The Mobile Generation Has Arrived

The mobile generation has arrived. A third of us are now using smartphones to get online every day, and access to the web via a mobile device is set to dominate desktop and laptop by 2013.

The web's biggest brands have built mobile apps, but the majority of web access on a mobile is local and informational. As consumers are out and about, they could be looking for the closest business of your type, from restaurants and salons to legal and medical help. This presents a big opportunity for small, local businesses to connect with customers and increase sales.

Just because you can see your desktop site on a mobile phone doesn’t mean it’s mobile-friendly. Mobile sites are designed for the small screen, with the needs of mobile users in mind. Cloudscape can create a mobile app that enables your business deliver content to consumers whenever, and wherever they need it.

GoMo: a Google-led initiative dedicated to helping businesses “Go Mobile”

Google's Makes Major Changes To User Interface

Google is rolling out a new look with a black top bar, and changes to their search and map results pages. Simple changes like bolder colors for actionable buttons or hiding navigation buttons until they're actually needed are aimed at helping you focus on what you need, when you need it. Tell us what you think of Google's new changes.

Microsoft Announces Office 365

Today Microsoft announced that Office 365 is out of beta. Microsoft Office 365 enables you to work with familiar Microsoft Office productivity and collaboration tools delivered through the cloud. Access your email, important documents, contacts, and calendar from virtually anywhere with almost any device.

Microsoft Office Web Apps are included as part of Office 365. View your Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft PowerPoint, and Microsoft OneNote documents online and make changes on the go. Office Web Apps work well with the Office applications you already know, so your documents always look the way you want, from your PC to the Web, and back again.

Microsoft Exchange Online gives you access to your email, calendar, and contacts anywhere, anytime, from laptops, desktops, and mobile devices. Office 365 provides each user with a 25 GB mailbox and lets them send email messages up to 35 MB. Connect with Microsoft Outlook 2010 or Outlook 2007 and use all of the rich Outlook functionality you already know and use.

Microsoft SharePoint Online makes the power of the cloud work for your organization. SharePoint Online lets you create a central place to access all your documents and important business information online. SharePoint Online can help teams work together efficiently and create, edit and review documents and proposals in real-time.

Microsoft Office 365 is a pay-as-you-go subscription service, with tailored plans for businesses of all sizes. Their plan for Professionals and Small Businesses is $6 per user/month, and for Midsize Businesses and Enterprise users they have plans ranging from $10 to $27 per user/month.

Call Cloudscape today at 810-844-1801 to see if Microsoft Office 365 is a good fit for your business.

How Cloudscape uses Google Voice

Google Voice is a free service that provides a single phone number for all your phones. When someone calls Cloudscape's Google Voice number, it rings our office phones, as well as my mobile phone, and Gmail voice chat.

Google Voice allows you to set personalized greetings based on who's calling. I can create contact groups for family, friends, and co-workers. Anyone that isn't in one of my groups will receive the default greeting, while family and friends will receive a greeting customized for those groups. Along with customized greetings, Google Voice automatically transcribes my voicemail so I can read messages in addition to listening to them.

Google Voice also has a mobile app, which allows you to navigate between voicemails and read the transcriptions Google Voice provides. If you have a Google phone number, calls made from the Google Voice app will display that number as the outbound caller ID. The Google Voice mobile app is free, and is currently available for Blackberry, iPhone, and Android mobile phones.

Click-to-Dial is another great feature in Google Voice. With Click-to-Dial, Google Voice turns phone numbers on websites into clickable links. When you click a phone number link you'll have the option to select which phone you want to place the call. Google Voice will call that phone, and when you pick up you'll be connected to the number you clicked.

These are just a few Google Voice features Cloudscape uses on a daily basis. Call Cloudscape today at 810-844-1801 to see if Google Voice is a good fit for your business.

How to Use QR Codes to Market Your Business

A QR code is a 2-D barcode that can be scanned by a smart phone's camera and transfer information. Based on the type of code it is, it might direct the viewer to a website, make a phone call, deliver a vCard or more. Here are some creative suggestions on how you can take advantage of QR codes.

QR Codes on Business Cards: Rather than overloading your business cards with all of your contact information you could include the bare minimum information for someone to reach you, then create a QR code that leads people to your website, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn profiles.

Labeling: Include a QR code on your product labeling. Customers can scan the QR code to learn more about your company, details about the product they scanned, and links to your other products and services.

Coupons or Deals: Mobile coupon apps by companies such as Groupon and Living Social have helped familiarize consumers with the idea of using their smart phones to earn discounts.Create discounts that are specific to QR codes. You could run these codes in advertisements or post them throughout your store.

Storefront Displays: Few retail businesses are open 24/7. Don't disappoint customers when you aren't there. Create a QR code that links to your online store and put it in your storefront window. One quick scan and you've turned a potential lost sale into an online sale.

Vehicle Lettering: Putting your phone number on your vehicle can lead to business, but it's easy to forget a phone number if you don't call it right away. Create a QR code with your phone number and other contact information so they can call you later. Disclaimer: Cloudscape does not advise scanning a QR code while you're driving.

Laptop Stickers: Slap a QR code sticker on your laptop. The next time a curious onlooker asks themselves what you're working on, they can scan your QR code and link to your website. It might lead to business, or it might just satisfy their curiosity.

Use QR Codes to get Likes and Follows: You can create mobile-friendly landing pages with Facebook like buttons or lead them to your Twitter page for a quick follow. The name of the game is engagement, so a like or follow can create a long-term marketing opportunity.

Get the Phone Ringing: QR codes can also make a phone call. If you want to get the phone ringing at your office you can create a QR code for a predetermined phone number. Likewise, QR codes can also generate SMS text messages.