Mobile Advertising Options Explained

Mobile phone advertising is destined to become as critical to the marketing campaigns of small business owners as Internet marketing is today.  With more than five in six households using at lease one mobile phone, and studies that indicate that mobile phone advertising can be up to five times more effective than online advertising, the possibilities are compelling.

But, many people find it hard to understand how mobile advertising works. Articles and reports in the media usually focus on the ways that very large businesses use mobile advertising, which can be irrelevant to a smaller company.  Here you will find a quick breakdown of the two most popular forms of mobile phone advertising today. 

SMS Advertising. 

With SMS advertising, you, as a vendor, send text message advertisements to your prospects and customers who have requested to receive them from you.  You ask them to text a special keyword that you have used in your other marketing efforts, and by doing so they “opt in” to your mobile advertising list.  You will generally engage a special mobile ad vendor to manage your text messaging program, and you typically have the option to purchase packages or just pay as you go.   

Once a customer has opted into your mobile advertisements, you send phone ads to them through text messages (SMS).  This form of mobile advertisement works especially well for sending coupons and limited time discounts.  Entertainment venues such as movie theatres, restaurants and retail stores have improved profits by using SMS mobile advertising. 

In Page Mobile Advertising.

The other major type of mobile advertising has its roots in the standard search engine you use on the Internet.  To explain, a potential customer will be interested in some form of product or service, and do a mobile search for the item on their phone.  If what you offer through your mobile advertisement matches what the customer is looking for, your mobile ad will appear when they search. 

Search engine databases are typically made up of merchants who are subscribers to the mobile search engine.  This form of advertising can help a merchant on a budget, as they usually charge a set monthly subscription fee to be in the database. 

The good news is that no matter whether SMS text advertising or search engine advertising is right for you, you will be able to find economical options for your mobile advertising campaign. 

Be sure to visit SmallBusinessMobileAdvertising.com to learn much more about how small businesses can use mobile phone advertising to grow their business. Make sure to get your free mobile advertising trial (and mention the promo code “mobilenow” and receive double the credits during your free trial period).