It’s all over the news. Verizon announced that it will officially offer the iPhone come February 3 to current customers and shortly after to everyone. While the news may be big for frustrated AT&T customers and Verizon iPhone dreamers, what does the news mean for marketers?
For B2B companies who’s customers tend to lean towards Blackberry, probably not much. The security features for the Blackberry are still prominent among IT departments and, regardless of the network, will probably stand strong. However, for B2C companies who’s customers maybe be one of the 90 million on the Verizon network, there is a strong possibility that they could be migrating to the iPhone.
Points to consider if your audience is comprised of the Apple geek majority:
1. Websites: With website access via iPhone so popular, it’s wise to check for Flash compatibility. As you may know, the iPhone doesn’t support Flash and with HTML5 so new, Flash may be problematic on-the-go.
2. Email Marketing: The iPhone has both advantages and disadvantages when it comes to email marketing. For instance, iPhone mail loads fairly slowly (around 200 kbps). So, if you have large images, you might frustrate a good amount of people. Also, if you have images in a specific place in your HTML template, the user can’t zoom. Another annoying issue.
3. Location-Based Services: While most services have Android and Blackberry applications, the iPhone is notorious for having the first in new upgrades and features. By keeping a close eye on services like Foursquare, Gowalla and SCVNGR, you can see what new features for the iPhone you might be able to leverage, such as messaging or promotions.
What percentage of your audience finds your message on iPhones?