Share This Too: More Social Media Solutions for PR Professionals

Chapter 15

Finding Your Way around: from Foursquare to Google Glass

Matt Appleby

Carrying a powerful GPS-enabled computer in our pockets every day has created new ways for us to interact with the web and social networks. We are continually blurring the lines between the online and offline worlds in a way which has massive potential impact for professional communicators.

Checking-in and geotagging photos has become as natural as updating our status. We are increasingly creating new layers of content with our smartphones and tablets tied to real-world places for others to find, share and review.

As smartphone use increases, the opportunities for location-based services will expand, and we have already seen widespread adoption of the technology over the last three/four years.

Between 2011 and 2012 smartphone take-up rose from 27% to 39% of UK adults.¹³¹ In the UK, a greater proportion of website traffic is generated from smartphones, tablets and other connected devices than in any comparable European country. The UK is a nation of smartphone addicts.¹³²

From a marketing perspective, it's an attractive audience, increasingly difficult to reach through other channels. Smartphone use is unsurprisingly higher in younger groups: 66% of 16–24-year-olds and 60% of those aged 25–34 have one, as do 46% in the ABC1 socio-economic group.

Retail and leisure have arguably seen the greatest impact – more than half of smartphone users say they've used their handset in some way when out shopping. ...