Smartphones, e-readers, tablets — technology that was non-existent or nascent during the earliest part of this century — have become commonplace and are steadily evolving to meet our changing needs.

Academics and experts say this acceleration of product technology is part of an evolutionary process, and it’s picking up speed.

What’s this mean?

It helps explain the leaps-and-bounds growth of devices we use to stay connected to each other and to our sources of information.

eMarketer Digital Intelligence’s new report, Smart Devices: Evolution and Convergence, takes the technical pulse:

• Over the next two years, it’s expected that 26 million mobile phone users will upgrade to smartphones, which will push the total number of smartphone users up to more than half of U.S. mobile users.
• The number of tablet users — currently 55 million — will grow to 90 million by 2014. It means that one of every three Internet users will be using a tablet.

This isn’t even accounting for the digital media technology that provides instant access to information in the home — like e-readers, game consoles, Internet-equipped TVs and more.

The big challenge for sales pros and marketers: Staying (at least) one step ahead of this technology — without becoming road kill!

More than 20 million mothers in the United States are now Facebook-ing.

It’s a great demographic that businesses can recognize and use to market to, as well as their younger-than-18 children.

Two-thirds of moms who use social networks spend time on Facebook, according to eMarketer.

It’s become a great time-saver and support group for moms, especially new moms.

They research various brands of essential products and share their experiences with other mothers.

Facebook’s become a great place to woo and win consumers, who could become loyal customers sharing their positive experiences.

If you haven’t started marketing yet to the Moms on Facebook, well, you know what your Mother always said …

You think Twitter’s a big draw now? Wait until you see what a recent study uncovered about the site’s growth potential for business.

The study, conducted by eMarketer, was based on current Twitter engagement levels and the site’s ability to draw more users in the months and years ahead.

Based on that data, eMarketer projects Twitter will add an additional 10 million adult users over the next two years, jumping from 26 million to 36 million before reaching its plateau.

The fact that the eMarketer study is based on adult users is particularly beneficial to businesses, considering a large pool of those users represent potential prospects and existing customers.

The key takeaway: Twitter isn’t going away any time soon. In fact, it’s about to get even bigger. If your company isn’t currently looking into social media strategies involving sites like Twitter and Facebook, that can boost sales and engage buyers, there’s never been a better time to start.

Consider also: Four out of the top five companies in the Fortune 500 consistently post to their Twitter accounts, and that’s not nearly all, according to a new study.

The study, which was conducted by the Society for New Communications Research, also revealed more than 35% of Fortune 500 companies had Twitter accounts as of last year.

One of the study’s more interesting findings was that 22% of Fortune 500 companies maintain company blogs that focus on customers’ needs.

In addition:

• eight out of 10 of those companies had direct links between the posts on their corporate blogs and their companies’ Twitter feeds, and
• nearly 75% of all companies plan on launching new social media initiatives in 2010, according to a Marketing Executives Networking Group survey.

If your company already has a Twitter account, or plans to register for one in the months ahead, here are some tips to remember:

Don’t use your Twitter feed as a billboard. Engage buyers by asking for feedback about products or services, and provide useful info.

Use Twitter’s search tools to join as many industry groups as possible based on keywords.

Occasionally use Twitter to hold contests or offer small incentives. It’s an effective way to boost your following, and it gives customers a reason to monitor your feed on a regular basis.

Source: “Twitter Soars in Social Mainstream,” AdWeek, 4/28/10.