A recent study by the Pew Research Center’s Project for Excellence in Journalism and The Economist Group reveals several interesting statistics regarding tablets. For example, 11 percent of U.S. adults now own a tablet computer of some kind. About half of them (53 percent) get news on their tablets every day.

According to the study, 77 percent of all tablet users who view the news weekly on their devices now spend more time getting news than they did before purchasing a tablet. Even more surprising is the fact that 33 percent say they are using brand new sources of news on tablets, i.e., sources that they didn’t use on other platforms such as televisions or even other computers.

What does this mean for websites and website development?

With the popularity of tablets clearly on the rise, especially among news seekers, the big question is: Are you developing website content that is easily accessible for people regardless of platform? Mitch Levinson, managing partner of mRELEVANCE, explains some of the trends he is seeing in terms of web traffic.

“Over the past 12 months, our monthly web traffic from mobile devices ranged from 5 to 10 percent. In the last two months, it has increased to roughly 15 percent,” Levinson said. “We believe this increase is permanent and that the number will continue to rise.”

People who own tablets are already getting news in a less conventional way simply by using the device itself. The popularity of apps creates another wrinkle in the equation. The study reveals that 21 percent of tablet news users rely on apps for information instead of a browser.

Tablets are inherently social, much like phones. Even though people are often protective about their mobile devices, they are usually more than willing to show off their latest app or game to friends and family. The same is true of news. Word of mouth is key among tablet news users, and 85 percent of them reported sharing a long article with someone.

How can you make sure that your news is the news that people are discussing and sharing with others? Make it fresh, original and relevant.

“Mobile devices require content developers to think about information in new ways. Your information may look great on a desktop or laptop, but what about on a tablet, iPad or smart phone?” Levinson said. “Developers also need to think about how news is written. People on mobile devices have access to an infinite amount of information quickly and won’t hesitate to skip your website or blog if it’s not easily digestible.”

To get help creating unique content for your website or blog, contact mRELEVANCE at 770-383-3360.

A recent study by the Pew Research Center’s Pew Internet Project, found some interesting trends regarding which groups of Americans are adopting smartphones and how they’re integrating them into their everyday lives.

Of course, teens and young adults are the first to check out the latest trends, and this is no different when it comes to cell phones. Approximately 49 percent of those aged 18 to 24 own smartphones according to the study. While it’s generally accepted that y0ungsters are the first to adapt and learn emerging technologies, American adults sure are holding their own. Approximately 35 percent of American adults own smartphones.

The study also reported that 59 percent of adults living in a household with an income of $75,000 or more are smartphone users. About 48 percent of college graduates own smart phones as well.

Because smartphones are clearly very user-friendly and navigable by a wide range of people, they have become a popular means of accessing the internet. Of those surveyed, 25 percent said they go online mostly by using their smartphone. Furthermore, 68 percent of respondents said that they use their smartphone to access the internet daily.

If people are using cell phones to access the internet instead of personal computers, how will you adapt? You don’t want to get hung up on! Ask the staff at mRELEVANCE to help you keep your online presence and marketing strategy up-to-date.

The Harte-Hanks Postfuture Index 2009-2010 examined the numbers on about 2.8 million e-mails sent by 100 companies in nine vertical industries and spotted some interesting trends.

Time is of the essence, and people are not reading as many emails as they used to. If you’re like most people, it’s likely you receive e-mails and send them straight to the trash without opening them. Last year, e-mail open rates declined, averaging 17 percent. But there’s good news for those in the pharmaceutical industry and the government, as their e-mails were the most commonly opened at 25 percent.

The study noted increased competition to grab readers’ attention among all the received e-mails. As capabilities and know-how grow, changing patterns in the use of text and imagery emerge. This affects e-mail open rates, but doesn’t raise the likelihood of a response, according to the study.

The unsubscribe option is handy for those of us who grow tired of irrelevant advertising e-mails. With this in mind, the study saw an improvement in unsubscribe rates because marketers have improved the quality of their mailing lists. Marketers are said to be recognizing the return on their investment into e-mail marketing and therefore are willing to spend time refining mailing lists down to relevant recipients to ensure continued success.

In a world where the number of emails you are sent is increasing and the number of emails you read is declining, what’s a marketing professional or business owner to do?

For help in reaching your audiences amidst the mass e-mail bombardment, turn to mRELEVANCE. The staff can offer advice and create a plan to suit your needs and make sure your e-mails aren’t the ones unopened and in the ‘Trash’ folder.

A recent survey compiled by Prosper Mobile Insights in May 2011 spotted some interesting trends among smartphone users.

A new breed of phone, some of these devices seem more like tiny laptops than their clunky 90s predecessors. In fact, some people prefer using their smartphones to their computers. That’s right- 55.9 percent of smartphone users prefer using their phone to access the Internet than using their computer.

Americans are relying on phones for more than standard features like calling, texting and e-mailing. Approximately 52.9 percent of the survey’s respondents said that they used their smartphone for all of its functions, and it was their “life.” That percentage dwarfs the other 16.7 percent who admitted to only using it for the aforementioned basic purposes.

The apps and functions of smartphones are what make them so handy and therefore loved by users. Texting took the top rank in the survey as 21.6 percent of respondents said it was the one function they couldn’t live without. Surfing the Internet came next with 16.7 percent, and e-mail ran a close third with 15.7 percent of the top spot vote. Surprisingly, Facebook is the must-have function for only 5.9 percent of users, and social media apps only got 1 percent of the first-place vote.

However, “big brother” is always watching, and respondents remembered this when answering questions concerning their privacy. Smartphone users are understandably most afraid of being their location being tracked and their second most popular concern was an outsider accessing personal information.

So are you following the smartphone trend? What’s the best part about owning one- or not owning one? Have any favorite apps you’d like to tell the world about? Check out the survey results, and come back and tell us what you think!

A recent study (December 2010) by Pew Research supports this internet trend. It shows that 41-percent of Americans cited the internet as the place where they got “most of their news about national and international issues,” up 17% from a year earlier. The internet surpassed newspapers as a source of any type of news for the first time with 46% of people saying they get news online at least three times a week.

Only local TV news is a more popular platform in America now. A new survey finds that 47% of Americans get some kind of local news on mobile devices such as cellphones or other wireless devices. (not at all surprising to me.) As of January 2011, just 7% of Americans owned electronic tablets, according to the new survey, nearly double from four months prior. And, 6% of American adults have e-readers.

How do you access the news? We’d love to know.

Key findings include:

• 75 percent said mobile search makes their lives easier
• 63 percent said access to mobile search has changed the way they gather information
• 32 percent said they use mobile search more than search engines on their computers

We are all embracing mobile search in many areas of our lives. The use of mobile search at home topped the list with 81 percent reporting evening use, 80 percent reporting weekend use and 59 percent reporting use before work. I guess it is just easier to do a quick search on the smartphone than boot up the PC or laptop?

Another 61 percent reported using mobile search at work. Maybe this is to keep the boss from knowing our browsing habits at work? Being the boss. . . . (wait for it, insert comment from Mitch). . . I wouldn’t know.  Respondents also revealed dual screen multi-tasking, reporting at least occasional use of mobile search while watching TV (66 percent) or using the computer (45 percent).

Shopping too has changed. Our running errands and need an address? Look it up on the smartphone using search. The survey found that when it comes to shopping, here is how we are likely to use our phones:

• 84 percent look for local retailer information (phone, address, hours)
• 82 percent find online retailers
• 73 percent find a specific manufacturer or product Website
• 71 percent learn about a product or service after seeing an ad
• 68 percent find the best price for a product or service
• 63 percent search before purchasing offline in a store or from a catalog

If you need help making sure your business can be found during mobile searches, contact mRELEVANCE, we can help!

The study focused on the trends in the use of social media by global business journalists. Key findings include:

• Social media is increasing as an influential source of information used by journalists.
• Social media has a positive effect on the quality of journalism, including the angle and content of stories.
• Nine out of 10 journalists have used social media to investigate an issue.
• Twitter provides the most valuable information sources, while blogs most often provide the foundation for the story.
• North American journalists use and believe in social media more so that journalists elsewhere.

If your marketing and communications program does not include the use of online public relations, blogging or Twitter, contact the team at mRELEVANCE, we are here to help with your strategy and content.

“The report of my death was an exaggeration.” – Mark Twain

And so goes the increasing belief among many businesses that traditional press releases and media relations are no longer viable in a market where more news is published and accessed on line.

Here’s a news flash: A survey by Oriella PR Network of 750 journalists found that most of them value targeted, e-mailed press releases from PR professionals when they are gathering and reporting news. The 75% of journalists who find press releases useful said the content must be “high quality and well targeted.”

With “high quality” and “well targeted” as the deciding factors in the effectiveness of a press release, it’s easy to see the value in using public relations professionals, such as the team at mRELEVANCE. We have spent years building relationships with reporters and learning the types of news presentations that are most helpful to them.

As an established PR firm, we subscribe to services and databases that enable us to match your news story with the reporters who can most likely use it on their beats – whether your story is local, regional, national or even worldwide in scope. Plus, our professional writers will draft copy that reporters will respect for correct grammar, punctuation and style.

As pundits are exaggerating the “near death” of home builders and related industries, now is the time to get the news out about your successes. Contact us today to help you identify news stories in your organization and create the “high quality and targeted” press releases that reporters will notice.

A recent web article on an AARP-commissioned survey reported, “Social networking isn’t only for the under 40s.” It continued with a couple of findings from the June 2010 phone survey of 1,863 adults ages 50 and older: more than one-fourth of surveyed adults reported using social media sites such as Facebook (by far the most popular), Twitter and MySpace, and almost half of adults ages 50 to 64 – the Boomers in the sample – say they are “Internet savvy.”

The surprise for us is that even larger percentages of the 50+ crowd aren’t represented in social networks and online. When you think about the emergence of the Internet in the early to mid 1990s then its coming of age later in the decade and in the early 2000s, consider the decision makers who put technology into corporate budgets, the managers who arranged training for the staff (perhaps even led the training themselves), and the people who implemented the new technologies in their daily work.

Most of these people were in their 30s, 40s and 50s at the time. And how old are they now? Many of them are in their 50s and 60s and (gasp!) maybe even approaching 70. The Internet was a daily part of their lives in the workplace. It still is for many – the oldest of the boomers reached retirement age only in the last couple of years.

The mRELEVANCE take on this: no one age group has the monopoly on social media. You CAN reach out to older adults online. And chances are, many of them will find you.

Note: The AARP also surveyed a focused group of Hispanics over the age of 50. They are represented less online and in social networks than the general population. For complete details, read the full AARP Social Media Survey.

The top three are no surprise. (1) Increase web traffic, (2) brand or product awareness and (3) generate more leads. It also makes sense that number four for B2C companies is to increase online sales. Public relations, reputation management and traditional offline sales round-out the rest of the chart.

In my opinion, these responses are not only specific to SEO techniques. The fact that companies view brand awareness, reputation management and public relations as objectives for their SEO efforts further solidifies the connection between social media and search engine optimization. It also clearly shows, as was a hot topic at PR+MKTGCamp during the session I moderated, that marketing, advertising, Internet strategy and social media all play a critical but combined role in a corporate communication strategy.

What is even more interesting – and I hope to see a chart on this in the future – is the question, “Which function in your company takes the lead with regard to these tactics? PR, marketing, Internet technology, corporate communications or social media?” Please comment on this post to let me know how your company handles these objectives.