Among all the communication tools available to companies right now, mobile devices are widely considered the biggest game changers and will fundamentally shape marketing efforts in the coming years. As of May 2012, there were 90.1 million of smartphone users (29% of the population) among 237.2 million mobile phone users in the United States. During just the third quarter of 2012, Apple and Samsung respectively sold 16.2 million and 18 million of their newest world-famous devices and the number is still increasing. Should your company be active in the B2C arena, it is clear that mobile can no longer be considered a nice add-on to any advertising campaign, but must be included as a pillar of the marketing communications strategy.

So how might the mobile trend impact your business in the coming years?

The first thing to understand is that while the way people get their information has changed, they themselves have not. The focus must not be on the technology, but on the people using the technology who are, at the end of the day, your prospects and customers. Determining how people behave and use mobile technology to learn about your products and services is essential to the development of successful and pertinent marketing actions. Information on your target audience such as average time spent on mobile devices, doing what, when and how many times per day along with wider trends such as usage of geo-location and mapping services (GPS), online purchasing and application usage must all be considered.

Next, it is important to develop specific actions items that appeal to your intended targets. It can be a waste of time and money to duplicate what might be working for bigger brands. You can’t just jump on the latest technology and expect it to fulfill all your marketing objectives if it is not relevant to your business. Eschewing traditional marketing tools is never advised.

If you are thinking about reworking your marketing strategy for next year and want to find new ways to reach prospects and existing customers, ARTÉMIA Communications can help. We’ll work with you to map the path to successful and effective mobile marketing.