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What sets mobile local search apps apart

By Deborah Eldred

Some things go better in two's. Peanut butter and jelly. Bacon and eggs. Milk and cookies.

Given this, providers of mobile local search solutions should consider mixing traditional results, such as general listing information, with something sweeter -- like value-added content.

And wouldn't it be even more powerful if that content was exclusive to a particular industry or topic, affording the provider the opportunity to really dig deep and offer a great deal of useful information on a specific category?

While the mass-appeal approach of apps such as Google Mobile and Eventful is good, a consumer looking for information on a business in a specific industry may be more inclined to rely on a tool that specializes in that industry.

In adopting this approach, mobile local search providers can go beyond simply providing data -- numbers and addresses -- and turn their tools into content portals that instill consumer loyalty and reside right on a mobile device.

Providers need to start thinking outside of the handset box and look to partner with companies that may not traditionally be considered local search players.

Take the wedding industry. People looking for wedding-related businesses often turn to local search apps for information.

Likewise, those same people are likely visiting sites like TheKnot.com and OurWeddingDay.com as they seek insight into planning a wedding.

Combining the content found on either of those sites with the information contained within a mobile local search app would create a deeper, more unique local search experience.

For example, a consumer searching for "wedding dress shops" may find it useful to not only discover that their local search app can provide them not only with information on local businesses, but also articles about "how to plan a wedding" or "10 things you need to do before the big day."

Several different groups will benefit from such an approach.

Sponsorship partners and content providers will have their content exposed to consumers through a new outlet and medium. Small businesses and other advertisers will be able to better target their listings because they will have a captive audience that is interested in their products and services.

Also, the mobile local search provider will be able to offer this benefit as a selling point to advertisers.

The ability to maintain fresh, dynamic content is important. Consumers want information, but they also want to be kept informed of the latest news and trends. It is imperative that content be updated on a fairly regular basis.

To use the wedding example above, content could be updated seasonally, for example.

Combining accurate listings with powerful, vertical-specific content can result in a killer app that sets one mobile local search tool apart from another. After all, isn't it better to have both the peanut butter and the jelly?

Deborah Eldred is director of mobile and personalization at R.H. Donnelley's Dex, Lone Tree, CO. Reach her at