It doesn't take a genius to know that the mobile phone market is among the fastest growing and largest overall global markets today. So why aren't more companies making the most of this with their marketing campaigns?

The following should give you an understanding of its importance, and the many ways it can be utilised.

Why is mobile marketing so important?

Generally, mobile marketing can be both a cheap and effective marketing method, whilst also retaining a great degree of flexibility. Furthermore, the reach that it allows marketers to have is enormous as there are currently more wireless mobile devices than televisions and computers combined. Mobiles therefore offer a level of opportunity never seen before by any other medium and are used by most major demographics, making it an extremely appealing marketing channel.

Let's break this down with a little market research:

Reach
There are over 15m mobile media users in the UK.

Acceptance
Mobile penetration in the UK is now approaching 125%, meaning many phone users have multiple SIMs or devices.

High response rates
Forrester Research says that SMS campaigns regularly get response rates of 5% to 25%.

Targeting
Mobile phones offer an inherently intimate medium. It facilitates highly targeted, one-to-one communication with lots of potential for personalisation and up-selling.

Wireless Web
28.3% of European mobile subscribers have 3G devices, and Web traffic from mobiles is already estimated to be growing 8 times faster than web traffic from UK PCs.

Applications and Smartphones
Both are on a meteoric rise, especially in developing countries where standard internet access (through a PC) is often non-existent.

Human Behaviour
Changes in the way mobile phones are being used, brings mobile marketing to centre stage. Devices such as the iPhone, Google's Android phones and Windows Mobile smartphones mean its now easier than ever to send and receive email and access the web 'on the move'. Statistics indicate that total 3G penetration has increased by 36% year on year, with the sales of smartphones increasing exponentially in the past 2 years.

So how do they go about doing it?

The entry of big brands to the mobile market support future growth and help to increase growth rate. So what options are available to businesses looking to take advantage of this? Here's a shortlist of the options; some you already know about, others you may not:

• Short Messaging Services (SMS) and Multimedia Messaging Services (MMS)
• Bluetooth, Wireless and Infrared marketing
• Mobile search marketing
• Mobile display advertising
• Mobile video advertising
• Mobile Applications
• QR-codes

If you're looking to take advantage of the opportunities that marketing to mobile device can offer, please call us for a free consultation on 01234 292222.