What is the Internet of things, anyway? We’re glad you asked. It’s something you probably take for granted and don’t even realize it. When you get a text that notifies you of a package delivery on your i-Phone, listen with wireless earbuds to Pandora, ask Alexa a question, or check your Fitbit, you’ve dabbled in the Internet of Things, or IoT for short. Any device that has a sensor or a connection to the internet is part of the IoT. Virtually everything has some kind of internet connection these days, and that means businesses should keep up to date on changes in society that IoT creates. To ignore these trends would outdate your business, and that translates to decreased profitability.
How does IoT affect our behavior? Technology has made life easier and the digital age is here to stay. For example, instead of reaching for a dictionary, we ask Siri for a definition or pronunciation. As a business owner, seeing how these changes in technology have affected society (and how money is spent) is the first step. The second one is understanding how to create a digital marketing strategy that will grab consumers’ attention. Because potential clients have so many resources at their fingertips now, being able to find new ways to communicate with them and answering questions they may have, creates a connection with them. This connection is part of branding your business.
IoT itself is changing how client input is processed by those very devices. For example, a Google search a decade ago would’ve included basic key words only. Today, we ask whole questions to Siri. It’s more humanized. Searches now run not just on key words, but take into account our natural language patterns. Most everyone has noticed how they can be speaking of something casually, and suddenly advertisements for that very thing pop up on their social threads. There’s a fine line between gathering information for business analysis, and perceived invasion of privacy.
Taking IoT into account with web design (or upgrade) is key, because conveying a sense of trust between your company and clients is essential, even as business activities interact more directly with internet-connected devices. A secure website that looks good and loads quickly on laptops as well as smart devices is the standard. Adding a protocol to your business that, where applicable, includes geofencing/geomapping as well as external factors such as weather or traffic information could give you a serious edge in sales. For example, imagine a company that sells rain jackets and umbrellas being able to advertise those things on smart phones when rain is forecasted, and apply the concept to your company.
Most everyone has a smart phone. Tweaking your company’s website to embrace mobile IoT technology is essential. We can help with that. Click here for more information.