Last year was undoubtedly a year of growth and power for mobile marketing. No longer just a prediction, mobile devices have wormed their way into our everyday lives for good.

Brands are well aware of these changes and are working on ways to benefit from this shift to smaller, portable screens through the development of new technologies and methods to interact with these nomadic customers.

So what’s working its way down the pipeline for the coming year? Here are a few mobile marketing trends that you need to know about.

Development of the second screen

Consumers are turning to their mobile devices now more than ever when making buying decisions. Marketers must guide them through the process with seamless cross-channel experiences and mobile-optimized content that is personalized and engaging.

Many brands are using TV and print ads to drive customers to their “second screen” to increase engagement and eventually trigger a purchase. Mobile advertising, QR codes with customized landing pages and even hashtags are excellent tools to increase a buyer’s awareness of a product and are ultimately a path to their wallet.

Location-based marketing

By utilizing the GPS chip present in almost every smartphone on the market today, businesses can pinpoint a potential buyer’s location to target them with specific offers that they would find most helpful.

Thanks to the variety of mobile platforms, brands now have access to a goldmine of information about the time, location and interactivity of their customers. Marketers can then leverage this information to develop accurate, personalized offers sure to resonate with consumers.

Mobile payment moving forward

Mobile payments and near-field communication (NFC) technology will continue to garner more attention.  Projects such as Google Wallet, Apple Passbook and smaller offerings like Square have been doing a great job of bringing mobile payments to the mainstream, allowing smart new ways for you to pay for goods, and removing the traditional credit and debit cards from transactions.

While major mobile technology companies have the jump right now, we may see a change of players as large financial companies with better market penetration and the advantage of existing networks are now beginning serious development of their own mobile payment systems.