In our last post, we reported that one-third of American adults now own a smartphone. A newly-released Nielsen report confirms that the trend continues to grow exponentially and provides more in-depth insights for popular marketing tools, such as deal-of-the-day websites.

Some significant findings:

• The majority of 18- to 34-year-olds  now own smartphones (64% of 25-34 year olds and 53% of 18-24 year olds);
• The number of smartphone owners who use the mobile Internet has grown 45% since 2010; and
• Of the 62% of smartphone owners who have downloaded apps in the past 30 days, 87% use deal-of-the-day websites like Groupon and LivingSocial.

Take a long look at that last bullet one more time.
We've been their cheerleaders (and since LivingSocial made its Charlottesville website active over the summer, many of us enjoy promotions local businesses' offer!), but these new findings present a marketing opportunity like no other for businesses.
Before taking the plunge with a daily deal website, consider a few tips from our marketing team:

• Know the ins and outs of your deal. Know the exact date your deal will launch and educate staff on all details, terms and conditions to allow for consistent communication with existing and new customers.
• Be prepared for the extra business. Not only can the phones ring off the hook after your deal's launch, but a dramatic increase in sales will most likely occur immediately.  Whether your deal is service- or product-related, make sure staff and resources are available to handle the surge of customers.
• Track your growth. The information you receive from new customers and their spending can help you ultimately measure the impact of the deal and decided whether or not to use this promotional tool in the future.
• If at first you don't succeed... figure out how to do it better next time. Rather than fall victim to the "we tried that once" syndrome, use what you have learned from each trial to improve the offer structure, messaging and timing next time out.

Ready? Set? Deal!