More than 80 percent of small businesses and non-profits expect to increase their use of mobile technology to plan and manage their events in the coming year, according to a new survey from EventSpot™ from Constant Contact, Inc. However, 90 percent of them also said they would like to learn more about the tools that are currently available and how to use them most effectively.

“Mobile technology offers the distinct advantages of reach, convenience and affordability,” says Chris Litster, EventSpot’s vice president and general manager. “We definitely sense a shift in the awareness and willingness of small organizations to leverage both social media and tools for events.”

If you are a business opportunity, franchise or other small business owner who conducts events of any kind, simply knowing what the possibilities are when it comes to employing mobile technology for maximum impact is half the battle. Here are just some of them:

• Distribution of event content—Event schedules, session descriptions, speaker biographies, presentation slide decks and even white papers can be sent effortlessly and directly to event registrants’ mobile devices, saving you tremendous time and money.

• Smartphones—Small business owners who plan and manage events are using smartphone technology to do just about everything from offering mobile registration, collecting payments, engaging attendees and interacting on social networks to sending date confirmation notifications, conducting mobile check-ins, capturing real-time feedback from attendees and providing event schedules. What used to require hours of work and reams of paper no longer does, all of which leads to much greater efficiency.

• Social media —While having a presence on Facebook is a must, smart small business owners are actively engaging other platforms as well, including Twitter, LinkedIn and Pinterest—all of which allow for the use of live-search interactive hashtags to promote events and engage attendees in very creative and impactful ways.

For more information on the most affordable and effective mobile technology options available to not only promote your events but create and grow your overall customer relationships in today’s socially connected world, visit ConstantContact.com today!