I stumbled across some new research by interactive research firm Questus today, the report commissioned by AOL and Universal McCann looks at how 1800 Americans use their phones.
The report reads ‘Smartphones serve as a consumer’s compass to get from one place to another, as well as a guide to restaurants, shopping purchases, news and entertainment.’
I think this is very relevant to Museums, as I wrote last week an increasing proportion of internet traffic is from mobile phones, and Museum audiences are likely to want visitor information on the move.
A Mobile Friendly website for your Museum is one step towards providing this, another is to make sure that you are using the free tools which Google provides businesses. The Questus report tells us that 73% of those questioned use their mobile phones to access maps and directions, and Google is the biggest provider of this information.
Last week Google changed it’s mobile search facility by adding a “near me now” option to the search facility, this search accesses information from their Local Business records to provide users with a map to the most relevant businesses near them.
It is free for Museums can add themselves to the Local Business listings on Google, this will ensure that the website has accurate information which can be provided to anyone looking for a Museum with “near me now” search. With an increasing amount of web traffic coming from mobile phones, this is a quick and easy way to make sure that your venue is accessible to those looking for it (or even those who don’t know they are looking for it).
Here is an information film about Local Business listings on Google:
I’d be interested to hear other ways that Museums are making themselves more accessible to their audiences via mobile. What are you trying?
