AT&T Focuses on Mobile Platforms for Small Businesses

AT&T hosted a small business event in downtown D.C. this week in celebration of National Small Business Week.

At a packed event at its Chinatown store, a group of about 40 or so entrepreneurs debated the pros and cons of Blackberries and iPhones.

The crowd included the owner of a swimming pool service firm, a night club owner, an online magazine developer and many more. It was a nice mix of suits, dreadlocks, tattoos, the flamboyant and the understated. No one was shy – but then again we’re talking entrepreneurs.

Entrepreneur Mario Armstrong moderated the event and helped answer audience questions like “how do I make my Web site more mobile friendly?”

He mentioned he uses WordPress, which offers tons of plug-ins to make content more mobile friendly.  It’s also a good idea to ask yourself whether you want to make your Web site more accessible on a mobile device or do you want to make your own mobile app?

Some of the audience members groused a little about the iPhone having less robust apps than the BlackBerry, but AT&T Vice President Walt Rivenbark, who also fielded questions, basically said just sit back and relax – the BlackBerry has been around since about ’98 and the iPhone is “just getting its footing.”

Armstrong reiterated that a blog should be the center of any business owner’s social media strategy with other social media like Twitter as the spokes.

Rivenbark said he’s seen a big uptick in iPhone app use by service industries like pool firms, plumbers, auto glass repairs and HVAC repair firms.

Cathy Martine, AT&T executive vice president of small business solutions, also was on hand to discuss the company's newly announced Tech Support 360 Backup and Go, an unlimited storage online data backup service designed for small businesses and tailored for mobile devices.