Is mobile worth advertiser's time?

Advertising online is one thing, but many marketers have been leery of making the jump to include mobile platforms in their overall advertising strategy. Citing the small supply of data and measurement offerings available, some have said that they will consider mobile "in the future". But that could be a mistake.

by Kristina Knight

According to a recent report from the Mobile Marketing Association, there were 232 million wireless consumers in the US in Q1 2007. Compare that to 2005 data which noted 115 million mobile subscribers. Mobile platforms have seen explosive growth in the past few years and that growth has made mobile marketing a must for advertisers.

Especially for marketers already familiar with online platforms, mobile marketing makes a good compliment. At the website, advertisers can make it simple for users to sign up for mobile sales messages. Conversely, once a mobile message is received, marketers can make a simple link that will take users to a mobile version of their website offering coupons, discounts or other incentives.

The 18-36 age demographic is open to mobile marketing messages, as long as they are correctly targeted. In exchange for sending advertising messages, advertisers could give users something - free minutes, extra discounts or discounted downloads - in return, making the mobile Internet a go-to source for information and deals.