered; Tracings, a chapbook of poetry; and how to books for writers including the award-winning second ediction of, The Frugal Book Promoter: How to get nearly free publicity on your own or by partnering with your publisher; The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success; and Great Little Last Minute Editing Tips for Writers . The Great First Impression Book Proposal is her newest booklet for writers. She has three FRUGAL books for retailers including A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques. Some of her other blogs are TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com, a blog where authors can recycle their favorite reviews. She also blogs at all things editing, grammar, formatting and more at The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor . If your followers at Twitter would benefit from this blog post, please use the little Green widget to let them know about this blog: