Why be on the web? What is the value of a presence on Facebook or Twitter? To get an idea of what is going to be coming to a smart phone near you, take a look at this video from Engadget . In it you will get an idea of what local promotion will consist of in the not-to-distant future. Follow your viewing of the video by reading this article from Fast Company.
The short version of what this means to you. If you run a retail outlet or any other type of business which relies on having consumers finding you easily, you need to start working on your web presence now! Before we know it, consumers wanting to find anything they need will be consulting their phones before going anywhere. One of the primary sources of information for the applications these web-based phones are going to rely on are social networking sites and/or local web portal sites.
The shorter version of what this trend means to your business is this: If you aren’t planning on entering the world of social networking or investing in your web presence, you are planning on being out of business before you know it.